Chuck Davis / Tidal Flats Ltd.

Bat stars or "sea bats" decorate the floor of a...

Caption: Bat stars or "sea bats" decorate the floor of a giant kelp forest in Monterey Bay, California, where dead or dying fronds of giant kelp have "sloughed" or fallen away to the ocean bottom where they are an important source of food for other kelp forest creatures.
Scientific name: Asterina miniata (bat stars) , Macrocystis pyrifera (giant kelp)
Location: Monterey Bay, Monterey, California
Copyright: © Chuck Davis / Tidal Flats, Ltd.
Photographer Code: EST67807
AGPix ID: AGPix_ChDaTiFl26_0079
Photo Alignment: 35mm (horizontal)
Comments: Sloughing is a natural process in a giant kelp forest; while individual kelp fronds may only live six months or so, depending upon oceanic conditions, new fronds will arise to replace the old ones from the giant kelp holdfast; new kelp plants are also spawned via gametes set free in the sea by special reproductive blades called sporophylls (located just above the holdfast). Monterey Bay is part of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.