Elements of Marine Ecology (eBook)

Cover 1
Copyright Page 5
Contents 6
Preface 10
Chapter 1. The oceans 12
1.1 Introduction 12
1.2 Extent and depth of the oceans 13
1.3 Ocean currents 20
1.4 Biological features of the marine environment 30
1.5 Elementary classification of the marine environment 31
Chapter 2. Marine plankton 36
2.1 Definitions 37
2.2 Marine phytoplankton 38
2.3 Marine zooplankton 49
2.4 Other topics 55
Chapter 3. Measuring and sampling 57
3.1 Oceanographic data 57
3.2 Biological sampling 72
3.3 Underwater observations 91
Chapter 4. The seawater habitat – physical and chemical conditions 107
4.1 Introduction 107
4.2 Temperature 108
4.3 The composition of seawater 120
4.4 Specific gravity and pressure 135
4.5 Viscosity 146
4.6 Illumination 148
4.7 Currents 167
Chapter 5. Organic production in the sea 177
5.1 Primary production 177
5.2 Measurements of organic production 185
5.3 Some factors regulating production 189
5.4 Ocean seasons 204
5.5 Some mathematical models 213
5.6 Geographical differences of fertility 216
5.7 Turbidity currents 221
Chapter 6. The sea bottom 224
6.1 The substrate 224
6.2 Benthic communities 231
6.3 Classification of communities 237
6.4 The food supply 243
Chapter 7. Energetics of a marine ecosystem 255
7.1 Primary production 256
7.2 The grazing chain 259
7.3 The detritus chain 261
7.4 The energy balance sheet 264
7.5 Conclusion 264
Chapter 8. The seashore 267
8.1 Tides 267
8.2 Waves 271
8.3 The evolution of coastlines 278
8.4 Some problems of shore life 281
8.5 Food sources 283
8.6 Zonation 284
8.7 Fitting the shore environment 286
8.8 Rocky shores 294
8.9 Sandy shores 303
8.10 Muddy shores 307
8.11 Estuaries 308
8.12 Tropical shores and coral reefs 314
Chapter 9. Sea fisheries 324
9.1 Fishing methods 324
9.2 The biology of some European food fishes 337
9.3 The overfishing problem 361
9.4 Fishery research 369
9.5 The regulation of fisheries 380
9.6 The seas in relation to human food supplies 387
Chapter 10. Human impact on the marine environment 406
10.1 Marine pollution 406
10.2 Climate change and global warming 430
10.3 Management and marine nature reserves 435
10.4 Effects of fisheries and acquaculture 440
Appendix 1: Topics for further study and class discussion or written work 447
Appendix 2: Some laboratory exercises 450
Appendix 3: Some field course exercises 452
Abundance scale for rocky shore intertidal organisms 455
A field course book list 458
Appendix 4: Addresses of organizations mentioned in the text 462
Index 464