..., suggesting that they may be better able to cope with lift than drag. This behaviour, although affecting hydrodynamic forces and enabling S. franciscanus to remain attached to the substratum in high currents, may lead to reduced capture of drift kelp, which is entrapped on upright spines and then eaten...

... of size, spatial distribution and wave climate. * e-mail: [email protected] 1 3 2002 © The Company of Biologists Limited 2002 2002 marine alga ocean wave kelp intertidal zone hydrodynamic force material properties nearshore ecology As large terrestrial...

..., 1996). The kelp Alaria marginata (Fig. 3A), which live in the low intertidal zone of wave-exposed shores, are an example of an organism that is long relative to x in its habitat. We attached A. marginata of different lengths to force transducers affixed to the shore in their natural habitats...

... do not work. Mechanisms that incorporate the allometry of drag and strength accurately predict the maximal size of intertidal algae but not of animals, and internally imposed inertial forces may explain the limits to size in large kelps. The general question of size in wave-swept organisms remains...

...Mark W. Denny; Brian P. Gaylord; Edwin A. Cowen ABSTRACT Giant kelps (which may reach lengths of 45 m) are a prominent exception to the general rule that wave-swept organisms are small. The ability of these kelps to maintain their large size in the presence of ocean waves has been attributed...

... quite large. The large dimensions of these flexible macroalgae allow them to move during much or most of a passing wave cycle, reducing relative water velocities and modifying the forces the plants must endure. The consequences of such wave-induced motion are explored for the stipitate understory kelps...

...Barbara D. Utter; Mark W. Denny ABSTRACT We propose a hydro-mechanical numerical model that predicts the maximal tension to which stipes of the giant kelp Macrocystis pyrifera will be subjected when exposed to ocean waves. Predicted maximal tensions are close to those measured in the field...

...A. S. Johnson; M. A. R. Koehl ABSTRACT We have focused on the giant kelp Nereocystis luetkeana to examine the mechanical scaling of benthic marine organisms loaded in tension by hydrodynamic forces. If we consider simply the allometry of the kelp’s morphological characters, we conclude...