| Macrocystis pyrifera, or giant kelp, forms huge beds along the western coast of North America. Individual kelp plants extend from the rocky reef and sand bottom to the surface, where they grow out and form a canopy. These kelp beds are home to a rich array of life. Kelp offers protection for prey, a hiding place for predators, and a substrate upon which smaller creatures can grow. Macrocystis pyrifera, primarily that growing at San Clemente and Santa Barbara Islands, has been a photographic subject of ours for 14 years. | Small gas bladders -- pneumatocysts -- connect the kelp's stipes ("stems") to its blades ("leaves"). These bladders help elevate the kelp plant from the bottom, towards sunlight and the water's surface. | New growth occurs at the elevated end of the plant. When it reaches the surface, the kelp plant continues to grow and will spread out at the surface to form a thick canopy. | In a dense kelp forest, the rocky reef can hardly be seen beneath the many kelp plants. | | | Kelp is constantly in motion, tossed about by currents, swells and, for those plants reaching the surface, the wind. | | New growth occurs at the tip of the kelp plant, where tiny pneumatocysts form along with new fronds. | As with most life on earth, kelp requires sunlight to thrive. | Kelp is bent back by strong currents | Gas bladders -- pneumatocysts -- connect the kelp's stipes ("stems") to its blades ("leaves"). These bladders help elevate the kelp plant from the bottom, towards sunlight and the water's surface. | The kelp plant must withstand surge, back and forth water movement caused by large swells passing by. | | |
