The Ecology of Seashores

576pp  ISBN 0849300088      £68.00

• Presents examples from both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres
• Covers microbial ecology and detritus and nutrient cycles in representative ecosystems
• Highlights ecological niches on the shore and the establishment and maintenance of zonation patterns
• Synthesizes factors such as grazing, competition, predation, disturbance and succession that determine the distribution, diversity, biomass, and production of various types of consumers
• Discusses energy budgets, patterns of energy flow, trophic structure and food webs
• Outlines the application of network analyses to gain greater insight into ecosystem processes and to compare different ecosystems

The Ecology of Seashores explores the complex shore environment. It covers the ways in which representative species have adapted to life in a constantly changing environment in terms of their interactions, the control of community structure, and how energy and materials are cycled in different ecosystems.

Written by an eminent marine biologist, this work emphasizes ecological processes and the use of systems analysis in understanding such processes. He gives complete coverage of the ecology of all seashore types: rocky shores, soft shores, sandy beaches, and estuaries at an advanced level. When appropriate, the author uses the energy circuit language of symbols and diagrams developed by H.T. Odum as a basis of understanding.

The first comprehensive review and synthesis of the research on shore ecosystems, the book lends order to some of the most complex ecosystem types and presents a wide range of geographical examples. If you are involved in researching or managing coastal zones, The Ecology of Seashores provides exhaustive coverage of the essential background information you need.

Contents

The Environment

• Introduction
• Shore Environments and Stresses on the Shore
• Salient Features of the Shore Environment

• Overview
• Hard Shores
• Zonation Patters on the Hard Shores
• Zonation Patterns on Representative Shores
• The Causes of Zonation
• Hard Shore Microalgae
• Hard Shore Micro- and Meiofauna
• Rocky Shore Lichens
• Hard Shore Macroalgae
• Key Faunal Components

• Overview
• Soft Shores
• Soft Shores as a Habitat
• The Physio-Chemical Environment
• Soft Shore Types
• Biologic Modification of the Sediments
• Estuaries
• Soft Shore Primary Producers
• Soft Shore Fauna
• Biological Modification of the Sediments
• Microbial Ecology and Organic Detritus
• Nutrient Cycling

• Overview

• Introduction
• Ecological Niches on the Shore
• The Establishment of Zonation Patterns
• The Maintenance of Zonation Patterns
• Overview

• Introduction
• Hard Shores
• Soft Shores

• Overview

• Introduction
• Food Sources
• Energy Budgets for Individual Species
• Optimal€.
• Secondary Production
• P:B Rations and Production Efficiency
• Relative Contribution of Soft Shore Benthic Infauna to Secondary Production
• Community Metabolism
• Trophic Structure and Food Webs
• Carbon Flow Models
• Stable Isotopes and Food Web Analysis
• Top-Down and Bottom-Up Control of Community Structure
• Overview

• Introduction
• Hard Shores
• Sand Beaches
• Intertidal Mud Flat in the Lynher Estuary, Cornwall, UK
• Salt Marshes
• Seagrass Ecosystem Model
• Mangrove Ecosystems
• Estuaries
• Network Analysis
• Potential Applications of the Ascendency Concept
• Emergy Analysis