Download or read book Population Ecology of a Coral Reef Fish Across Multiple Spatial Scales written by J. Wilson White and published by ProQuest. This book was released on 2007 with total page 332 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A major goal in ecology is to understand how processes observed on single habitat patches "scale up" to predict population- or metapopulation-scale dynamics. This issue is especially critical for marine species with widely-dispersing, planktonic larvae. I addressed this question by investigating the behavior, growth, and mortality of juvenile bluehead wrasse, bifasciatum, a small planktivore, on reefs around the Caribbean island of St. Croix. At a small spatial scale (centimeters), bluehead wrasse enjoyed safety-in-numbers: per-capita mortality was substantially lower in larger groups. This effect did not scale up, however, and mortality was density-dependent at the spatial scale of entire reefs (Chapter 1). The relative safety of groups may explain why settlers occurred in groups more often than expected by chance, but group sizes may be limited by competition for prey. Grouped fish spent more time foraging than solitary fish, but dietary and otolith analyses revealed that grouped fish obtained the same number of prey and grow slower than solitary fish despite foraging more. Behavior and growth were also affected by the local abundance of copepod prey, which varied consistently across reefs (Chapter 2). Of even greater interest is spatial variation in the recruitment and abundance of a major wrasse predator, which closely followed the spatial pattern of bluehead wrasse recruitment. Presumably this occurred because larvae of both species are affected by the same oceanographic forces. This spatial correlation in recruitment is noteworthy because predator density strongly affected the form and intensity of density-dependent mortality among recently settled wrasse (Chapter 3). Since the majority of marine metapopulation models assume that density dependence is spatially homogenous, models incorporating spatially correlated settlement of predators and their prey produce strikingly different results. Populations with consistently low larval settlement experience much weaker density-dependence and are consequently far more important to the persistence of the metapopulation than high-settlement, high-predation populations (Chapter 4). Far from supporting the idea that small-scale processes scale up, I have identified several new potential sources of large-scale, oceanographically-driven variability that may affect the fate of individual fish and entire metapopulations.

Download or read book Spatial Ecology of Reef Fish in Backreef and Coral Reef Habitats written by and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Understanding the spatial population dynamics of organisms is essential for effective ecological conservation and management. Landscape ecological theories consider the habitat composition and structure of landscapes at multiple spatial scales as drivers for population and community patterns. Yet, many of these theories have evolved through study of terrestrial systems, and a formal, predictive marine spatial ecology is needed to account for the unique characteristics of marine species and their environments. Marine systems present several conceptual challenges to established spatial ecological theories, because (1) pelagic larval dispersal strategies and life-histories incorporating ontogenetic habitat shifts make it difficult to identify population boundaries, (2) the decoupling of adult, larval, and juvenile populations means that a population's demographic rates are not associated with a single habitat patch, but rather a heterogeneous mosaic of habitats, and (3) hydrodynamic processes complicate predictions of landscape connectivity. My research contributes to the development of marine spatial ecology by addressing the effects of local habitat patch characteristics, regional landscape structure, and hydrodynamics upon dispersal and recruitment of marine populations at multiple spatial scales. My focus was on the important shallow, coastal ecosystems that often serve as nursery habitat for many fish and crustacean species, and where habitat and hydrodynamics are likely to both play important roles in organism dispersal and survival. My research included three related studies: (1) a computer simulation model of passive and active dispersal strategies evaluated how organism dispersal behavior and landscape structure interacted to influence dispersal and recruitment success; (2) a regression analyses tested the efficacy of both traditional (e.g. patch area, habitat diversity) and marine-specific (e.g. proximity to hydrodynamic corridors, habitat volume) landscape c.

Download or read book The Ecology of Fishes on Coral Reefs written by Peter F. Sale and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2013-10-22 with total page 773 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides a comprehensive and up-to-date review of the ecology of coral reef fishes presented by top researchers from North America and Australia. Immense strides have been made over the past twenty years in our understanding of ecological systems in general and of reef fish ecology in particular. Many of the methodologies that reef fish ecologists use in their studies will be useful to a wider audience of ecologists for the design of their ecological studies. Significant among the impacts of the research on reef fish ecology are the development of nonequilibrium models of community organization, more emphasis on the role of recruitment variability in structuring local assemblages, the development and testing of evolutionary models of social organization and reproductive biology, and new insights into predator-prey and plant-herbivore interactions.

Download or read book Coral Reef Fishes written by Peter F. Sale and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2002-05-15 with total page 567 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Encyclopedia of Insects is a comprehensive work devoted to all aspects of insects, including their anatomy, physiology, evolution, behavior, reproduction, ecology, and disease, as well as issues of exploitation, conservation, and management. Articles provide definitive facts about all insects from aphids, beetles and butterflies to weevils and yellowjackets. Insects are beautiful and dreadful, ravenous pests and devastating disease vectors, resilient and resistant to eradication, and the source of great benefit and great loss for civilization. Important for ecosystem health, they have infl.

Download or read book Ecology of Fishes on Coral Reefs written by Camilo Mora and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2015-04-23 with total page 389 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The local diversity and global richness of coral reef fishes, along with the diversity manifested in their morphology, behaviour and ecology, provides fascinating and diverse opportunities for study. Reflecting the very latest research in a broad and ever-growing field, this comprehensive guide is a must-read for anyone interested in the ecology of fishes on coral reefs. Featuring contributions from leaders in the field, the 36 chapters cover the full spectrum of current research. They are presented in five parts, considering coral reef fishes in the context of ecology, patterns and processes, human intervention and impacts, conservation, and past and current debates. Beautifully illustrated in full-colour, this book is designed to summarise and help build upon current knowledge and to facilitate further research. It is an ideal resource for those new to the field as well as for experienced researchers.

Download or read book Spatio temporal Ecology and Management of Temperate Reef Fish Populations written by and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 98 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The demography of marine reef fishes with a dispersive larval stage can be highly variable, with several processes that govern reproduction, dispersal, and recruitment operating across multiple spatial and temporal scales. Characterizing the patterns of this variation and the underlying processes responsible for them can help guide efforts to conserve and manage human impacts on these species. In this dissertation, I explore how associations between temperate reef habitat and fish reproductive potential may vary across spatial scales, how spatial and temporal variation in larval production can influence spatial management strategies, and how stochastic variation in larval dispersal and settlement may affect the ability to detect the impacts of management actions. Habitat attributes may have both separate and combined effects on the reproductive potential of reef fishes across spatial scales, but the patterns and ecological processes governing these relationships do not necessarily "scale up" from small-scale, in-situ observations to whole reefs and seascapes. In Chapter 1, I combine in-situ dive surveys with high-resolution habitat maps to investigate how associations between reproductive potential of the kelp bass (Paralabrax clathratus) and kelp forest habitat attributes translate between within- and among-reef spatial scales. Macroalgae and benthic rugosity explain the most variation in reproductive potential within reefs, but the configuration of available habitat explains more variation among reefs. I propose that a mismatch between processes operating at different spatial scales is responsible for these results and suggest that future efforts to clarify among-reef relationships are necessary to estimate reproductive potential of fishes on rocky reefs. Marine reserves are an integral management tool to protect biomass and rebuild depleted fisheries, particularly when important locations for larval production are protected. However, given the uncertainty and temporally dynamic nature of spatially-structured populations, rotating closures might provide a more adaptive solution to both conserve and utilize built-up biomass. In Chapter 2, I construct an age-structured population model with spatially-structured larval productivity to compare the relative efficacy of marine reserves and rotating closures at achieving conservation and fishery management goals. Given a population with a static larval production location, rotating closures outperform permanently fishing the larval production location but underperform permanently protecting the larval production location in the source in terms of total biomass and yield. When the location of the larval production varies in time, permanent reserves generally sustain higher biomass but rotating closures allow for higher fishery yield, and these results are robust to uncertainty in the location of the larval production in any given year. Rotating closures may therefore better buffer against spatial uncertainty in production locations while permanent reserves buffer against temporal uncertainty. Many marine populations are subject to considerable interannual variation in critical demographic rates such as larval dispersal and survival, and such variation may obscure short-term population responses to protection by marine reserves. In Chapter 3, I consider an age-structured population with stochastic variation in larval survival and population openness to explore the conditions under which managers might expect to observe population responses contrary to deterministic projections through the first 10 years of reserve protection. While the shape of stochasticity in larval survival does not have a strong effect on the ability to detect population changes due to reserve protection, temporal autocorrelation in survival does increase the risk of failing to detect a reserve effect. The degree of population openness may indirectly affect recovery trajectories by changing intrinsic population growth rates, but resolving overall larval survival matters more to detecting reserve effects than does resolving larval origin.

Download or read book Reef Fish Spawning Aggregations Biology Research and Management written by Yvonne Sadovy de Mitcheson and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2011-11-06 with total page 639 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reef fish spawning aggregations, ranging from small groups to many tens of thousands of individuals, are spectacular but poorly known natural phenomena whereby fish assemble at specific times and locations to spawn. For some species these large groups may be the only form of reproduction, the high fish numbers briefly giving a false impression of stability and abundance—an ‘illusion of plenty’. They are often a focus for intensive seasonal fishing because of their predictability and because many important commercial fishes form them. Highly vulnerable to overexploitation, many aggregations and their associated fisheries, have disappeared or are in decline. Few are effectively managed or incorporated into protected areas. Aggregations are not well understood by fishery scientists, managers and conservationists and their significance little appreciated by fishers or the wider public. To ensure their persistence to replenish important fisheries in coral ecosystems, maintain their ecosystem function and continue to delight divers, a significant change in perspective is needed to foster protection and management. This book provides comprehensive and practical coverage of the biology, study and management of reef fish aggregations, exploring their how, when, where, and why. It explores ways to better protect, study, manage and conserve them, while identifying key data gaps and questions. The text is extensively illustrated with many unique, never before published, photographs and graphics. Case studies on over 20 interesting and important fishes are included, outlining their biology and fisheries and highlighting major concerns and challenges.

Download or read book A Multi scale Analysis of the Population Ecology of a Temperate Reef Fish written by Phillip S. Levin and published by . This book was released on 1993 with total page 374 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Corals in a Changing World written by Carmenza Duque and published by BoD – Books on Demand. This book was released on 2018-03-28 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Corals comprise a wide variety of colonial marine invertebrates belonging to the Phylum Cnidaria. Their polyps form the most colorful, complete, and diverse communities on the Earth resembling underwater cities, commonly called coral reefs, which host a wide variety of invertebrates and fish species. They are highly productive ecosystems, contribute to the health of the biosphere, and offer a good number of economic and ecological services to coastal populations and to many people around the world. However, due to a diverse number of natural and anthropogenic stressors, corals have shown a severe decline over the past few decades. Being aware of the importance and relevance of the facts described, the book "Corals in a Changing World" offers new scientific information regarding the actual status and, in some cases, the resilience state of coral reef systems. Timely information is critical for managers and decision makers to implement sustainable management measures according to the ecological condition of coral reefs. In addition, the book also discusses the use of well-maintained coral microcosms to provide a good basis for performing experiments with natural fluctuations and to present studies dedicated to the coral diversity characterization and to their importance as a source of important biological compounds, which could be converted into industrial products.

Download or read book Coral Reef Fishes written by Peter F. Sale and published by Gulf Professional Publishing. This book was released on 2006-07-20 with total page 574 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Coral Reef Fishes is the successor of The Ecology of Fishes on Coral Reefs. This new edition includes provocative reviews covering the major areas of reef fish ecology. Concerns about the future health of coral reefs, and recognition that reefs and their fishes are economically important components of the coastal oceans of many tropical nations, have led to enormous growth in research directed at reef fishes. This book is much more than a simple revision of the earlier volume; it is a companion that supports and extends the earlier work. The included syntheses provides readers with the current highlights in this exciting science. * An up-to-date review of key research areas in reef fish ecology, with a bibliography including hundreds of citations, most from the last decade * Authoritative and provocative chapters written to suggest future research priorities * Includes discussions of regulation of fish populations, dispersal or site fidelity of larval reef fishes, sensory and motor capabilities of reef fish larvae, and complexities of management of reef species and communities

Download or read book Community Ecology written by Herman A. Verhoef and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2010 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Community ecology is the study of the interactions between populations of co-existing species. Co-edited by two prominent community ecologists and featuring contributions from top researchers in the field, this book provides a survey of the state-of-the-art in both the theory and applications of the discipline. It pays special attention to topology, dynamics, and the importance of spatial and temporal scale while also looking at applications to emerging problems in human-dominated ecosystems (including the restoration and reconstruction of viable communities). Community Ecology: Processes, Models, and Applications adopts a mainly theoretical approach and focuses on the use of network-based theory, which remains little explored in standard community ecology textbooks. The book includes discussion of the effects of biotic invasions on natural communities; the linking of ecological network structure to empirically measured community properties and dynamics; the effects of evolution on community patterns and processes; and the integration of fundamental interactions into ecological networks. A final chapter indicates future research directions for the discipline.

Download or read book Food Webs written by John C. Moore and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2018 with total page 445 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents new approaches to studying food webs, using practical and policy examples to demonstrate the theory behind ecosystem management decisions.

Download or read book The Ecology of Marine Fishes written by Dr. Larry G. Allen and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2006-02-15 with total page 1353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Marine fishes have been intensively studied, and some of the fundamental ideas in the science of marine ecology have emerged from the body of knowledge derived from this diverse group of organisms. This unique, authoritative, and accessible reference, compiled by 35 luminary ecologists, evolutionary biologists, and ichthyologists, provides a synthesis and interpretation of the large, often daunting, body of information on the ecology of marine fishes. The focus is on the fauna of the eastern Pacific, especially the fishes of the California coast, a group among the most diverse and best studied of all marine ecosystems. A generously illustrated and comprehensive source of information, this volume will also be an important launching pad for future research and will shed new light on the study of marine fish ecology worldwide. The contributors touch on many fields in biology, including physiology, development, genetics, behavior, ecology, and evolution. The book includes sections on the history of research, both published and unpublished data, sections on collecting techniques, and references to important earlier studies.

Download or read book Marine Conservation written by G. Carleton Ray and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2013-12-31 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Providing a guide for marine conservation practice, Marine Conservation takes a whole-systems approach, covering major advances in marine ecosystem understanding. Its premise is that conservation must be informed by the natural histories of organisms together with the hierarchy of scale-related linkages and ecosystem processes. The authors introduce a broad range of overlapping issues and the conservation mechanisms that have been devised to achieve marine conservation goals. The book provides students and conservation practitioners with a framework for thoughtful, critical thinking in order to incite innovation in the 21st century. "Marine Conservation presents a scholarly but eminently readable case for the necessity of a systems approach to conserving the oceans, combining superb introductions to the science, law and policy frameworks with carefully chosen case studies. This superb volume is a must for anyone interested in marine conservation, from students and practitioners to lay readers and policy-makers." —Simon Levin, George M. Moffett Professor of Biology, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University

Download or read book Habitat Ecology and Analysis written by Joseph A. Veech and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2021-01-18 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Provides the first concise, authoritative resource that clearly presents emerging methods together and demonstrates how they can be applied to data using statistical methodology, whilst putting the decades-old pursuit of analyzing habitat into historical context.

Download or read book The Biology of Coral Reefs written by Charles R. C. Sheppard and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2018 with total page 393 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Coral reefs represent the most spectacular and diverse marine ecosystem on the planet as well as a critical source of income for millions of people. However, the combined effects of human activity have led to a rapid decline in the health of reefs worldwide, with many now facing complete destruction. Their world-wide deterioration and over-exploitation has continued and even accelerated in many areas since the publication of the first edition in 2009. At the same time, there has been a near doubling in the number of scientific papers that have been written in this short time about coral reef biology and the ability to acclimate to ocean warming and acidification. This new edition has been thoroughly revised and updated, incorporating the significant increase in knowledge gained over the last decade whilst retaining the book's focus as a concise and affordable overview of the field. The Biology of Coral Reefs provides an integrated overview of the function, physiology, ecology, and behaviour of coral reef organisms. Each chapter is enriched with a selection of 'boxes' on specific aspects written by internationally recognised experts. As with other books in the Biology of Habitats Series, the emphasis in this book is on the organisms that dominate this marine environment although pollution, conservation, climate change, and experimental aspects are also included. Indeed, particular emphasis is placed on conservation and management due to the habitat's critically endangered status. A global range of examples is employed which gives the book international relevance.

Download or read book The Princeton Guide to Ecology written by Simon A. Levin and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2012-09-30 with total page 826 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Princeton Guide to Ecology is a concise, authoritative one-volume reference to the field's major subjects and key concepts. Edited by eminent ecologist Simon Levin, with contributions from an international team of leading ecologists, the book contains more than ninety clear, accurate, and up-to-date articles on the most important topics within seven major areas: autecology, population ecology, communities and ecosystems, landscapes and the biosphere, conservation biology, ecosystem services, and biosphere management. Complete with more than 200 illustrations (including sixteen pages in color), a glossary of key terms, a chronology of milestones in the field, suggestions for further reading on each topic, and an index, this is an essential volume for undergraduate and graduate students, research ecologists, scientists in related fields, policymakers, and anyone else with a serious interest in ecology. Explains key topics in one concise and authoritative volume Features more than ninety articles written by an international team of leading ecologists Contains more than 200 illustrations, including sixteen pages in color Includes glossary, chronology, suggestions for further reading, and index Covers autecology, population ecology, communities and ecosystems, landscapes and the biosphere, conservation biology, ecosystem services, and biosphere management