Hostname: page-component-6dbcb7884d-fw45b Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-02-14T06:29:47.611Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

First mesophotic Ecklonia radiata (Laminariales) records within the iSimangaliso Wetland Park marine-protected area, east coast, South Africa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 November 2023

Welly Qwabe ,
Toufiek Samaai Open the ORCID record for Toufiek Samaai [Opens in a new window] ,
Jean M. Harris Open the ORCID record for Jean M. Harris [Opens in a new window] ,
Ryan M. Palmer Open the ORCID record for Ryan M. Palmer [Opens in a new window]  and
Sven E. Kerwath Open the ORCID record for Sven E. Kerwath [Opens in a new window]
Welly Qwabe
Affiliation:
Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, Scientific Services, Montrose, Pietermaritzburg 3201, South Africa Wildlands Conservation Trust, Mayors Walk 3208, South Africa
Toufiek Samaai*
Affiliation:
Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Oceans and Coasts Branch, Cape Town 8001, South Africa Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa Iziko Museums of South Africa, Cape Town 8001, South Africa
Jean M. Harris
Affiliation:
Wildlands Conservation Trust, Mayors Walk 3208, South Africa
Ryan M. Palmer
Affiliation:
South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, Makhanda 6140, Eastern Cape, South Africa
Sven E. Kerwath
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Fisheries Branch, Cape Town 8001, South Africa
*
Corresponding author: Toufiek Samaai; Email: toufiek.samaai@gmail.com
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

A dense Ecklonia radiata (Laminariales) kelp forest extending at least 35 km has been found between 45 and 60 m depth range within the mesophotic zone inside the iSimangaliso marine-protected area (MPA) at the iSimangaliso Wetland park World Heritage Site on the east coast of South Africa. This is the first visual confirmation of the occurrence of E. radiata beds in subtropical South Africa, in an area situated between the tropical and subtropical bioregions, in an area that spans the Natal and Delagoa bioregions of the south-western Indian Ocean, more than 350 km north of its previously documented South African range. The kelp was found to be present across the length of the MPA, but dense beds were present only in the southern Natal bioregion, with sparse occurrences observed elsewhere on soft-coral and sponge-dominated reefs in the upper mesophotic zone. The footage was collected in November 2020, May 2021 and November 2022 during remotely operated vehicle and drop camera surveys of the mesophotic zone inside the MPA. This discovery adds to the body of knowledge on the global distribution of Laminariales populations in deep tropical and subtropical settings and the diversity of habitats within South Africa's largest coastal MPA.

Keywords

drop cameraEcklonia radiataiSimangaliso Wetland Park MPAmesophotic coral ecosystemsmesophotic reef kelpremotely operated vehicle
Type
Marine Record
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 103 , 2023 , e91
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adams, LA (2021) Patterns and potential environmental drivers of mesophotic communities of the warm temperate shelf of the Amathole Region, South Africa (Master's thesis). Faculty of Science, University of Cape Town, South Africa.Google Scholar
Althaus, F, Hill, N, Ferrari, R, Edwards, L, Przeslawski, R, Schönberg, CH, Stuart-Smith, R, Barrett, N, Edgar, G, Colquhoun, J and Tran, M (2015) A standardised vocabulary for identifying benthic biota and substrata from underwater imagery: the CATAMI classification scheme. PLoS ONE 10, e0141039.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Anderson, RJ, McKune, C, Bolton, JJ, Declerck, O and Tronchin, E (2005) Patterns in subtidal seaweed communities on coral-dominated reefs at Sodwana Bay on the KwaZulu-Natal coast, South Africa. African Journal of Marine Science 27, 529–537.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barlow, R, Lamont, T, Gibberd, MJ, Russo, C, Airs, R, Tutt, G, Britz, K and van den Berg, MA (2020) Phytoplankton adaptation and absorption properties in an Agulhas Current ecosystem. Deep-Sea Research I 57, 103209.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beaumont, NJ, Austen, MC, Mangi, SC and Townsend, M (2008) Economic valuation for the conservation of marine biodiversity. Marine Pollution Bulletin 56, 386–396.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bolton, JJ (2010) The biogeography of kelps (Laminariales, Phaeophyceae): a global analysis with new insights from recent advances in molecular phylogenetics. Helgoland Marine Research 64, 263–279.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bolton, JJ and Anderson, RJ (1994) Ecklonia. In Akatsuka, I (ed.), Biology of Economic Algae. The Hague, Netherlands: Academic Publishing, pp. 385–406.Google Scholar
Bolton, JJ, Anderson, RJ, Smit, AJ and Rothman, MD (2012) South African kelp moving eastwards: the discovery of Ecklonia maxima (Osbeck) Papenfuss at De Hoop Nature Reserve on the south coast of South Africa. African Journal of Marine Science 34, 147–151.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bolton, JJ, Leiliaert, F, De Clerck, O, Anderson, RJ, Stegenga, H, Engledow, HE and Coppejans, E (2004) Where is the western limit of the tropical Indian Ocean seaweed flora? An analysis of intertidal seaweed biogeography on the east coast of South Africa. Marine Biology 144, 51–59.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Branch, G, Branch, M, Griffiths, C and Beckley, L (2022) Two Oceans: A Guide to the Marine Life of Southern Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Penguin Random House.Google Scholar
Buglass, S, Kawai, H, Hanyuda, T, Harvey, E, Donner, S, De la Rosa, J, Keith, I, Bermúdez, JR and Altamirano, M (2022) Novel mesophotic kelp forests in the Galápagos archipelago. Marine Biology 169, 156.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Button, RE, Parker, D, Coetzee, V, Samaai, T, Palmer, RM, Sink, K and Kerwath, SE (2021) ROV assessment of mesophotic fish and associated habitats across the continental shelf of the Amathole region. Scientific Reports 11, 18171.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Carter, RA and Schleyer, MH (1988) Plankton distributions in natal coastal waters. In Schumann, EH (ed.), Coastal Ocean Studies Off Natal, South Africa. Lecture Notes on Coastal and Estuarine Studies, vol. 26. Berlin: Springer-Verlag, pp. 152–177.Google Scholar
CATAMI Technical Working Group (2014) CATAMI classification scheme for scoring marine biota and substrata in underwater imagery. Version 1.4. Canberra, Australia, National Environmental Research Program, Marine Biodiversity Hub, 24pp. (Technical Report). http://dx.doi.org/10.25607/OBP-11CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Coleman, MA, Reddy, M, Nimbs, MJ, Marshell, A, Al-Ghassani, SA, Bolton, JJ, Jupp, BP, De Clerck, O, Leliaert, F, Champion, C, Pearson, GA, Serrã, EA, Madeira, P and Wernberg, T (2022) Loss of a globally unique kelp forest from Oman. Scientific Reports 12, 5020.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cuba, D, Guardia-Luzon, K, Cevallos, B, Ramos-Larico, S, Neira, E, Pons, A and Avila-Peltroche, J (2022) Ecosystem services provided by kelp forests of the Humboldt Current system: a comprehensive review. Coasts 2, 259–277.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eger, AM, Marzinelli, EM, Beas-Luna, R, Blain, CO, Blamey, LK, Byrnes, JEK, Carnell, PE, Choi, CG, Hessing-Lewis, M, Kim, KY, Kumagai, NH, Lorda, J, Moore, P, Nakamura, Y, Pérez-Matus, A, Pontier, O, Smale, D, Steinberg, PD and Vergés, A (2023) The value of ecosystem services in global marine kelp forests. Nature Communications 14, 1894.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Filbee-Dexter, K and Wernberg, T (2020) Substantial blue carbon in overlooked Australian kelp forests. Scientific Reports 10, 12341.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Geldenhuys, DA (2015) Quantitative fish survey of the submarine canyons of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park (Master's thesis). University of Cape Town, South Africa.Google Scholar
Goschen, WS, Schumann, EH, Bernard, KS, Bailey, SE and Deyzel, SHP (2012) Upwelling and ocean structures off Algoa Bay and the south-east coast of South Africa. African Journal of Marine Science 34, 525–536.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Graham, MH, Kinlan, BP, Druehl, LD, Garske, LE and Banks, S (2007) Deep-water kelp refugia as potential hotspots of tropical marine diversity and productivity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 104, 16576–16580.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Guiry, MD and Guiry, GM (2022) AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. https://www.algaebase.org (accessed on 14 May 2023).Google Scholar
Harley, CD, Anderson, KM, Demes, KW, Jorve, JP, Kordas, RL, Coyle, TA and Graham, MH (2012) Effects of climate change on global seaweed communities. Journal of Phycology 48, 1064–1078.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hawkins, SJ, Allcock, AL, Bates, AE, Firth, LB, Smith, IP, Swearer, SE and Todd, PA (2019) Biology and ecology of the globally significant kelp Ecklonia radiata. Oceanography and Marine Biology: Annual Review 57, 265–324.Google Scholar
Huggett, JA, Kakora, H, Rasoloarijao, Z, Ockhuis, S, Batyi-Nkwenkwe, K, Mabongo, V, van der Merwe, S, Ferguson, L, Edward, J, Le Bihan, M and Lamont, T (2018) Seasonal (summer and winter) patterns of zooplankton biomass on the Transkei shelf during 2017. In H.M. Verheye, R.J.M. Crawford, J.A. Huggett, S.P. Kirkman (Eds.) State of the Oceans and Coasts around South Africa 2017 Report Card: Based on Research and Monitoring Observations, Report No. 17. Department of Environmental Affairs, Pretoria, RP431/2018, ISBN: 978-0-621-46507-5, 49 pp.Google Scholar
Lamont, T and Barlow, RG (2015) Environmental influence on phytoplankton production during summer on the KwaZulu-Natal shelf of the Agulhas ecosystem. African Journal of Marine Science 37, 485–501.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lamont, T, Brewin, RJW and Barlow, RG (2018) Seasonal variation in remotely-sensed phytoplankton size structure around southern Africa. Remote Sensing of Environment 204, 617–631.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lamont, T, Louw, GS, Russo, CS and van den Berg, MA (2021) Observations of northeastward flow on a narrow shelf dominated by the Agulhas Current. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 251, 107197.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lamont, T, van den Berg, MA and Barlow, RG (2016) Agulhas current influence on the shelf dynamics of the KwaZulu-Natal bight. Journal of Physical Oceanography 46, 1323–1338.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lutjeharms, JRE (2006) The Agulhas Current. Berlin: Springer, 329 pp.Google Scholar
Lutjeharms, JRE, Gründlingh, ML and Carter, RA (1989) Topographically induced upwelling in the Natal bight. South African Journal of Science 85, 310–316.Google Scholar
Lutjeharms, JRE, Valentine, RC and Van Ballegooyen, RC (2000) The hydrography and water masses of the Natal bight, South Africa. Continental Shelf Research 20, 1907–1939.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Makwela, MS (2017) An investigation of benthic epifauna to support classification and mapping of outer shelf ecosystems in KwaZulu-Natal (MSc Thesis). University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa.Google Scholar
Makwela, MS, Götz, A, Sink, K, Samaai, T, Kerwath, SE and Wilke, CG (2016) Notes on a remotely operated vehicle survey to describe reef ichthyofauna and habitats-Agulhas Bank, South Africa. Bothalia-African Biodiversity & Conservation 46, 1–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marzinelli, EM, Williams, SB, Babcock, RC, Barrett, NS, Johnson, CR, Jordan, A, Kendrick, GA, Pizarro, OR, Smale, DA and Steinberg, PD (2015) Large-scale geographic variation in distribution and abundance of Australian deep-water kelp forests. PLoS ONE 10, e0118390.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Morris, T, Lamont, T and Roberts, MJ (2013) Effects of deep-sea eddies on the northern KwaZulu-Natal shelf, South Africa. African Journal of Marine Science 35, 343–350.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nelson, W, Duffy, C, Trnski, T and Stewart, R (2018) Mesophotic Ecklonia radiata (Laminariales) at Rangitāhua, Kermadec Islands, New Zealand. Phycologia 57, 534–538.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Obura, D, Celliers, L, Machano, H, Mangubhai, S, Mohammed, MS, Motta, H, Muhando, C, Muthinga, N, Pereira, M and Schleyer, MH (2000). Status of coral reefs in eastern Africa: Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and South Africa. In Wilkinson, C (ed.), Status of Coral Reefs of the World. Townsville, Queensland: Australian Institute of Marine Science, pp. 171–188. Available at http://www.aims.gov.au/pages/research/coral-bleaching/scr2004/pdf/scr2004v1-06.pdf.Google Scholar
Pessarrodona, A, Franco-Santos, RM, Wright, LS, Vanderklift, MA, Howard, J, Pidgeon, E, Wernberg, T and Filbee-Dexter, K (2023) Carbon sequestration and climate change mitigation using macroalgae: a state of knowledge review. Biological Reviews 98, 1945–1971. doi: 10.1111/brv.12990CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Porter, SN and Schleyer, MH (2017) Long-term dynamics of a high-latitude coral reef community at Sodwana Bay, South Africa. Coral Reefs 36, 369–382.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rautenbach, G, Hermes, J, Halo, I, Morris, T and Veitch, J (2023) Wind- and eddy-driven upwelling over submarine canyons inshore of the northern Agulhas Current. African Journal of Marine Science 45, 1–14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roberts, MJ, Ribbink, AJ, Morris, T, van den Berg, MA, Engelbrecht, DC and Harding, RT (2006) Oceanographic environment of the Sodwana Bay coelacanths (Latimeria chalumnae), South Africa. South African Journal of Science 102, 435–443.Google Scholar
Roberts, MJ, van der Lingen, CD, Whittle, C and van den Berg, M (2010) Shelf currents, lee-trapped and transient eddies on the inshore boundary of the Agulhas Current, South Africa: their relevance to the KwaZulu-Natal sardine run. African Journal of Marine Science 32, 423–447.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rothman, MD (2015) The phylogeny, biology and biogeography of the Southern African kelps Ecklonia maxima and Laminaria pallida (PhD thesis). University of Cape Town, South Africa.Google Scholar
Rothman, MD, Mattio, L, Wernberg, T, Anderson, RJ, Uwai, S, Mohring, MB and Bolton, JJ (2015) A molecular investigation of the genus Ecklonia (Phaeophyceae, Laminariales) with special focus on the Southern Hemisphere. Journal of Phycology 51, 236–246.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Russo, CS, Lamont, T, Tutt, GCO, van den Berg, MA and Barlow, RG (2019) Hydgrography of a shelf ecosystem inshore of a major Western Boundary Current. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 228, 106363.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sakanishi, Y, Yokohama, Y and Aruga, Y (1989) Seasonal changes of photosynthetic activity of a brown alga Ecklonia cava Kjellman. The Botanical Magazine = Shokubutsu-Gaku-Zasshi 102, 37–51.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schumann, EH (1988) Physical oceanography off Natal. In Schumann, EH (ed.), Coastal Ocean Studies off Natal, South Africa. Berlin: Springer, pp. 101–130 (Lecture Notes on Coastal and Estuarine Studies 26).Google Scholar
Silva, PC, Basson, PW and Moe, RL (1996) Catalogue of the benthic marine algae of the Indian Ocean. University of California Publications in Botany 79 [i]-xiv, 1–1259.Google Scholar
Smale, DA, Burrows, MT, Moore, P, O'Connor, N and Hawkins, SJ (2013) Threats and knowledge gaps for ecosystem services provided by kelp forests: a northeast Atlantic perspective. Ecology and Evolution 3, 4016–4038.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Spalding, HL, Amado-Filho, GM, Bahia, RG, Ballantine, DL, Fredericq, S, Leichter, JJ, Nelson, WA, Slattery, M and Tsuda, RT (2019) Macroalgae. In Loya, Y, Puglise, KA and Bridge, TCL (eds), Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems. New York: Springer, pp. 507–536. ISBN 978-3-319-92734-3.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Staehr, PA and Wernberg, T (2009) Physiological responses of Ecklonia radiata (Laminariales) to a latitudinal gradient in ocean temperature. Journal of Phycology 45, 91–99.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Steneck, RS and Johnson, CR (2014) Kelp forests: dynamic patterns, processes and feedbacks. In Bertness, M, Bruno, J, Silliman, B and Stachowicz, J (eds), Marine Community Ecology and conservation. Massachusetts, USA: Sinauer Association, pp. 315–336.Google Scholar
Steneck, RS, Leland, A, McNaught, DC and Vavrinec, J (2013) Ecosystem flips, locks, and feedbacks: the lasting effects of fisheries on Maine's kelp forest ecosystem. Bulletin of Marine Science 89, 31–55.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Teagle, H, Hawkins, SJ, Moore, PJ and Smale, DA (2017) The role of kelp species as biogenic habitat formers in coastal marine ecosystems. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 92, 81–98.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tronchin, EM and De Clerck, O (2005) Brown algae. Guide to the seaweeds of Kwazulu-Natal. In De Clerck, O, Bolton, JJ, Anderson, RJ and Coppejans, E (eds), National Botanic Garden of Belgium. Brussels: Scripta Botanica Belgica, pp. 96–129.Google Scholar
Vásquez, JA, Zuñiga, S, Tala, F, Piaget, N, Rodríguez, DC and Vega, JA (2014) Economic valuation of kelp forests in northern Chile: values of goods and services of the ecosystem. Journal of Applied Phycology 26, 1081–1088.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vieira, C, N'Yeurt, ADR, Rasoamanendrika, FA, D'Hondt, A, Thi Thram, LA, Van de Spiegel, S, Kawai, H and De Clerck, O (2021) Marine macroalgal biodiversity of northern Madagascar: morpho-genetic systematics and implications of anthropic impacts for conservation. Biodiversity and Conservation 30 [1-66], 1501–1546.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wells, C, Pringle, J and Stretch, D (2021) Cold water temperature anomalies on the Sodwana reefs and their driving mechanisms. South African Journal of Science 117, 9304.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wernberg, T, Coleman, MA, Babcock, RC, Bell, SY, Bolton, JJ, Connell, SD, Hurd, CL, Johnson, CR, Marzinelli, EM, Shears, NT and Steinberg, PD (2019a) Biology and ecology of the globally significant kelp Ecklonia radiata. Oceanography and Marine Biology 57, 265–324.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wernberg, T, Krumhansl, K, Filbee-Dexter, K and Pedersen, M (2019b) Status and trends for the world's kelp forests. In Sheppard, C (ed.), World Seas: An Environmental Evaluation. London, United Kingdom: Elsevier, pp. 57–78.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wynne, MJ (2018) A checklist of the benthic marine algae of the Northern Arabian Sea coast of the Sultanate of Oman. Botanica Marina 61, 481–498.CrossRefGoogle Scholar