Kelp forests produce large amounts of macroalgal detritus, ranging from whole plants to small particles (1 mm). The role of this kelp detritus in fueling deep-sea communities adjacent to healthy kelp forests was investigated in a region in the north of Norway by comparing the community structure and biodiversity of meio-, macro-, and megafauna in two deep (450 m) areas with different expected input of kelp detritus: a deep fjord basin surrounded by kelp forests and the adjacent continental shelf 15 km offshore from the kelp forests. The results showed that, although the fjord received a significantly higher amount of large kelp detritus (i.e. blades) than the shelf area, the amount of small kelp detritus available on the sediment was similar in both areas. There were significant differences in the multidimensional scaling analyses on the community structure for meio-, macro-, and megafauna between the fjord and the shelf. Significant differences were also found in biomass, abundance and biodiversity indices for some groups. However, no clear pattern emerged in the community structure and biodiversity between the fjord and the shelf, and the observed differences could not be linked directly to kelp detritus availability. The similar amounts of small particles of kelp detritus in the fjord and shelf area suggest that kelp detritus can provide organic matter to ecosystems further away than initially hypothesized, thus potentially shaping the structure and functioning of deep benthic communities distant from the kelp forests. Yet, the direct (trophic) links of kelp detritus and the studied benthic fauna need to be further analysed. The results are discussed in relation to current global changes in kelp forest, including regime shifts from healthy kelp reefs to turfs or barren areas, which reduce drastically the amount of macroalgal detritus produced and exported.

海带森林会产生大量的大型藻类碎屑，从整株植物到小颗粒（1毫米）不等。在挪威北部的一个地区，通过比较两个深海（450 m）中小型，大型和大型动物的群落结构和生物多样性，研究了这种海藻碎屑在为健康海带森林附近的深海社区提供燃料方面的作用。海带碎屑的预期输入不同的地区：一个深海峡湾盆地，周围环绕着海带森林，以及距海带森林15公里的相邻大陆架。结果表明，尽管峡湾的海带碎屑（即叶片）数量明显高于架子区，但沉积物上可用的小海带碎屑的数量在两个地区相似。在峡湾和陆架之间的小型，大型和大型动物群落结构的多维尺度分析中，存在显着差异。在某些群体的生物量，丰度和生物多样性指数中也发现了显着差异。但是，峡湾与大陆架之间的群落结构和生物多样性没有明确的模式，所观察到的差异也不能直接与海藻碎屑的可利用性联系起来。峡湾和陆架区域海带碎屑的相似数量的小颗粒表明，海带碎屑可以向比最初设想的更远的生态系统提供有机物质，从而潜在地改变了远离海带森林的深层底栖生物群落的结构和功能。然而，海带碎屑与所研究的底栖动物的直接（营养）联系需要进一步分析。讨论了有关海带森林当前全球变化的结果，包括从健康海带礁向草皮或贫瘠地区的政权转移，这大大减少了生产和出口的大型藻类碎屑的数量。