Observation Hum120 #2
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/241598433
For this observation, I took a picture of some bull kelp I saw on a walk. Bull kelp is a marine algae; like other algaes it is a photosynthesizer. Bull kelp anchors itself to the rocks with a rootlike holdfast and can grow up to ~115-130 feet long. The long stem-like part is the stipe. To keep buoyancy in the churning and rough waters the bull kelp has a pneumatocyst; which is a single gas-filled sack. Bull kelp is an annual species, meaning that it develops from a spore to maturity in a year. Photosynthesis occurs in the blades. This species was particularly interesting to me, especially this piece I saw washed up in the intertidal zone. I liked that the blades were intact and splayed over the rocks. Being able to observe and identify the anatomy of the kelp was really fascinating. Kelp in general is often overlooked even though it’s extremely important for coastal ecosystems. Bull kelp shelters small invertebrates and fishes, protects the coastline from rough waves, and is an essential photosynthesizer. Large kelp forests, like mangroves in the lower 48, mitigate the impact of turbulent water. Bull kelp also specifically provides cover for herring eggs, a food source eaten by Tlingit peoples living along the coast. Bull kelp is called sú in Tlingit; strips of sú were used to make anchors, and the large blades could be wrapped around to make storage containers. Overall, bull kelp has a multitude of uses for people and the ecosystems.
Citation:
- Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2024, September 2). kelp. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/science/kelp
- Goodrich, Bethany Sonsini. “Shared Stewardship.” Patagonia Stories, 5 Oct. 2022, www.patagonia.com/stories/shared-stewardship/story-124811.html#:~:text=Before%20colonization%2C%20the%20stipes%20of,foods%20like%20eulachon%20fish%20oil.
Comments
We have kelp forests off Cape Town in the Atlantic Ocean.
Ours is Ecklonia maxima.
Thank you for sharing information about bull kelp. I appreciated that you went into detail about the structure of the kelp. I didn't know that it only photosynthesis occurs in the blades. I can definitely agree that bull kelp is overlooked a lot even because it does play a big role in our ecosystem. They are a keystone species because they provide so much to the environment like supporting another keystone species, sea otters. Sea otters use the kelp forests for shelter. They are a keystone species because they regulate sea urchin populations, which are plowing down the kelp forests.
Good evening, Luke,
I'm not sure if you've had the bull kelp hot sauce in Juneau but it's the bee's knees! It adds the best flavor to the spicey punch. I had no idea the Tlingits used the blades to make storage containers. The fact that they also used them as anchors makes perfect sense as well, what a cool function. When I was a child, I used to love finding the washed up remains on the shore. I would whip them around pretending to be Indiana Jones. The base of them also makes an excellent cup when cut open, ha! Thanks for sharing such interesting details!
Hey Luke,
It is so cool to see a good chunk of bull kelp up here. I’ve heard about kelp forests and the importance they hold and that one of the ways it does that is by it being so long, but I didn’t realize that it could get to ~115-130 feet long! I have not heard that they could be used as an anchor, that is pretty cool! I also haven’t heard about them being made into containers. To be able to make both anchors and containers out of bull kelp takes an incredible amount of talent. It’s so cool to see how something like that has such an amount of importance for many different things.
I think bull kelp is something that surprises everyone at first when they have their first encounter with it. For example when I first moved here I thought it was an alien or a deep sea creature! However, once you dive into what it actually is, it can be quite useful and special! I saw someone mention it but I thought I would bring it back up. Here in Juneau there is a company that harvests bull kelp in order to make hot sauces and salsa with it. I remember trying these in my biology class back in highschool and watching the video of how they collect them! If anyone has time I would recommend looking into it as it is very interesting work!
Here is the link to their website:
https://www.barnaclefoods.com/
Hi Luke,
Thanks for all the information on bull kelp. I've seen it all over the beach my whole life but never really knew anything about it. There's a lot more going on than I realized! I didn't realize that they only live for a year. I've seen pieces that were so long, its hard to imagine that they can grow so much in so little time. I'd never heard of bull kelp being used to make boat anchors. I have had a lot of bull kelp foods, like hot sauce, pickled chunks. It's cool how useful something that I've always thought of as just some kelp laying on the beach can be.
Just a quick comment about in-text citations as you're all learning about that now as we have started Week 4. I'll mention that your second through seventh sentences are all facts, which means each of those sentences requires an in-text citation for your reader to know where the fact came from. Going forward, everyone will need to use in-text citations of parenthetical citations and/or signal phrases to give credit to sources of information. Make sure you all spend some time working through the materials on MLA Format this week and making sure you're clear on in-text citations.
Thanks for sharing a great observation, Luke, that many of your peers have some experience with one way or another!
Best,
Prof. Brooke
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