Eco-evolutionary dynamics in kelp forests.

Eco-evolutionary dynamics in kelp forests.

Invited: J. David Aguirre

School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

Day: 11th June 2025 at 12pm
Aula de Graus, Facultat de Biologia

Ecosystem engineers are species that create, modify or maintain local environmental conditions for associated species. Importantly, individuals of these ecosystem engineering species are not ecologically identical. Morphological, behavioural and physiological differences among individuals create distinct opportunities for associated organisms and can drive variability in the distribution of biodiversity. If this phenotypic variation in the ecosystem engineer population has a heritable genetic basis, then changes in the genetic composition of ecosystem engineering populations will leave a lasting signature on ecosystems.

Kelp forest ecosystems dominate temperate and sub-polar coasts around the world, and while the key species vary from region to region, kelp forests are often dominated by a single species of Laminarian kelp. Thus, the biodiversity and functioning of temperate rocky reef ecosystems are intimately linked to the population dynamics of a single ecosystem engineer. This extreme lack of functional redundancy makes kelp forests extremely sensitive to global-change mediated population contractions with severe consequences for biodiversity as well as human health and livelihoods.

My research examines linkages between ecological and evolutionary change in New Zealand’s dominant ecosystem kelp Ecklonia radiata. My postgraduate students, collaborators, and I have advanced several complementary research streams, building capacity and developing methods in kelp husbandry and aquaculture, molecular biodiversity assessments and quantitative methods. In this seminar, I will touch on some of these research streams and introduce you to some of the wonderful people who have made this research possible and enjoyable.