The biology of soft shores and estuaries
Little, C. (2000). The biology of soft shores and estuaries. The Biology of Habitats Series. Oxford University Press: Oxford. ISBN 0-19-850426-8. 252 pp.
Part of: Crawley, M.J. et al. The Biology of Habitats Series. Oxford University Press: Oxford. , more
|
| Keywords |
Sediments
Water bodies > Coastal waters > Coastal landforms > Coastal inlets > Estuaries
Marine/Coastal; Brackish water |
| Abstract |
Marine and estuarine soft sediments are complex and essential habitats for an astonishing variety of animals and plants whose lifestyles are intimately bound up with sediment structure. The Biology of Soft Shores and Estuaries addresses sediments as habitats, then discusses the ecosystems found on sandy shores, mudflats and seagrass beds, salt marshes and mangrove swamps, and life below the tidemarks. Adaptations of organisms to these environments are fully described and each chapter ends with a section on the techniques used. Later chapters discuss estuarine and lagoonal habitats, both of which contain primarily soft sediments, but add further complicating characteristics to those found in the sea. A discussion of estuarine food webs emphasizes the ways in which organisms interact. The book ends with a discussion of the ways in which marine and estuarine soft sediments have been abused by humans, and some of the measures that have been taken to counteract these abuses. The Biology of Soft Shores and Estuaries complements The Biology of Rocky Shores by the same author and is designed to be accessible to biologists, marine biologists, zoologists, botanists, and ocean scientists at all levels. |
|
