Catalina Island Leadership Program

Phoenix Country Day School

Kelp Forest Information Links

Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuaries

Introduction: In our science class, we have been studying the kelp forest. That’s why, when we went to Catalina for our eighth grade trip, my group (Maggie, Rachael, and Alex) chose the following project title: “how kelp benefits both marine life and humans.” This is important because kelp is not only a keystone species in the underwater world, but it is also used in many surprising products (for human consumption,) that will be discussed later in this paper. We believe that this paper will fill the gap between existing knowledge concerning kelp because many people don’t know much about kelp.

Research: Kelp is extremely beneficial for marine life, but it also has yet another purpose. Kelp is used in many materials that humans use in their every day lives. Throughout the generations, kelp has been used in a variety of different ways to help people make their lives easier. During the 1800’s, fisherman would collect dead specimens of kelp that had already washed up onto the beach. They then transported the dead materials to special factories where the kelp was burned to ash, and manufactured into glass and soap. However, during the 1900’s, it was discovered that alginates (a chemical that can be found and collected from the kelp plant,) could be extracted from kelp. In WWI, “potash” from kelp was used to create different kinds of paints and gunpowder. These alginates were found to contain vitamins and other important minerals that are beneficial for the human body if consumed. This was a beginning of a new era for kelp; one where the demands were both by humans and fish.

Each year in the United States, one half million tons of kelp (or seaweed) is collected by people for the alginate productions that appear in many different aspects of human lives. Some materials that contain kelp products include tomato ketchup, stamps, beer, and, medicinal dressings to name a few. Other products that kelp may be part of are in materials such as ice cream, paper, ink, clothes, salad dressings, canned foods, and in certain cosmetics.
In the cosmetic industry, alginates that have been extracted from kelp are extremely useful for people living in the United States. For spa organizations, manufacturing companies give them kelp that is specifically used for thalasotherapy, a form of skin care that involves the use of water. Kelp is a prime ingredient for mud baths and for specific wraps such as the “seaweed wrap”. Kelp is an ingredient in these products because the materials within the kelp help exfoliate skin. Some products that may be sold in spas also have this incredible ingredient in it including some skin creams, lotions, and an assortment of shampoos and conditioners. In the United States, kelp is mainly used for food and spa purposes. However, in other foreign nations, the developments of kelp based beauty products have started to become extremely popular; especially lipsticks.

Many doctors also use this diverse product for many different kinds of ailments that people can get throughout their lives. One material that people can consume with a kelp based product is for a food supplement. Since kelp contains many key nutrients such as iodine, potassium, and other important minerals, some people intake these supplements (that can be found at any drug store) that contain ingredients that have been extracted from kelp. Some other medical diseases that kelp can help either cure or poterrially prevent from even occurring is Rheumatism. If kelp products are taken internally, the kelp can help ease the pain for some people who take it regularly. Other medicinal purposes for kelp plant include its “curative powers” which may help cure tuberculosis, arthritis, the common cold or the influenza, and worm infestations that may be found in the human system in rare cases. Other specialists also believe that certain kinds of kelp pills can help prevent bronchial congestion, prevent cancer, relieve heartburn, and promote the healing of cuts and burns. These pills may also able to help maintain the balance in your thyroid, promote circulation, and enhance your brain and memory. It has also been proven that alginates from the kelp plant can help people who are trying to lose weight. This process happens when the alginates stimulate the thyroid in your body by making it work faster, making your metabolism speed up creating a situation whereby one burns more calories and more fat.

Some people also use kelp in their daily diets by actually eating the plant for dinners or for snacks. Citizens of the United States often prepare salads that contain kelp, and there are specific recipe books that one can buy with recipes that contain the plant. One example of a recipe using kelp is for “Kelp Egg noodles.” Within the dish, you combine on cup of flour, two tablespoons of unsalted butter, two large egg yolks, two more eggs, and a half a cup of kelp flakes. If you combine all of the ingredients and boil the noodles for your pasta dish, you have a delicious, nutritious meal for your family that will give their bodies the essential vitamins that that they need to remain healthy.

While in Catalina, we collected some data on the benefits of kelp. In the microscope lab, we learned that kelp is home to many microscopic organisms such as very small clams and shrimp. We also learned that, even after kelp is dead and has washed up onto the beach, beach hoppers (little sand bugs) feed and live on it. On the Kayak and the snorkels, we didn’t really need to collect much data for our paper. However, what we did was observe how the fish and other organisms use the kelp in their daily lives. The microscope lab which was in the morning of October 16, 2007 was where we collected most of our data in Catalina. We also used books and websites to locate our information. We ended up finding many different fields of information.
Everyone in our group learned many facts and interesting information about kelp during our trip to Catalina, and while spending time researching in our Science class. We learned about different animals and how they benefit from kelp and what would happen to the environment if kelp were removed.
Almost every animal in Catalina benefits from kelp forest somehow. Kelp provides food, shade, nutrients, homes, safe areas, and resting areas for different animals. Some examples are:

• Sea otters use the top of kelp beds as resting spots
• Seals sometimes hide in the thick kelp forests so sharks can’t reach them
• Beach Hoppers eat the dead kelp the has washed up onto the shore
• Many fish survive on a diet of only kelp
• Some invertebrates depends upon the drifting kelp
• Small fish hide in the dim light of the kelp forest to increase their chances of survival (Camouflage)
• There are not as many large predators in the kelp forest
• Smaller predators use the kelp forest for concealment and ambushes
• Kelpfish disguise themselves as kelp to ambush their prey

On Wednesday, day three of our trip to Catalina, our lab group (the Garibaldi) did an activity showing what would happen if one species of life were removed from the kelp forest. We learned that if one species becomes extinct, then all of the other species have to adapt to fill the missing gap. If kelp were to be removed from the world, then a lot of animals that rely on kelp would also die, and possibly go extinct. Kelp is very important to the environment, and there would be a very large gap to fill if it went away.

Based upon the research that we have conducted, our group has decided that the kelp forest perfectly illustrates the Four Laws of Sustainability. 1.) Everything is connected in the kelp forest. 2.) If one species goes extinct, then all of the other species have to adapt to fill in the gap that the first species created. 3.) As more species die, the gap will get harder for the remaining species to fill. 4.) There is no waste in nature. 5.) Even the dead kelp that has been washed up onto shore is eaten by bugs. 6.) The kelp collects energy from the sun, and the fish that eat the kelp also get energy from the sun that shines through the kelp, and from the food they eat. 7.) Without biodiversity, there would be nothing to keep the species in balance of each other. 8.) The kelp always follows the Four Laws of Sustainability.

Learning about kelp and its benefits are very important. Knowing all of the purposes that kelp does for the environment is a good reason why people are very careful to not over farm, and to watch the population of kelp and its predators. Without knowing anything about kelp, people could have unintentionally hurt its populations.

Conclusion: From our project, we learned that many things humans use are made with kelp, such as cosmetics and food. We also learned that kelp is a keystone species in the marine environment, and that many fish live in the forest or feed on it. Kelp is used for many different things above and below the water.

If our team had the opportunity to return to Catalina for future research work and give ideas for future teams that will be writing their project on the many different aspects of Catalina, we would want to be able to put an entire piece of kelp under a microscope and study it intensely. Then we would have been able to see the variety of organisms that were living on the kelp, and what they were doing (either hiding there for camouflage purposes, of simply for food purposes.) Then we would have an even deeper understanding on how all of the marine life at Catalina depends on the kelp, and what effects the marine life would have if the kelp were taken away. If further research was provided, we would take the opportunity to do all of these things.

Everything is connected. There is no waste in nature. Everything runs on energy. Biodiversity is good. Those are the Four Laws of Sustainability. The kelp forest follows all of the laws perfectly, as does all other natural environments. The kelp forest is a great thing to learn about, and we had fun researching it.