Development and diversity of epibiont assemblages on cultivated sugar kelp (Saccharina latissima) in relation to farming schedules and harvesting techniques

Corrigan, S, Brown, AR, Tyler, CR, Wilding, C, Daniels, C, Ashton, IG and Smale, DA 2023 Development and diversity of epibiont assemblages on cultivated sugar kelp (Saccharina latissima) in relation to farming schedules and harvesting techniques [in special issue: Algae - a Step Forward in the Sustainability of Resources] Life, 13 (1). https://doi.org/10.3390/life13010209

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Abstract/Summary

Seaweed farming in Europe is growing and may provide environmental benefits, including habitat provisioning, coastal protection, and bioremediation. Habitat provisioning by seaweed farms remains largely unquantified, with previous research focused primarily on the detrimental effects of epibionts, rather than their roles in ecological functioning and ecosystem service provision. We monitored the development and diversity of epibiont assemblages on cultivated sugar kelp (Saccharina latissima) at a farm in Cornwall, southwest UK, and compared the effects of different harvesting techniques on epibiont assemblage structure. Increases in epibiont abundance (PERMANOVA, F4,25 = 100.56, p < 0.001) and diversity (PERMANOVA, F4,25 = 27.25, p < 0.001) were found on cultivated kelps over and beyond the growing season, reaching an average abundance of >6000 individuals per kelp plant with a taxonomic richness of ~9 phyla per kelp by late summer (August). Assemblages were dominated by crustaceans (mainly amphipods), molluscs (principally bivalves) and bryozoans, which provide important ecological roles, despite reducing crop quality. Partial harvesting techniques maintained, or increased, epibiont abundance and diversity beyond the farming season; however, these kelp plants were significantly fouled and would not be commercially viable in most markets. This paper improves understanding of epibiont assemblage development at European kelp farms, which can inform sustainable, ecosystem-based approaches to aquaculture.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Additional Keywords:	seaweed aquaculture; biofouling; partial harvesting; ecosystem approach to aquaculture; macroalgal cultivation
Subjects:	Marine Sciences
Divisions:	Marine Biological Association of the UK > Other (MBA)
Depositing User:	Ms Kristina Hixon
Date made live:	30 Mar 2023 11:29
Last Modified:	09 Feb 2024 16:57
URI:	https://plymsea.ac.uk/id/eprint/9889

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