Photographs of a foresting experiment in Chipana Bay@en

Macrocystis pyrifera kelp beds have a significant ecological role along the coast of Chile. The project aimed to test the dependence of reef fishes from Macrocystis pyrifera and to evaluate the effect of an enhanced habitat structure (experimental M. pyrifera bed) on the abundance, composition and spatial distribution of the reef fish community. Boulders colonized by M. pyrifera were transported into three replicated experimental sites (9 m2 each) located in a barren ground area. The present underwater photographs illustrate the buildup of the in situ experiment. […]