Ecosystem engineering kelp forms habitat and influences associated communities by altering abiotic conditions. These conditions can also affect the engineer's own demographic rates but the mechanisms underpinning these feedbacks are not well known. Here, we tested the interactive effects of three abiotic factors engineered by the Australasian kelp Ecklonia radiata (light, water flow and scour) on the early survivorship and growth of its outplanted microscopic recruits. After six weeks, recruit survivorship was high in the absence of scour and low light (2–3 times higher than when scour was present) and under low water flow-ambient light conditions. Growth of sporophytes was strongly related to light, with recruits under ambient light approximately four times larger after six weeks. Overall, reduced scour (for survivorship) and ambient light (for growth) appear crucial for maximising E. radiata recruitment suggesting a healthy forest can provide microenvironments to enhance survivorship while gaps in the canopy enhance growth.

生态系统工程海带通过改变非生物条件形成栖息地并影响相关群落。这些条件也会影响工程师自己的人口统计率，但支撑这些反馈的机制尚不清楚。在这里，我们测试了由澳大利亚海带Ecklonia radiata设计的三种非生物因素（光、水流和冲刷）对其外植的微观新成员的早期存活和生长的相互作用影响。六周后，在没有冲刷和弱光的情况下以及在低水流环境光条件下，新兵的存活率很高（比存在冲刷时高 2-3 倍）。孢子体的生长与光密切相关，六周后，在环境光下的新孢子体大约增大四倍。总体而言，减少冲刷（对于生存）和环境光（对于生长）似乎对于最大限度地增加辐射E. radiata的补充至关重要，这表明健康的森林可以提供增强生存的微环境，而树冠的间隙则可以促进生长。