United States
£ GBP
Committee on Biological Diversity in Marine Systems, National Research Council
The diversity of marine life is being altered drastically by fishery operations, chemical pollution and eutrophication, alteration of physical habitat, exotic alien species, and other human activities. Effective solutions require an understanding of the patterns and processes that control such diversity. This book, as well as outlining a research agenda for the US, proposes a fundamental change in studying the ocean - emphasising regional-scale research on appropriately large space and long time scales, developing the interface between taxonomy and ecology, and linking oceanographic and ecological approaches. Highlighted with examples and brief case studies, the book illustrates the depth and breadth of undescribed marine biodiversity, explores critical issues, advocates the use of regionally defined model systems, identifies a series of key biodiversity research questions, examines the utility of various research approaches (theory and modelling, retrospective analysis, biotic integration), and reviews recent advances in molecular genetics.
