The Ecology of Poole Harbour

About this book

Poole Harbour's unique combination of physical characteristics provide for a rich and productive ecological community recognised for its internationally significant bird populations and as a haven for the naturalisation of exotic species. But the Harbour is also exceptional in the extent to which it represents in microcosm the world-wide tensions between environment and development. The contrasts are sometimes startling: the narrow Harbour entrance separates an unspoilt natural environment of considerable importance from an urban landscape where property competes with Manhattan and Hong Kong Island in the world-wide table of real estate values.

The Harbour serves as a port, fishing ground, a receiver of effluent and increasingly as a playground for the affluent. It also lies above Europe's largest on-shore oil-field. This book brings together for the first time expert contributions in such a way as to provide a picture of the ecology of the Harbour system as a whole. It covers all the major habitats from reed beds and salt marshes to the extensive mudflats and unseen sub-tidal regions, while also examining in some detail a wide range of ecological phenomena and issues.

Contents

1. The Geology of Poole Harbour. 2. Geomorphology of Poole Harbour. 3. Salinity and Tides in Poole Harbour: Estuary or Lagoon? 4. The Vegetation of Poole Harbour. 5. Physical and Ecological Aspects of the Poole Harbour Reedbeds. 6. History and Ecology of Spartina anglica in Poole Harbour. 7. Macro-invertebrate Fauna in the Intertidal Mudflats. 8. Sub-tidal Ecology of Poole Harbour - An Overview. 9. Zooplankton Distribution in Poole Harbour. 10. The Important Birds of Poole Harbour: Population Changes Since 1998. 11. Otters in Poole Harbour. 12. Non-native Species in and around Poole Harbour. 13. The Manila Clam in Poole Harbour. 14. Ecological Impacts of Sika Deer on Poole Harbour Saltmarshes. 15. Sika Deer Trampling and Saltmarsh Creek Erosion: Preliminary Investigation. 16. Marine Fisheries of Poole Harbour. 17. Ecological Effects of Pump-scoop Dredging for Cockles on the Intertidal Benthic Community. 18. Water Quality and Pollution Monitoring in Poole Harbour. 19. Sediment Quality and Benthic Invertebrates in Holes Bay. 20. Macroalgal Mat Development and Associated Changes in Infaunal Biodiversity. 21. Predicting Habitat Change in Poole Harbour Using Aerial Photography. 22. Poole Harbour European Marine Site.

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