Experimental transplants of the large kelp <i>Lessonia nigrescens</i> (Phaeophyceae) in high-energy wave exposed rocky intertidal habitats of northern Chile
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Date
2006
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Abstract
Potential for addressing ecological and physiological issues becomes severely limited when the organisms required to experimentally test specific hypotheses are absent from the study areas. This report describes a simple and inexpensive device for re-planting kelps into the lower intertidal zone of wave-swept rocky habitats, using Lessonia nigrescens Bory as a model organism. The device allows a wide range of plant sizes to be anchored by the holdfast. Transplanted kelps regenerated, re-attached to the substratum and overgrew the transplanting device. These results confirm the feasibility of using this technique to tackle a variety of highly relevant questions involving ecological, physiological, conservation, restoration and management issues. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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Keywords
experimental ecology, intertidal kelps, Lessonia nigrescens, rocky shore, restoration, transplant