This book presents research reports about theon quantification of heavy metals in tissues of stranded bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) from the Northern Adriatic Sea, as well as some speculation on possible subtle adverse effects exerted by these levels on the general health of the animals. Stranded dolphins were collected along the Northern Adriatic Sea coasts during a five year period and underwent necropsy for the determination of the causes of death. All metals were at detectable levels, presenting a huge variation among animals and tissues.

Human-induced environmental disturbance - through fishery activities, coastal development, tourism and pollution - is a major challenge to the restoration and conservation of marine biodiversity. Synthesizing the latest research into marine biodiversity conservation and fisheries management, this book provides regional and global perspectives on the role of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in confronting this challenge. The approach is multidisciplinary, covering all the fields involved in designating and assessing MPAs: ecology, fisheries science, statistics, economics, sociology and genetics. The book is structured around key topics, including threats to marine ecosystems and resources, the effects and effectiveness of MPAs and the scaling-up of MPA systems. Both theoretical and empirical approaches are considered. Recognizing the diversity of MPA sciences, the book also includes one part designed specifically as a practical guide to implementing scientific assessment studies of MPAs and monitoring programs.

Eutrophication is an increase in the concentration of chemical nutrients in an ecosystem to an extent that increases the primary productivity of the ecosystem. It is similar to red tides, depending on the degree of eutrophication. Similarities include subsequent negative environmental effects such as anoxia and severe reductions in water quality, fish, and other animal populations. This book gathers the latest research from around the globe in the study of eutrophication including such topics as the role of fish communities in the eutrophication of shallow lakes; nutrient cycling in salt marshes to reduce eutrophication; the influence of eutrophication on arsenic speciation in lake waters; and the cost, ecosystem benefits and policy implications of remedial measures to combat coastal eutrophication.

Biofouling is usually defined as an especially economically significant process that occurs on ships' hulls, where high levels of fouling can reduce the performance of the vessel and increase its fuel requirements. However, in the aquatic environment, such burden is generally of importance for all types of organisms present. This book concentrates on aquatic mammals from marine and freshwater biotopes, summarising their different strategies to cope with the permanent challenge of being colonised by a multitude of bacteria, fungi or algae, and moreover, larvae of different invertebrates. Furthermore, biofouling of medical devices involves the formation of a biofilm by bacteria. This book covers the recent advances on the main anti-biofouling strategies based on the application of emergent biological products. In addition, the authors of this book focus on the surface modification of membranes for antibiofouling. The effect of non-antibiotic pharmaceuticals on the growth and adhesion of marine bacteria found in biofilms is looked at. Finally, in order to produce antifouling paints with reduced amount of toxic molecules, it is necessary to further investigate the phenomena involved in antifouling activity.

Aquatic toxicology is the study of the effects of manufactured chemicals and other anthropogenic and natural materials and activities on aquatic organisms at various levels of organization, from subcellular through individual organisms to communities and ecosystems. This book presents the latest research in this field from around the globe.

The second edition of Stream Ecology: Structure and Function Of Running Waters is thoroughly updated and expanded, reflecting the enormous growth in our understanding of stream metabolism and nutrient processes, which are the core of ecosystem functioning. The broad diversity of running waters - from torrential mountain brooks, to large lowland rivers, to great river systems whose basins occupy subcontinents - makes river ecosystems appear overwhelmingly complex. A central theme of this book is that although the settings are often unique, the processes at work in running waters can be understood in general terms. The new edition is extensively rewritten, with hydrology and geomorphology now accorded chapter-length discussion. Coverage includes a considerably improved and updated treatment of abiotic factors, organized around the habitat template concept. Additional new material outlines important advances in microbial ecology.

Many previous studies and books have been dedicated to fundamental and developmental aspects of biomarkers. The purpose of this book is to provide, through various case studies, an overview of the practical use of biological markers in marine animals to evaluate the health effects of environmental contamination in marine ecosystems.
More precisely, the book presents the results obtained during the development and application of biological markers as indicators of exposure/effect to toxic chemicals in marine environments, using diverse sentinel species such as fish, bivalves and crustaceans. An important aspect is also the publication of technical annexes that describe in detail the experimental procedures developed for both chemical and biochemical measurement.

Come for a journey along the Jersey shore with naturalist and ecologist Joanna Burger In these deeply felt, closely observed personal essays, Burger invokes the intertwined lives of naturalist and wild creatures at the ever-changing edge of ocean and land. Discover with her the delicate mating dances of fiddler crabs, the dangers to piping plovers, the swarming of fish communities into the bays and estuaries, the trilling notes of Fowler's toads, and the subtle green-grays of salt marshes.Joanna Burger knows the shore through all its seasons--the first moment of spring when the herring gulls arrive on ice-gouged salt marshes, the end of spring when the great flocks of shorebirds come to feed on horseshoe crab eggs at Cape May, the summer when the peregrine hunts its prey, the fall when the migrations of hawks and monarch butterflies attract watchers from around the world, and the depths of winter when a lone snowy owl sweeps across snow-covered dunes and frozen bay.
This is a book that anyone who loves the Jersey shore will cherish And because so many of these wonderful creatures live all along the Atlantic coast, it will be of equal interest to beach-lovers, naturalists, bird-watchers, fishermen, and coastal and marine scientists from North Carolina to Maine.

This study explores the most fundamental biological processes in the largest and least understood habitat on earth- the deep sea. The fifteen chapters assemble an impressive list of contributers, including prominent reproductive biologists, oceanographers, and larval ecologists, to illuminate the many levels of biological integration from the cell to the community, and covering most major phyla of marine invertebrates.

Marine glycobiology is an emerging and exciting area in the field of science and medicine. Glycobiology, the study of the structure and function of carbohydrates and carbohydrate-containing molecules, is fundamental to all biological systems and represents a developing field of science that has made huge advances in the last half-century. This book revolutionizes the concept of marine glycobiology, focusing on the latest principles and applications of marine glycobiology and their relationships.

Human-induced environmental disturbance - through fishery activities, coastal development, tourism and pollution - is a major challenge to the restoration and conservation of marine biodiversity. Synthesizing the latest research into marine biodiversity conservation and fisheries management, this book provides regional and global perspectives on the role of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in confronting this challenge. The approach is multidisciplinary, covering all the fields involved in designating and assessing MPAs: ecology, fisheries science, statistics, economics, sociology and genetics. The book is structured around key topics, including threats to marine ecosystems and resources, the effects and effectiveness of MPAs and the scaling-up of MPA systems. Both theoretical and empirical approaches are considered. Recognizing the diversity of MPA sciences, the book also includes one part designed specifically as a practical guide to implementing scientific assessment studies of MPAs and monitoring programs.

Marine biologist Micheline Jenner discovered humpback breeding grounds off the Kimberley coast, has swum through orange golfball-sized pygmy blue whale poo to uncover a feeding spot, and is one of very few people to witness a humpback whale giving birth.In The Secret Life of Whales she reveals the unknown world of these giants of the deep and shares insights from her work with humpback, blue and pygmy blue whales, taking us from Australia to Antarctica and beyond. Enlightening and eye-opening, The Secret Life of Whales reveals fascinating information about how whales live, tapping into Jenner's world-leading research and infectious enthusiasm for these magnificent creatures. Sales Points Micheline Jenner is the real deal in whale experts - a scientist with a passion for whales who has devoted twenty years to her research. Micheline's infectious enthusiasm for whales will delight readers and media alike. A full media campaign is planned. Micheline has a great story - she lives onboard the boat Whale Song with her husband and they have raised two children on the high seas The book is truly informative - it shares Micheline and Curt's world-leading research including uncovering humpback whale breeding grounds off the Kimberley coast.

Marine macrophytes (macroalgae, seagrasses, and mangroves) comprise thousands of species distributed in shallow water areas along the world's coastlines. They play a key role in marine ecosystems regarding biodiversity and energy flow. A large proportion of macrophyte species can be characterised as ecosystem engineers-organisms that directly or indirectly affect the availability of resources to other species by modifying, maintaining, and creating habitats. This book is divided into three main themes: * Marine macroalgae and seagrasses as sources of biodiversity gives an overview of the diversity of the main organisms associated with macrophytes, and their functional role and interactions within their hosts. * Primary and secondary production of Macrophytes synthesizes research on food web structures derived from/or associated with, macrophytes and the transfer of macrophytic primary and secondary production from one ecosystem to another. * Threats to macrophytic ecosystem engineers addresses human-induced effects including eutrophication, physical destruction, invasive species, and global warming. The book is among the first one to concentrate on the value of macrophytes for the well-being of marine habitats. The book is aimed at academics but may be useful for students, policy makers, and laymen alike.

Shallow water marine molluscan faunas are distributed in a pattern of distinct, geographically definable areas. This makes mollusks ideal for studying the distribution of organisms in the marine environment and the processes and patterns that control their evolution. Biogeography and Biodiversity of Western Atlantic Mollusks is the first book to use quantitative methodologies to define marine molluscan biogeographical patterns. It traces the historical development of these patterns for the subtropical and tropical western Atlantic. The book discusses the multistage process of evolving new taxa caused by eustatic fluctuations, ecological stress, and evolutionary selection. Drawing on his decades of intensive field work, the author defines three western Atlantic molluscan provinces and 15 subprovinces based on his Provincial Combined Index, a modern refinement of Valentine's 50% rule. The faunal provinces-Carolinian, Caribbean, and Brazilian-are discussed in detail. The text defines the physical aspects of the provinces using quantitative data, with water temperature as the primary parameter. It discusses the details of the 15 subprovinces-geographically definable faunal subdivisions-as well as provinciatones, transition zones of provincial overlap. The author's algorithms demonstrate that the bulk of the molluscan biodiversity is concentrated in 40 separate centers of speciation, ranging from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, south to Argentina. Many of these evolutionary hotspots reside on remote archipelagos and offshore banks as well as within areas of provincial overlap. The text describes some of the more exotic and poorly known areas and presents maps and color photographs of characteristic habitats, index species, and live animals, including over 400 species of rare and seldom seen shells.

Contents:
1. Oxygen Minimum Zone Benthos: Adaptation and Community Response to Hypoxia Lisa A. Levin 2. Antarctic
Marine Benthic Diversity Andrew Clarke and Nadine M. Johnson 3. Influence of Marine Allochthonous Input on Sandy Beach Communities I. Colombini and L. Chelazzi 4. The Effects of Sedimentation on Rocky Coast Assemblages
Laura Airoldi 5. Exotic Molluscs in the Mediterranean Basin: Current Status and Perspectives Serge Gofas and Argyro Zenetos 6. Detritus in the Epilithic Algal Matrix and its Use by Coral Reef Fishes Shaun K. Wilson, David R. Bellwood, J. Howard Choat and Miles J. Furnas 7. Ecology of Whale Falls at the Deep-sea Floor Craig R. Smith and Amy R. Baco 8. The Diet of Harbour Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) in the Northeast Atlantic: A Review M. B. Santos and G. J. Pierce