Indexing Structures in Database Management system.pdf
Seaweed On The Sandy Beaches Of The Outer Hebrides - An Important Food Source For Coastal Fauna [Kyla Orr]
1. Seaweed on the sandy beaches
of the Outer Hebrides: An
important food source for
coastal fauna
Kyla Orr (PhD student)
Supervisors: Sheila Heymans, Tom Wilding and David Hughes
Scottish Association for Marine ScienceCoordination Centre:
Scottish Association for Marine
Science, Oban, Scotland
T: +44 (0)1631 559000
F: +44 (0)1631 559001
E: biomara@sams.ac.uk
W: www.biomara.org
Project supported by the INTERREG IVA
Programme Managed by SEUPB
2. Introduction: Macroalgae for Biofuel
• Marine biomass suggested as alternative energy source to terrestrial
biomass due to its greater productivity and large surface area available for
growth
• Wild macroalgae productivity is ~2.8 times higher than that for sugarcane;
cultured macroalgae ~ 6.5 times more productive than sugarcane (Gao and
McKinley, 1994).
(1) Harvesting of attached macroalgae
Laminaria spp. Vs Ascophyllum nodosum
(2) Growth of macroalgae
on long-lines
(3) Collection of
storm-cast kelp
Three possible sources of macroalgae for Biofuel:
Ecological role
and impacts of
removal ?
3. Study Area
North Uist
Benbecula
South Uist
Uists, Outer Hebrides -
west coast dominated by
soft shores and shallow
offshore reefs populated
with kelp
Large casts of seaweed
after gales
Long history of seaweed
collection from shores
8. Invertebrates and seaweed
• Majority of fauna found in old seaweed at High Water
Springs (HWS), and in sediment at Low Water (LW)
• Abundance of fauna appears to increase with decay
stage of seaweed
• HWS: average 59,617 individuals/m2
seaweed -
dominated by oligochaete worms and fly larvae
(Oligochaete abundance can reach 1, 000 000 individuals/m2
)
• LW: average 27,747 individuals/m2
-dominated by the
polychaete families Capitellidae and Spionidae.
Capitellid worms
9. Conclusions
• Beach-cast seaweed in Outer Hebrides
supports an abundance of macrofauna
• Seaweed is very important feeding ground
for migratory shorebirds, as well as
breeders relative to other coastal habitats
• Trophic interactions still need to be
investigated before questions can be
answered about harvesting
10. Project supported by the INTERREG IVA Programme
Managed by SEUPB
Funders
Coordination Centre:
Scottish Association for Marine
Science, Oban, Scotland
T: +44 (0)1631 559000
F: +44 (0)1631 559001
E: biomara@sams.ac.uk
W: www.biomara.org
Thank-you