The Biology of Soft Shores and Estuaries

About this book

Describes soft sediments in the sea and in estuaries as habitats for a wide range of animals and plants and techniques used to study them, and discusses organisms and their adaptations on sandy shores, mudflats, seagrass beds, salt marshes, mangrove swamps and below the tide marks. It emphasizes the special characteristics of estuaries, including life in the estuarine water column and estuarine food webs, and considers pollution problems and conservation approaches.
' a comprehensive source of technical and practical information for anyone with an interest in marine and estuarine ecosystem.' Sherkin

Contents

1. Introduction: organisms, sediments, and water movements; 2. The world of particles: a variety of habitats; 3. The coarse extreme: life on sandy beaches; 4. A fine option: life on mudflats and in seagrass beds; 5. Salt marshes and mangrove swamps; 6. Life at the bottom: sublittoral sediments and community structure; 7. Estuarine habitats and coastal lagoons; 8. The estuarine benthos and its distribution; 9. Life in the estuarine water column; 10. Estuarine ecosystems; 11. Uses and abuses: human impact and counter-measures; Further reading; References; Glossary; Appendix; Index

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