EPA-Ireland Project funded under the WATER and JPI-TAP initiatives:
KelpRes the diversity and resilience of kelp ecosystems in Ireland. This project is a collaboration between NUI Galway researchers Kathryn Schoenrock (Dept. Zoology), Dr. Anne Marie Power (Dept. Zoology), Dr. Aaron Golden (Biofinformatics and Biostatistics Cluster), University of Alabama at Birmingham researcher Dr. Stacy Krueger-Hadfield (Dept. Biology), the National Biodiversity Data Centre, and SeaSearch Ireland. The goals of this research are to: 1. Describe historical and present day distribution of Irish kelp ecosystems via academic and citizen science records. 2. Determine the diversity of the main species, Laminaria hyperborea, in subtidal kelp forest habitats. 3. Determine the ability of these populations to regenerate themselves over multiple generations 4. Provide an application for people to record kelp forest ecosystem health and distribution using remote sensing and indicator species. |