GENERAL HISTOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -The uppermost layer of the kelp forest is called the canopy. Along the California coast, the giant kelp is the main algae found in this layer. Among the fronds in the kelp canopy live bryozoans, hydroids, mysids, amphipods, isopods, crabs, snails, nudibranchs, and juvenile fish of all sorts.

Detailed explanation-2: -Canopy kelps include the largest species and often constitute floating canopies that extend to the ocean surface (e.g., Macrocystis and Alaria). Stipitate kelps generally extend a few meters above the sea floor and can grow in dense aggregations (e.g., Eisenia and Ecklonia).

Detailed explanation-3: -Gas bladders, called pneumatocysts, act as floats helping to keep the kelp upright in the water column as it grows towards the sunlight.

Detailed explanation-4: -Kelp forests grow predominantly along the Eastern Pacific Coast, from Alaska and Canada to the waters of Baja, California. Kelp forests are composed of rapidly growing large brown algae.

Detailed explanation-5: -At the bottom is a root-like structure called a “holdfast” that anchors kelp to rocks and other materials on the ocean floor. Young kelp must compete for space to settle and grow, as the rocky bottom is carpeted with smaller algae and invertebrates like anemones and sponges. The stipe is similar to a plant’s stem.