Download or read book Sea Urchin Abundance Patterns in Seagrass Meadows written by Brian D. Keller and published by . This book was released on 1976 with total page 78 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Seagrasses of Australia written by Anthony W. D. Larkum and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-07-27 with total page 791 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book takes the place of “Biology of Seagrasses: A Treatise on the Biology of Seagrasses with Special Reference to the Australian Region”, co-edited by A.W.D. Larkum, A.J. MaCComb and S.A. Shepherd and published by Elsevier in 1989. The first book has been influential, but it is now 25 years since it was published and seagrass studies have progressed and developed considerably since then. The design of the current book follows in the steps of the first book. There are chapters on taxonomy, floral biology, biogeography and regional studies. The regional studies emphasize the importance of Australia having over half of the world’s 62 species, including some ten species published for Australia since the previous book. There are a number of chapters on ecology and biogeography; fish biology and fisheries and dugong biology are prominent chapters. Physiological aspects again play an important part, including new knowledge on the role of hydrogen sulphide in sediments and on photosynthetic processes. Climate change, pollution and environmental degradation this time gain an even more important part of the book. Decline of seagrasses around Australia are also discussed in detail in several chapters. Since the first book was published two new areas have received special attention: blue carbon and genomic studies. Seagrasses are now known to be a very important player in the formation of blue carbon, i.e. carbon that has a long turnover time in soils and sediments. Alongside salt marshes and mangroves, seagrasses are now recognized as playing a very important role in the formation of blue carbon. And because Australia has such an abundance and variety of seagrasses, their role in blue carbon production and turnover is of great importance. The first whole genomes of seagrasses are now available and Australia has played an important role here. It appears that seagrasses have several different suites of genes as compared with other (land) plants and even in comparison with freshwater hydrophytes. This difference is leading to important molecular biological studies where the new knowledge will be important to the understanding and conservation of seagrass ecosystems in Australia. Thus by reason of its natural abundance of diverse seagrasses and a sophisticated seagrass research community in Australia it is possible to produce a book which will be attractive to marine biologists, coastal scientists and conservationists from many countries around the world.
Download or read book World Atlas of Seagrasses written by Frederick T. Short and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2003 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Seagrasses are a vital and widespread but often overlooked coastal marine habitat. This volume provides a global survey of their distribution and conservation status.
Download or read book Sea Urchins written by John M. Lawrence and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2020-01-17 with total page 734 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sea Urchins: Biology and Ecology, Fourth Edition, Volume 43 expands its coverage to include the entire class of Echinoidea, making this new edition an authoritative reference of the entire class of species. This is a valuable resource that will help readers gain a deep understanding of the basic characteristics of sea urchins, the basis of the great variation that exists in sea urchins, and how sea urchins are important components of marine ecosystems. Updated coverage includes sections on reproduction, metabolism, endocrinology, larval ecology, growth, digestion, carotenoids and disease. Includes pertinent tables and graphs within chapters to visually summarize information Provides case studies with research applications to provide potential solutions Includes the entire class of Echinoidea and the effect of climate change on the biology and ecology of the species
Download or read book European Seagrasses written by Jens Borum and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The goal of the report project is to define the habitat requirements of seagrasses in the European coasts, the present threats to the sustainability of the ecosystem they form, and their resilience to disturbance in order to strengthen our forecast capacity and formulate cost-effective monitoring plans and management strategies.
Download or read book Edible Sea Urchins Biology and Ecology written by John M. Lawrence and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2001-05-21 with total page 429 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sea urchins are a major component of marine environments found throughout the world's oceans. A major model for research in developmental biology, they are also of major economic importance in many regions and interest in their management and aquaculture has increased greatly in recent years. This book provides a synthesis of biological and ecological characteristics of sea urchins that are of basic scientific interest and also essential for effective fisheries management and aquaculture. General chapters consider characteristics of sea urchins as a whole. In addition, specific chapters are devoted to the ecology of 17 species that are of major commercial interest and ecological importance. Features include: • A synthesis of what is known about the basic biological characteristics of the sea urchin, useful for the direction of future research. • Case histories of 17 species that illustrate their ecological role in a variety of environments. • With the catastrophic decline in fisheries resulting primarily from over-fishing, it is essential that the populations be managed effectively and that aquaculture be developed. This book provides knowledge of the biology and ecology of the commercially important sea urchins that will contribute to these goals. • The only book available in present literature devoted to sea urchins. With this new title experts provide a broad synthetic treatment and in depth analysis of the biology and ecology of sea urchins from around the world, designed to provide an understanding of the group and the basis for fisheries management and aquaculture.
Download or read book Edible Sea Urchins Biology and Ecology written by John M. Lawrence and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2006-12-07 with total page 557 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sea urchins are a major component of the world ocean. They are important ecologically and often greatly affect marine communities. They have an excellent fossil record and consequently are of interest to paleontologists. Research has increased in recent years stimulated first by a recognition of their ecological importance and then because of their economic importance. Scientists around the world are actively investigating their potential for aquaculture. This book is designed to provide a broad understanding of the biology and ecology of sea urchins. Synthetic chapters consider biology of sea urchins as a whole to give a broad view. The topics of these chapters include reproduction, metabolism, endocrinology, larval ecology, growth, digestion, carotenoids, disease and nutrition. Subsequent chapters consider the ecology of individual species that are of major importance ecologically and economically. These include species from Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Europe, North America, South America and Africa. * First comprehensive book devoted to the biology and ecology of sea urchins * NEW chapter on Nutrition of Sea Urchins and Ecology of Diadema * Brand NEW illustrations * Hot NEW topic: Immunology of the Sea Urchin * Chapters written by internationally recognized experts * Each chapter revised and updated from the first edition * Biological chapters include reproduction, endocrinology, carotenoids and disease * Ecological chapters include species of major economic interest for fisheries and aquaculture
Download or read book Coral Reefs of the Indian Ocean written by T. R. McClanahan and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2000-10-12 with total page 550 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Coral reefs are among Earth's most diverse, productive, and beautiful ecosystems, but until recently, their ecology and the means to manage them have been poorly understood and documented. In response to the inadequate information base for coral reefs, this book reviews the ecological and conservation status of coral reefs of the Western Indian Ocean, bringing together presentations of the region's leading scientists and managers working on coral reefs. Coral Reefs of the Indian Ocean: Their Ecology and Conservation starts with a general overview of the biogeography of the region and a historical account of attempts to conserve this ecosystem. It goes on to describe the state of the reefs in each of the countries with coral reefs, and it concludes with a series of management case studies. The book also summarizes most of the existing ecological information on reefs in this region and efforts at management, making it useful for students, teachers, and investigators interested in tropical or marine ecology, conservation biology and management, and environmental sciences.
Download or read book Managing Seagrasses for Resilience to Climate Change written by Mats Björk and published by IUCN. This book was released on 2008-03 with total page 60 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Seagrasses are flowering plants that thrive in shallow oceanic and estuarine waters around the world. Although there are only about 60 species of seagrasses worldwide, these plants play an important role in many shallow, near-shore, marine ecosystems. There is growing evidence that seagrasses are declining globally because of anthropogenic impacts. This paper presents an overview of seagrasses, the impacts of climate change, and other threats to seagrass habitats. Finally, it proposes tools and strategies for managers to help support seagrass resilience.
Download or read book Physiology of Echinoderms written by John Binyon and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2013-10-22 with total page 291 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Physiology of Echinoderms is an 11-chapter book that begins by elucidating the feeding, digestion, and excretion of specific echinoderms. The critical role of amoebocytes in the excretion process involved in these organisms is also explained. This book also describes several aspects of importance to these organisms, including salinity tolerance, osmoregulation, ionic regulation, chemical composition, neural control of locomotion, biochemical affinities, toxins, and immunology. The organisms' physiology in sensory, water vascular system, respiratory system, spawning, neurosecretion, nerves, and muscles are also explained.
Download or read book Seagrass Research Methods written by Ronald C. Phillips and published by . This book was released on 1990 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Interactions in the Marine Benthos written by Stephen J. Hawkins and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2019-08-29 with total page 535 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive account of how abiotic and biotic interactions shape patterns of coastal marine biodiversity and ecosystem processes globally.
Download or read book Seagrass Ecology written by Marten A. Hemminga and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2000-10-19 with total page 310 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Seagrasses occur in coastal zones throughout the world, in the part of the marine habitat that is most heavily influenced by humans. Decisions about coastal management therefore often involve seagrasses, but a full appreciation of the role of seagrasses in coastal ecosystems has yet to be reached. This book provides an entry point for those wishing to learn about the ecology of this fascinating group of plants, and gives a broad overview of current knowledge, complemented by extensive literature references to guide the reader to more detailed studies.
Download or read book Effects of Predators on Sea Urchin Abundance and Behavior on Southern California Rocky Reefs and Caribbean Coral Reefs written by and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 183 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The interactions between predators and their prey are key drivers of structure and functioning in many ecosystems. However, the ability of predators to effectively regulate prey abundance can be strongly modified by the context in which trophic interactions occur. My dissertation explores the effects of five factors which have the potential to mediate trophic interactions on nearshore reefs: prey density, organismal body size, habitat complexity, animal behavior, and fishery harvest. Working on both temperate rocky reefs and tropical coral reefs, I use field- and lab-based experiments as well as a numerical model to better understand the interactions among sea urchins, their finfish and invertebrate predators, and the nearshore reefassociated communities of which they are a part. Chapters 1 and 2 focus on the dynamics between sea urchins, spiny lobsters, and fish predators on the rocky reefs of southern California. Following the extirpation of the archetypal urchin predator, the sea otter (Enhydra lutris), top-down control of urchins in this system by spiny lobsters (Panulirus interruptus) and the labrid fish California sheephead (Semicossyphus pulcher), has been hypothesized, but rarely tested experimentally. Chapter 1 tests for densitydependent mortality of purple (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus) and red (Mesocentrotus franciscanus) urchins due to predation by finfish and lobsters. In laboratory feeding assays, spiny lobsters demonstrate a saturating functional response to urchin prey, whereby urchin proportional mortality is inversely density-dependent. In field experiments on rocky reefs near San Diego, CA, when purple urchins are offered alone, I find evidence of positive density-dependent urchin mortality at low densities, similar to those found within kelp forests. At higher prey densities, analogous to those found within urchin barrens, prey mortality is density-independent. When red and purple urchins are deployed to reefs simultaneously, urchin mortality is density-independent and fish do not aggregate to higher density patches. This shift in predation mortality is likely due to the increased biomass of the alternative red urchin prey rather than the increased structural complexity offered by their large spine canopy. Overall, results from Chapter 1 suggest that topdown control of urchins can occur only under limited circumstances, when predatory fish are abundant and large red urchins are absent. In Chapter 2, I develop a tri-trophic, size-structured numerical model of a southern California rocky reef. The model includes multiple ecological processes that can drive feedbacks across trophic levels leading to alternative stable states, including recruitment facilitation and size-structured predation. I find that fishery harvest for the predator (spiny lobster) and prey (red urchins) interacts to determine the level of ecological resilience exhibited by the system, i.e. the likelihood of shifting between alternative stable states. Specifically, I show that predator harvest can drive the system from a kelp forest to an urchin barren, but that prey harvest determines the likelihood of this shift. Size-structured predation on urchins is the feedback maintaining a given ecosystem state. This model suggests that ecosystem resilience depends on both predator and prey harvest in multi-trophic level harvest scenarios, which are common in marine ecosystems but are rarely accounted for by traditional single-species management. Collectively, my first two chapters demonstrate that predator regulation of urchins can occur only under limited circumstances which strongly depend on both predator and prey body size and species composition. These findings also have significant implications for the dynamics of alternative community states observed on rocky reefs, as harvesting predators and harvesting prey can interact to determine the ecological resilience of these important coastal habitats. In addition to density and organismal body size, habitat complexity can also play a vital role in shaping ecological communities. However, many coral reef ecosystems are shifting to alternative states with reduced structural complexity and altered community assemblages. Smallbodied herbivores, such as sea urchins, are common inhabitants of reefs, and their importance for controlling the distribution and abundance of algae in marine ecosystems is well understood. Less understood is the role of habitat complexity and species identity of foundational species in dictating the abundance of this increasingly-important group of herbivores. In Chapters 3 and 4, I explore the feedbacks between habitat complexity, herbivorous urchins, and their predators on fringing coral reefs of Bocas del Toro, located on the Caribbean coast of Panama. In Chapter 3, I use benthic surveys, tethering, and laboratory experiments to show that the structural complexity and species identity of three corals commonly observed on Caribbean reefs mediate the abundance, behavior, and demographic characteristics of an increasingly important herbivore, the reef urchin Echinometra viridis. Tethered urchins survive better on the more structurally complex coral Agaricia tenuifolia and hydrocoral Millepora alcicornis than on less complex branching Porites species. However, natural densities of urchins on these corals do not follow the same pattern, suggesting that coral identity, independent of complexity, also contributes to habitat associations. In habitat choice experiments, urchins prefer the structurally complex coral A. tenuifolia only when waterborne cues of predators are introduced. Despite minimal differences in the standing stock of algae associated with the different corals, urchins inhabiting Porites colonies have a marginally higher reproductive condition than those collected from the other corals, suggesting a fitness trade off to inhabiting the riskier coral. Understanding the drivers of herbivore habitat associations is vital for predicting the persistence of coral-dominated reefs due to feedbacks between changing coral reef communities (both species identity and habitat complexity) and shifts to algal dominance. In Chapter 4, I explore the potential for non-consumptive effects (NCEs) of predatory spiny lobsters on the grazing and movement behaviors of two urchins (E. viridis and Diadema antillarum) which contribute to Caribbean coral reef resilience. Non-consumptive effects of predators on their prey can be an important influence on ecosystems because predators can suppress the ecological function of far more prey than they can consume. However, herbivore responses to predatory risk cues can differ among species which otherwise could be functionally similar. Cues from a generalist predator, the Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus), strongly suppress grazing by Diadema but not Echinometra. Conversely, cues produced by simulated predation on conspecific urchins cause reduced grazing by Echinometra but not Diadema. In field tests for NCEs on movement behavior, Echinometra consistently move away from lobsters on coral colonies of a variety of structural complexity levels, but movement rates are reduced in response to lobster cues only when on highly rugose corals. Diadema movement is not affected by the presence of lobsters. The contrasting responses exhibited by these two urchins suggest that herbivore populations and their functional roles may respond in unexpected ways to anthropogenic changes to predator communities and reef structural complexity. Together, these chapters provide evidence of the importance of small-bodied herbivores to Caribbean coral reef resilience through feedbacks between herbivory and habitat complexity and improve our understanding of trophic interactions on degraded contemporary coral reefs.
Download or read book Spatial Patterns in the Life History Characteristics of Red Sea Urchins Strongylocentrotus Franciscanus written by Laura Rogers-Bennett and published by . This book was released on 1994 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Biology of Mangroves and Seagrasses written by Peter J. Hogarth and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2015 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive update of this popular and practical introduction to mangrove and seagrass biology providing a concise and affordable overview.
Download or read book Global Seagrass Research Methods written by F.T. Short and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2001-11-06 with total page 506 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This thorough and informative volume presents a set of detailed, globally applicable techniques for seagrass research.The book provides methods for all aspects of seagrass science from basic plant collection to statistical approaches and investigations of plant-animal interaction. The emphasis is on methods that are applicable in both developing and developed countries. The importance of seagrasses in coastal and near shore environments, and ultimately their contribution to the productivity of the world's oceans, has become increasingly recognised over the last 40 years.Seagrasses provide food for sea turtles, nearly 100 fish species, waterfowl and for the marine mammals the manatee and dugong. Seagrasses also support complex food webs by virtue of their physical structure and primary production and are well known for their role as breeding grounds and nurseries for important crustacean, finfish and shell fish populations. Seagrasses are the basis of an important detrital food chain. The plants filter nutrients and contaminants from the water, stabilise sediments and act as dampeners to wave action. Seagrasses rank with coral reefs and mangroves as some of the world's most productive coastal habitat and strong linkages among these habitats make the loss of seagrasses a contributing factor in the degradation of the world's oceans. Contributors from around the world provide up-to-date methods for comparable collection of ecological information from both temperate and tropical seagrass ecosystems.
