As Maine’s kelp forests decline, the impacts ripple through the ecosystem all the way down to the microbial level, according to a new study led by researchers from Bigelow Laboratory.
The study, published in PNAS, reveals fundamental differences between the microbial communities on the reef in a kelp forest versus a turf algae-dominated system, including the chemical compounds they use and produce.
These invisible changes could have important implications for how these ecosystems function and respond to a warming ocean.
