The Kelp Forests Collection

Ecosystem

Creatures

• Kelp forests are miraculous ecosystems with diversity, productivity, action, and beauty.
• The Kelp forest is home to and provides refuge for millions of sea creatures. From loads of fish (such as the Hottentot seabream) to a heap shark species that are endemic to the southern African region (pyjama shysharks, puffadder shysharks, dark shysharks, and leopard catsharks) to octopus, brittle stars, and oodles of astonishing multi-coloured nudibranchs (sea slugs).
• The Kelp Forest benefits more than those that call it home. For instance, seabirds benefit from the Kelp forest by preying on the snails and crabs that live on the blades.

Structure and Balance

• Similar to terrestrial Forests, Kelp forests can be divided into trophic levels: Canopy (the uppermost layer), Understory (the layer below the canopy), and Forest Floor (the bottom layer).
• An important factor in the balance of Kelp ecosystems is herbivore grazers. If there is a sudden increase in one of these herbivores (for instance, urchins, snails, abalone, etc.), the growth of the forest can come to a halt. Likewise, if there is a depletion in an important herbivore, a Kelp forest can experience rapid growth and out-balance the ecosystem.
• The thickness of the blades and fronds at the top of the Forest determines the amount of light that reaches the bottom layers, therefore affecting the productivity of the entire ecosystem.

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Charisma Factor

• Many humans know the feeling of walking through a forest. Dense hordes of trees tower overhead, each tree abounding with life in every crevice of bark. Birds swoop, sing, and soar amid the lush vegetation. Creatures of all kinds harmoniously tick, and we are often left in more serene, tranquil temperaments.
• Fewer are fortunate enough to glide through and encounter the serenity found in the underwater labyrinth of a Kelp forest.
• The crowded, thick masses of kelp proliferate life, similar to its terrestrial counterpart. When submerged into this ocean chaparral, fish, squid, and marine mammals of all kinds encompass, astonishing us outsiders with its dynamic splendour.

Myths and Legends

• Greek mythology abounds with seaweed symbolism. One story tells a tale of a Greek fisherman who eats magic seaweed to bring his catch back to life.
• In Hawaiian cultures, a piece of seaweed and coconut fibres is braided into people’s hair as part of a ceremony that binds people together and represents the God of Maui, who was protected by seaweed after he was abandoned by his mother.
• Japanese folklore includes seaweed in much of their stories and legends. Seaweeds in Japan were used to pay debt and taxes, and today, seaweed farming is a multi-billion-dollar industry.
• Korean cultures believe that after birth, mothers should replenish energy and nutrition levels through seaweed soup consumption.
• Chilean cultures believed of a woman called Lapincoya, a woman covered in seaweed who would seduce fishers to sea. She was also an indicator of a fisherman's future catch. If she was seen dancing toward the sea, it was a good sign.