Giant kelp marine forests of south east Australia

[2] The community is found in coastal waters of Victoria, South Australia, and Tasmania.

Giant kelp marine forests in Australia are typically found in temperate south eastern waters on rocky reefs where conditions are cool and reasonably nutrient rich.

[4] The Giant kelp marine forests of south east Australia is a community extending from the ocean floor to the ocean surface, on a rocky substrate, and has a ‘forest-like’ structure with many organisms occupying its various layers, including pelagic and demersal fishes, sea birds, turtles and marine mammals in addition to the invertebrate organisms that inhabit the sea floor.

[4][5] The ecological community is characterised by a closed to semi-closed surface or subsurface canopy of M. pyrifera.

This species is a foundation species which provides critical ecosystem services such as, for example, nursery grounds, primary production, and adult habitats for marine organisms,[5] including Chordata, Arthropoda, Annelida, Echinodermata, Bryozoa, Cnidaria, Mollusca, Platyhelminthes, Brachiopoda and Porifera.