Ecology of Coastal Waters with Implications for Management, Second Edition is the most up-to-date book available on coastal marine ecosystems. Students will easily relate to the content of the book as subjects are divided by the environment and scientific principles are applied to steps in the management and the decision making process. This is the ideal text for undergraduate and graduate life science students as well as for practicing professionals.

The development and ecology of coastal waters is an increasingly important topic and one which touches a wide range of areas including oceanography, hydrology, biology, ecology, fisheries science, aquaculture, civil engineering, geography, economics, law and the social sciences. This book provides a balanced overview allowing the reader to understand exactly what is at stake in the development and management of coastal waters. There is no other book currently available which provides such an overview of this important area. Divided into three parts, the first part provides the background knowledge necessary for an understanding of the physical, chemical and biological phenomena of coastal waters. Part 2 looks at marine ecology from something other than the traditional view of placing organisms at the centre of the problem and considering them in relation to other organisms and environments, instead the authors show how it is possible with marine ecosystems in which the biological, physical and chemical components are equally important when defining an entire system. Finally an exhaustive review of the available technology for various types of development is provided. All in all, this book constitutes a succint and up-to-date summary of the functions of coastal ecosystems which should be read by all those active in, and with an interest in, the management and development of coastal seas.

The first comprehensive overview of the enormous ecological diversity of Baltic coastal ecosystems is presented in this volume provides. A short introduction into the Baltic Sea as a reference ecosystem is followed by detailed descriptions of the characteristics of coastal ecosystems. Ecological case studies from four regions illustrate the different reactions of these ecosystems to natural and anthropogenic influences.

Studies of marine ecology have traditionally been approached through lectures and field courses devoted mainly to intertidal and inshore habitats, and it is surprising in these days of increased awareness of man's environmental impact that so little attention has been given to integrated approaches involving the whole coastal zone and including the terrestrial part, which is man's major habitat. The coastal zone has been the subject of extensive investigation, not only because of its biological diversity and accessibility, but also because of its economic and aesthetic importance to man. This book is written with the intention of providing a concise but readable account of coastal ecology for advanced undergraduates and immediate postgraduates. We have adopted a habitat-organismal ap proach because we believe that a knowledge of biota and major features of their environment is the best key to an understanding of both larger-scale processes, such as energy flow and nutrient cycling, and smaller-scale but equally fundamental processes, such as behavioural and physiological ecology. Examples have been selected from polar, temperate and tropical regions of the world. The breadth of the subject has dictated selectivity from sources too numerous to acknowledge individually, but we have included an up-to-date reference list for the main subjects of each chapter.

Coastal and marine ecosystems, some severely degraded, other still pristine, control rich resources of inshore environments and coastal seas of Latin America's Pacific and Atlantic margins. Conflicts between the needs of the region's nations and diminishing revenues and environmental quality have induced awareness of coastal ecological problems and motivated financial support for restoration and management. The volume provides a competent review on the structure, processes and function of 22 important Latin American coastal marine ecosystems. Each contribution describes the environmental settings, biotic components and structure of the system, considers trophic processes and energy flow, evaluates the modifying influence of natural and human perturbations, and suggests management needs. Although the focus of the book is on basic ecological research, the results have application for coastal managers.

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.