f019729: a lonely kelp plant has survived inside the urchin-grazed zone, now colonised by sea lettuce.

f020103: a tranquil moment under water. Ecklonia radiata

f012025: this row of stalked kelp plant shows their individual forms clearly: a proud canopy supported by a long stipe.

f022030: A natural kelp forest in a healty environment is subject to continual and gradual rejuvenation. This picture shows old, tall, well-grazed kelp being replaced by young ones.

f007303:The deep kelp forest is a major feature of the seascape in northern New Zealand. Further south, other seaweeds gradually take over. The kelp forest shown here has, after six years, only  just recovered from a major kill.

f022836: in healthy kelp forests, the canopy is tightly closed. Because the fronds move incessantly, even those a bit lower down, receive enough sunlight to survive.

f022837: By standing upright between the plants, a diver shows how tall the kelp plants are.

f019736: in order to survive in shallow, wave-washed water, shallow kelp plants must be firmly anchored, have thick stipes, and they cannot afford to grow tall. Their canopies are also constantly trimmed by the waves.

f022812: In sheltered waters, the kelp plants are allowed to grow excessively tall, with massive crowns. Here the old kelp is falling over, opening the forest canopy for young plants to take over.

f014809: in healthy environments, the kelp is constantly grazed, by fish, top shells, crustaceans and more. Here we see the characteristic bite holes of the butterfish who lives mainly from kelp leaves. The strategy of biting a round hole from the middle of each leaf, by doubling it and biting a half-circle, helps to preserve the food source. Like a notch in a plastic candy wrapper, a bite on the side of a leaf, would weaken it considerably.

f017907: When storms rip the stalked kelp from its position on the rocks, only few will end washed up on a beach. Most will roll around in a depression of the sea bottom as tumble kelp. Because the plants are tumbled like a giant sausage, all leaves get a little sunshine, and the whole bunch survives as a significant food source.

f017509: murky water causes untimely kelp death, the ones lower down being starved of light first. This kelp forest along Great Barrier Island, is symptomatic of habitat degradation occurring there.

f016803: In January 1993, the whole kelp forest from Leigh to Great Barrier, Mokohinau and Hen and Chickens, died from 10 metres down. It was caused by dense plankton blooms, lasting for over six weeks, with visibility less than 4m. The murky waters starved the kelp of light. The next year, a similar disaster happened, and it took six years before the kelp forest had a closed canopy again.

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