The proposed research will extend an externally funded project conducted through UTAS commencing in 2018 to select for thermally tolerant and low-nutrient-tolerant giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) genotypes, and to examine effects of acclimation of selected genotypes by pre-exposure to warm, nutrient-poor conditions. The proposed project will outplant pre-exposed selected genotypes of giant kelp as micro-sporophytes in an experiment with and without provision of an added source of nutrient. The work is designed to assess the feasibility of this approach as a means to develop minimum patch sizes for giant kelp that can be self-replacing and self-expanding, thus providing restoration and future climate-proofing options for this EPBC-listed marine community.
Images:
- Healthy and a degraded giant kelp forest - Credit Adam Obaza (left), Matthew Doggett (right)
- One of the last remaining patches of giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) in eastern Tasmania - Credit Cayne Layton, University of Tasmania
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Diver and boat in a giant kelp forest in southeast Tasmania - Credit Craig Sanderson, University of Tasmania