kelp beds
Marine algae groves
Kelp beds are dense underwater forests of kelp—large brown seaweeds that anchor to rocky ocean floors and grow toward the surface.
These ecosystems support diverse marine life, from sea urchins to otters: Divers explored the kelp beds off the California coast.
The term appears in marine biology, conservation, and coastal management contexts.
- rockfishStone-habitat marine swimmer
- sea ottersAquatic weasel relatives
- biodiversityRange of life forms
- food webInterconnected predator-prey relationships
- habitatOrganism's natural environment
tidal zone · sustainable harvesting · overfishing · indigenous practices · carbon sink · ocean acidification · abalone · urchins · holdfast · fisheries · starfish · eutrophication · anemones · sea life · coastal erosion · fronds · tide · eco-tourism
- Aquarium Featuresfish tanks, shark tanks, touch pools, viewing windows, reef sharks
- coastal habitatsshoreline, shorelines, tidal flat, coastline, mudflat
- intertidal zonetide pool, tide pools, rock pool, rockpool, rockpools
- kelp forestholdfast, holdfasts, frond, fronds, blade
- seaweednori, wakame, kombu, dulse, laver
- Mendocino CoastMendocino, Fort Bragg, Albion, Westport, Van Damme
marine ecosystem type
kelp bedscoral reefs
Calcium carbonate marine structures
tropical reefs · mangrove forests · open ocean · barrier reefs · hydrothermal vents