Giant kelp restoration – do red seaweeds facilitate kelp recruitment?

Supervisory Team:

• Catriona Hurd
• Scott Bennett
• Jeff Wright
• Chris Burridge

Brief project description:

Surface canopy cover of the giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera, in Tasmania has declined by ~90% since records began in 1940s.  There are ongoing projects around Tasmania to restore Macrocystis beds by artificially seeding sites with juveniles that have been raised in the laboratory and transplanted as juveniles into the field.  However, for full restoration the population needs to be self-sustaining such that there is natural recruitment into the ‘restored’ population.  Kelps have a bi-phasic life cycle, and at present we have little understanding of where the microscopic male and female gametphophtes reside naturally.  In the USA, kelp gametophytes have been found growing inside understory red seaweeds, and it is possible that red seaweeds facilitate kelp recruitment by providing a habitat (or seed bank) for the microscopic stage.  Knowledge of where Macrocystis gametophytes naturally grow will greatly assist in its future restoration.

The aim of this project is to use laboratory culture, microscopy and DNA barcoding methods to determine where kelp gametophytes are found naturally in the field, including within benthic red seaweeds (calcifying and non-calcifying).

Skills students will develop during this research project:

Culture methods for kelp gametophytes, microscopy methods, laboratory skills including DNA barcoding, experimental design, data analyses and interpretation, report writing, paper writing, critical and creative thinking; experience working with a kelp restoration team.