Ecology of giant kelp forests in California: a community profile

Submarine forests of giant kelp (Macrocystis), with plants over 50 m tall growing from the bottom to the surface of the sea, probably intrigued humans long before the first published insights into their ecology by Darwin in 1986. Even with only a limited view from the surface and observations from collections, Darwin was clearly fascinated by giant kelp and the diverse organisms associated with it, and made the first analogy between this community and terrestrial forests.