Tropical Marine Ecology

No realm on Earth elicits thoughts of paradise more than the tropics. The tropical marine realm is special in myriad ways and for many reasons from seas of higher latitude, in housing iconic habitats such as coral reefs, snow white beaches, crystal clear waters, mangrove forests, extensive and rich seagrass meadows and expansive river deltas, such as the exemplar, the Amazon. But the tropics also has an even more complex side: tropical waters give rise to cyclones, hurricanes and typhoons, and unique oceanographic phenomena including the El Niño- Southern Oscillation which affects global climate patterns. Tropical Marine Ecology documents the structure and function of tropical marine populations, communities, and ecosystems in relation to environmental factors including climate patterns and climate change, and patterns of oceanographic phenomena such as tides and currents and major oceanographic features, as well as chemical and geological drivers. The book focuses on estuarine, coastal, continental shelf and open ocean ecosystems. The first part of the book deals with the climate, physics, geology, and chemistry of the tropical marine environment. The second section focuses on the origins, diversity, biogeography, and the structure and distribution of tropical biota. The third part explores the rates and patterns of primary and secondary production, and their drivers, and the characteristics of pelagic and benthic food webs. The fourth part examines how humans are altering tropical ecosystems via unsustainable fisheries, the decline and loss of habitat and fragmentation, Further, pollution is altering an earth already in the throes of climate change. Tropical Marine Ecology is an authoritative and comprehensive introduction to tropical marine ecology for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students. It is also a rich resource and reference work for researchers and professional managers in marine science.

This book provides insights into various aspects of marine faunal communities in India, which are extremely diverse due to the geomorphologic and climatic variations along the Indian coasts. Consisting of 30 chapters by experts in their respective fields, it is divided into two parts: · Part I: Tropical Marine Faunal Communities · Part II: Ecology and Conservation Part I highlights the diversity and distribution of Foraminifera; sponges associated with seagrass; Polychaeta; Opisthobranchia; oysters; copepods; horseshoe and brachyuran crabs; echinoderms; ascidians; fishes; fish parasites; and sea mammals. Topics of Part II include the status and environmental parameters of benthos; the status of coral reefs; the invasion of snowflake coral; the recovery of bleached corals; the socioeconomics and management of dugong; marine biodiversity conservation and management in India; the assessment of the marine fauna of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act; and marine biodiversity protected areas in India. This book will serve as a valuable reference work for marine scientists, as well as for environmental managers and policy makers.

This book breaks new ground with the integration of geography, oceanography, plankton and benthic biology, as well as fish, to present a comprehensive account of the ecology of the tropical ocean. Proceeding from a description of the geomorphology, sediments, and vegetation of tropical continental shelves and the oceanography of tropical regions, the authors describe the benthos, plankton, and fish communities of tropical seas. An examination of the production of plant and animal life in tropical oceans is presented together with the numerical population biology of fish and invertebrates.

This book began life as a series of lectures given to second and third year undergraduates at Oxford University. These lectures were designed to give students insights as to how marine ecosystems functioned, how they were being affected by natural and human interventions, and how we might be able to conserve them and manage them sustainably for the good of people, both recreationally and economically. This book presents 10 chapters, beginning with principles of oceanography important to ecology, through discussions of the magnitude of marine biodiversity and the factors influencing it, the functioning of marine ecosystems at within trophic levels such as primary production, competition and dispersal, to different trophic level interactions such as herbivory, predation and parasitism. The final three chapters look at the more applied aspects of marine ecology, discussion fisheries, human impacts, and management and conservation. Other textbooks covering similar topics tend to treat the topics from the point of view of separate ecosystems, with chapters on reefs, rocks and deep sea. This book however is topic driven as described above, and each chapter makes full use of examples from all appropriate marine ecosystems. The book is illustrated throughout with many full colour diagrams and high quality photographs. The book is aimed at undergraduate and graduate students at colleges and universities, and it is hoped that the many examples from all over the world will provide global relevance and interest. Both authors have long experience of research and teaching in marine ecology. Martin Speight’s first degree was in marine zoology at UCNW Bangor, and he has taught marine ecology and conservation at Oxford for 25 years. His research students study tropical marine ecology from the Caribbean through East Africa to the Far East. Peter Henderson is a Senior Research Associate at the University of Oxford, and is Director of Pisces Conservation in the UK. He has worked on marine and freshwater fisheries, as well as ecological and economic impacts and exploitation of the sea in North and South America as well as Europe.

This book is designed to introduce students to basic concepts of tropical marine ecology, while specifically addressing issues relevant to Belize -- Cover.

Mangrove forests, seagrass beds, and coral reefs are circumtropical ecosystems that are highly productive, and provide many important biological functions and economic services. These ecosystems cover large surface areas in the shallow tropical coastal seascape but have suffered from serious human degradation, especially in the last few decades. Part of their diversity, productivity, and functioning seems to be based on their juxtaposition. Especially in the last decade significant advances have been made on new insights into their ecological connectivity. This authoritative book provides a first-time comprehensive review of the major ecological interactions across tropical marine ecosystems that result from the mutual exchange of nutrients, organic matter, fish, and crustaceans. A group of leading authors from around the world reviews the patterns and underlying mechanisms of important biogeochemical and biological linkages among tropical coastal ecosystems in 15 chapters. Included are chapters that review cutting-edge tools to study and quantify these linkages, the importance of such linkages for fisheries, and how tropical ecosystems should be conserved and managed for sustainable use by future generations. The book uses examples from all over the world and provides an up-to-date review of the latest published literature. This book is a ‘must read’ for professionals working on the conservation, management, and ecology of mangrove, seagrass and coral reef ecosystems.

That part of the Indian Ocean bordering Saudi Arabia is a rich mosaic of coastal and marine ecosystems, both natural and man-made. Among these are coral reefs, mangroves, tidal flats, seagrasses, and other hard and soft substrata. Some ecosystems are relatively simple, while others such as the coral reefs are highly complex and among the most diverse in the Indian Ocean. The region divides into several large, semi-enclosed water bodies whose different physical characteristics result in distinct habitats. The overall aridity, extremes of water temperature, and often very high salinities have produced some of the most extreme marine climates on Earth. This book summarizes the available information on the region, then reviews the processes shaping the various marine and coastal systems. It relates patterns in marine assemblages to the strong environmental gradients and biogeographic barriers in the region. Finally, the book considers the human dimension. Some of the world's poorest and richest nations border these seas, making diverse claims on fisheries and other natural resources. The 1991 Gulf War is only the most recent of a range of impacts affecting the region. Approaches for resolving the increasing resource use conflicts are described. This volume will be of immense value to research workers, students of marine biology, and environmental managers in general, as well as to those with a particular interest in this part of the world. One of the few published works on this unique and diverse region Serves as a basic introduction to the area Provides a detailed analysis of ecosystem function Discusses human pollution and its effects

In this undergraduate level book we look at the beautiful coral reefs and mangrove swamps of the tropics. We study coral anatomy and growth and look at their global distribution and ecology. We discover the geological aspects of coral reef formation and look at how simple coral animals evolved throughout their geological history. We look at the delicate symbiotic relationships between the tiny reef organisms and their coral hosts and at the marvellous array of coral reef fishes and their ecology. The book is a comprehensive review of the tropical marine environment suitable for those wishing to read about the subject in more depth than is generally covered in books and also for students wishing to learn about tropical marine environments as a preparation for undergraduate level study or as additional reading for marine biology and general biology courses. The book covers the following topics:* The structure of corals* The distribution and zonation of coral reefs* Distribution of corals worldwide* Reef formation* The diversity of coral reefs* Disturbance to coral reefs* Associated species* Symbiotic relationships* The threats to coral reefs* Mangrove forests* Conservation management