Age structure and density of kelp species
Age structure and density of the kelp community was investigated along the Hansneset depth gradient (2.5 – 10m) in summer 2013 and 2021 as a proxy for the stability of the environment. The observed pattern of relative age class distribution of all kelps, A.esculenta , ‘Digitate Kelps’ and S. latissima changed considerably between the two time periods. Data from 2021 are illustrated in Figure 6 and detailed age and density information is given in Appendix 6. As the investigation of other parameters already revealed changes across depth levels, the statistical analysis of mean age (years m-2) and density (ind. m-2) focused on adult (≥ 1 year) kelps and differences between species and time points (Table 3, Figure 7). Detailed data from 2013 were published as Supplement Table S3 in Bartsch et al. (2016).