Non-trophic interactions amplify kelp harvest-induced biomass oscillations and biomass changes in a kelp forest ecological network model

Kelp forests are important marine ecosystems providing habitat for numerous species. Despite over 50 years of mechanical harvesting in the Northeast Atlantic, the indirect impacts of kelp harvesting and associated habitat loss on faunal species within kelp forests remain poorly understood. We investigated the consequences of kelp harvesting by developing an allometric trophic network model for a subtidal Northeast Atlantic kelp forest (dominated by Laminaria hyperborea). Additionally, we designed a novel mechanistic model to explore the non-trophic interactions between kelp and age class 0 Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and kelp and European lobster (Homarus gammarus), specifically focusing on the increased survival benefits provided by the kelp habitat. Simulations were conducted over a 50-year period, incorporating harvesting cycles of 2, 5, and 9 years, as well as low and high harvesting intensities. Our findings reveal the complex dynamics resulting from kelp harvesting. The recovery o..., , , # Perälä et al. (2023) Non-trophic interactions amplify kelp harvest-induced biomass oscillations and biomass changes in a kelp forest food web model

***

Authors and correspondence:
Tommi Perälä, [e-mail], https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4995-5997
Susanna Pesari, [e-mail]

Contents:

Data:
Simulation outputs

Software:
Simulator software and codes for running the simulations and producing the figures in the manuscript.

## Data

This section consists of the following files and directories

\"README.md\" - This readme file

\"Results.mat\" - MATLAB formatted binary file containing simulation outputs and input variables

In MATLAB, Results.mat can be loaded using the load command. In R, loading of a mat-file is done using the readMat function from the R.matlab package.

The Results.mat file contains the following variables:

Name Size Bytes Class

Data 1x1 385678 struct
DefaultOptions 1x1 5280 struct
OPTIONS 1x8 9008 struct
RESULTS 1x8 712764288 struct

Data is a s...