Kelp forests are critical marine ecosystems that provide habitat and ecological services, as well as economic benefits. However, kelp forests worldwide are facing multiple pressures, including climate change and human activities. In this study, we investigated whether recruitment success, an infrequently recorded variable in kelp monitoring studies, was affected in degraded kelp reefs where adult golden kelps () were persistently absent due to fish consumption. We conducted a three-year seasonal monitoring of kelp recruits and juveniles in both healthy and degraded kelp reefs in northwest Spain. Our findings reveal a decline in spring kelp recruitment over time on degraded reefs, while it remained stable on healthy reefs. The results indicate that continued herbivory pressure can decrease kelp recruitment, suggesting the potential exhaustion of kelp stand resilience. Altogether, our study highlights the importance of biotic interactions, such as herbivory, in understanding changes in kelp forest dynamics. Moreover, it emphasizes the significance of including recruitment in kelp forest assessments as an indicator of resilience.

中文翻译：

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补充是退化海带森林恢复能力下降的一个可能指标

海带森林是重要的海洋生态系统，提供栖息地和生态服务以及经济效益。然而，全球海带森林正面临多重压力，包括气候变化和人类活动。在这项研究中，我们调查了招募成功率（海带监测研究中很少记录的变量）是否受到退化海带珊瑚礁的影响，在这些珊瑚礁中，由于鱼类消费，成年金海带持续缺失。我们对西班牙西北部健康和退化的海带礁中的新海带和幼海带进行了为期三年的季节性监测。我们的研究结果表明，随着时间的推移，退化珊瑚礁上的春季海带补充量逐渐减少，而健康珊瑚礁上的春季海带补充量则保持稳定。结果表明，持续的食草压力会减少海带的补充，这表明海带的恢复力可能会耗尽。总而言之，我们的研究强调了生物相互作用（例如草食性）在理解海带森林动态变化方面的重要性。此外，它强调了将补充纳入海带森林评估作为复原力指标的重要性。