CONTENTS 



Page 



PREFACE iii 



FIGURES x 



TABLES xii 



PLATES xiii 



CONVERSION TABLE xiv 



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xv 



CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ! 



1.1 Taxonomy, Definitions, and Descriptions 2 



1.2 Distribution 4 



1.3 Kelp Forest Ecology 5 



CHAPTER 2 THE ABIOTIC ENVIRONMENT 9 



2.1 Introduction 9 



2.2 Substratum and Sedimentation 9 



2.3 Temperature 11 



2.4 Light 12 



2.5 Nutrients 15 



2.6 Water Motion 17 



CHAPTER 3 THE GIANT KELP COMMUNITY 20 



3.1 Introduction 20 



3.2 Distribution Along the Pacific Coast of North America 22 



3.2.1 Giant Kelp Forests 22 



3.2.2 Other Kelp Forests 23 



3.3 Distributional Variation Among Sites 23 



3.3.1 Central California 26 



3.3.2 Southern California 28 



3.3.3 Other Geographic Areas 31 



3.4 Distributional Variation Within Sites 32 



3.4.1 Between Depths 32 



3.4.2 Within Depths 32 



3.5 Temporal Variations in Community Structure 33 



3.5.1 Long-Term 33 



3.5.2 Short-Term 34 



3.5.3 Succession 34 



v 



