Catastrophic Storms, El Nino, and Patch Stability in a Southern California Kelp Community

Abstract

Strong winter storms in southern California destroyed most of the canopy of the giant kelp Macrocystis pyrifera but not the patches of understory kelps in the Point Loma kelp forest near San Diego. Subsequent massive recruitment of Macrocystis juveniles and adults that survived the storms had low survival in the summer during the California El Nino of 1983. The combined disturbance may have long-lasting structural consequences for this community because, once established, the understory patches can resist invasion by Macrocystis.