"Giant kelp (Macrocystis) is a remarkable plant, the largest seaweed and most rapidly growing and prolific of all plants found on earth. Growing from the seafloor and extending along the sea surface in lush canopies, giant kelp provides an extensive vertical habitat in a largely two-dimensional seascape. It is the foundation for one of the most species-rich, productive, and widely distributed ecological communities. Schiel and Foster's scholarly review and synthesis take the reader from the early observations by Darwin to the present day, providing a historical perspective for the modern understanding of giant kelp evolution, biogeography, biology, and physiology. This perspective is integrated into a thorough discussion of the species and forest ecology worldwide, with considerations of human uses and abuses, management and conservation, and the present effects of global change and likely future impacts. This volume promises to be the definitive treatise and reference on giant kelp and its forests for many years, and it will appeal to marine scientists and others who want a better appreciation and understanding of these wondrous forests of the sea"--Provided by publisher.