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Novel mesophotic kelp forests in the Galápagos archipelago

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Abstract

Kelps are among the most studied groups of macroalgae globally, as they are large foundation species that form some of the world’s most productive and diverse marine habitats. Yet little is known about diversity and ecology of tropical kelps, which tend to inhabit the more difficult to survey mesophotic zone. Eisenia galapagensis is the first tropical kelp species to be recorded globally, and is an endemic and endangered species to the Galapagos. Here, we reveal the presence of previously unknown off-shore mesophotic kelp populations in the Galapagos, made up by a potentially new Eisenia species for the region, and present phylogenetics and morphological analysis to support our claim. We find that these novel populations form extensive kelp forest habitats with a kelp density of 2.6 ± 1.5 m−2 at depths of 48–67 m, where mean water temperatures are 3–5 ℃ cooler than at the surface (18.1–19.9 ℃). Despite low levels of light and macronutrients (measured in August 2019), observations of juveniles and sori on blades suggests these kelp populations are successfully reproducing and recruiting. Our findings provide information about foundation species and complex marine communities previously unknown to managers of the Galápagos Marine Reserve. They also support the notion that this region is uniquely important for harboring brown macroalgal diversity. Our study highlights critical knowledge gaps on the distribution of primary foundation species in colder mesophotic zones, and how their invisibility from the surface prevents their inclusion in current conservation strategies.

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Data availability

The data that support the findings cannot be shared publicly because of Galapagos National Park research permit conditions. A previous authorization from the Galapagos National Park Directorate is required for further use of this data. Access to data can be requested via this email address at the Galapagos National Park Directorate Applied Research Department: investigacion@galapagos.gob.ec.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the Galápagos National Park Directorate for providing institutional support for this study and the Government of Ecuador and its navy for permission to operate in their territorial waters. We are indebted to Tom Glebas, Maria Jose Barragan, Izzy Morgante, Alize Bouriat, Paulina Sepa and Galápagos National Park warden Alberto Proaño and Jenifer Suarez for their assistance in undertaking the field expeditions for this study. We greatly thank Video Ray LLC who supported the pilot study with in-kind donations of ROV equipment and technical field assistance of their staff. We owe thanks to Dr. Sylvia Earle and the crew of the M/V Argos for helping to collect samples and record video footage during the Mission Blue’s Galápagos Expedition. We are grateful for local fisherman Nelson Ibarra, who shared with us the location of the Santa Fe kelp forest and kelp sample he found and provided. We thank David Buglass and anonymous reviewers whose edits greatly improved the manuscript, and Jose Marin Jarrin, Harmony Martell, Pedro Gonzales, Patrik Martone and the staff of the Charles Darwin Foundation for their technical assistance. We acknowledge the Sea Dog Productions for funding the tech diving expedition and National Geographic’s Science Exploration Education Initiative for donating a Trident ROV. This publication has the contribution number 2476 of the Charles Darwin Foundation for the Galapagos Islands.

Funding

This research was funded by the National Geographic Society (grant EC-50662R-18), Mrs. Karen Lo, and Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Discovery Grant (SD Donner).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Charles Darwin Research Station, Charles Darwin Foundation, Puerto Ayora, Galapagos, Ecuador

    Salome Buglass & Inti Keith

  2. Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, 1984 West Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z2, Canada

    Salome Buglass & Simon Donner

  3. Kobe University Research Center for Inland Seas, Rokkodai, Nadaku, Kobe, 657-8501, Japan

    Hiroshi Kawai

  4. School of Marine Biosciences, Kitasato University, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, 252-0373, Japan

    Takeaki Hanyuda

  5. School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Bentley, WA, 6102, Australia

    Euan Harvey

  6. Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, 2202 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada

    Simon Donner

  7. Department of Botany, Science Faculty, Universidad de Granada, Campus Fuentenueva s/n, 18071, Granada, Spain

    Julio De la Rosa

  8. Galápagos Marine Research and Exploration, GMaRE, Joint ESPOL-CDF Program, Charles Darwin Research Station, Puerto Ayora, Galapagos, Ecuador

    Jorge Rafael Bermúdez

  9. Departamento de Botánica y Fisiología Vegetal, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, Campus de Teatinos s/n, 29080, Málaga, Spain

    María Altamirano

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  1. Salome Buglass
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  2. Hiroshi Kawai
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  3. Takeaki Hanyuda
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  4. Euan Harvey
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  9. María Altamirano
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Contributions

SB conceived of the study, conducted field work, and led the writing of the manuscript. HK and TH undertook the genetic analysis of and wrote the phylogenetic section of the manuscript. MA and JDR provided equipment, supported the data collection planning, carried out and wrote the morphological analysis of kelp specimens. EH provided stereo-video equipment and conceptualized video data analysis. JRB provided water sampling equipment and water analysis. SD provided funding and supported the data analysis. IK provided laboratory materials and logistical support. SB wrote the original manuscript and all authors commented on subsequent versions. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Salome Buglass.

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Authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Ethical approval

To collect data and samples (of macroalgae and associated invertebrates) in the Galápagos Marine Reserve, the authors acquired the necessary research permits (permits PC-81-18 and PC-56-19) and sample export approvals from the Galápagos National Park Directorate and Ecuador’s Ministry of Environment.

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Buglass, S., Kawai, H., Hanyuda, T. et al. Novel mesophotic kelp forests in the Galápagos archipelago. Mar Biol 169, 156 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-022-04142-8

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