The Biology and Ecology of Giant Kelp Forests. 2015. XVI, 395 p. gr8vo. Hardcover.

Giant kelp (Macrocystis) is the largest seaweed and most rapidly growing and prolific of all plants found on Earth. Growing from the seafloor and extending along the sea surface in lush canopies, giant kelp provides an extensive vertical habitat in a largely two-dimensional seascape. It is the basis for species-rich, productive, and widely distributed ecological communities.

The authors start from the observations by Darwin to the present day, providing a historical perspective for the modern understanding of giant kelp evolution, biogeography, biology, and physiology. This perspective is integrated into a thorough discussion of the species and forest ecology worldwide, with considerations of human uses and abuses, management and conservation, and the present effects of global change and likely future impacts.