Foraminifera is a big group of unicellular eukaryotic and mostly sea animals, having a hard shell of complexity striking for unicellular organisms. It includes over 4,500 genera and about 40,000 species, mostly now extinct. Their usual size is about 0.5 mm but some giant forms may reach 17 to 20 cm. The multi-chamberedness of their advanced forms with their complex inner integrative systems represents the evolutionary attempt to overcome a unicellular level of organization. The role of the ramified system of the thinnest canals in their multi-chambered shells could be compared with the role of the blood system in Metazoans. The beauty of their shells attracted Leonardo da Vinci to describe them in his ornaments. The highest morphological variability of their shells along with the small number of their chromosomes may permit their usage in the future as classical objects of genetic-morphological studies. Their species are used as bio-indicators of recent and paleo environments, as well as markers of the carbohydrates bearing strata.

Microalgae, with representatives in all but one of the major algal divisions, are an important component of the biota of the world's aquatic environments. They include phytoplankton that are almost entirely responsible for the primary production of all marine and freshwater bodies. They occur at the base of the food chains upon which the world's fisheries industries depend, and in the numerous aquaculture projects upon which the world will increasingly come to rely on a large portion of its protein requirement. Their use for the mass production of stock feed and for direct human consumption, already being practised in many parts of the world, is likely to become of increasing importance in the future as is the exploitation of their ability to serve as a source of key metabolites in the food industry and in the synthesis of a range of other high-value products. The mass culture of microalgae under controlled conditions is also under consideration for its potential to provide an alternative source of biomass and for the production of biofuels, such as biodiesel, that does not compete for land that can be more profitably used for the production of traditional food crops. The potential of microalgae as a commercial source of another energy source, hydrogen, is also under investigation with a view to exploiting the ability of some microalgae, unique among oxygenic photosynthetic organisms, to release hydrogen gas produced from the photolytic splitting of water. The proven role of microalgae in waste-water treatment and in various environmental remediation processes as well as their potential contribution as a vital component of carbon-capture schemes will also be described. This book surveys our current understanding of those aspects of the biology of microalgae which constitute the basis of the range of practical applications now under consideration for their potential contribution to human health and well-being. The focus is largely on physiological and biochemical processes of microalgae as they are currently known, with the aim of providing some of the basic background information against which present and proposed future developments can be assessed. Many of these developments, if they are to be successful, will require collaboration of engineers, process biochemists and microbiologists as well as those trained to address economic and environmental considerations. It is hoped that this book, will provide for such workers and for the lay person, an overview of some of the relevant basic biology of the microalgae, highlighting their metabolic flexibility and their vast potential as a valuable resource that is yet to be fully realised.

Microalgae are microscopic algae, typically found in freshwater and marine systems. Microalgae, capable of performing photosynthesis, are important for life on earth; they produce approximately half of the atmospheric oxygen and use simultaneously the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide to grow photoautotrophically. The biodiversity of microalgae is enormous and they represent an almost untapped resource. In this book, the authors present current research in the study of microalgae, including microalgal biotechnological applications in nutrition, health and the environment; using microalgae biomass for biodiesel and biofuel production and microalgae for aquaculture.

In this book, the authors present topical research in the study of aquatic ecosystems of which there are two main types: marine ecosystems and freshwater ecosystems. Topics discussed include a change of biodiversity in subarctic freshwater ecosystems located in the northwest region of Russia; assemblages of zoosporic true fungi, heterotrophic straminipiles and plasmodiophorids in freshwater ecosystems; aquatic ecosystem health and the causes, effects and rehabilitation of the eutrophication of aquatic ecosystems.

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.

A floodplain is a flat or nearly flat land adjacent to a stream or river that experiences occasional or periodic flooding. It includes the floodway, which consists of the stream channel and adjacent areas that carry flood flows, and the flood fringe, which are areas covered by the flood, but which do not experience a strong current. This book reviews and presents research in the study of floodplains from across the globe including water and people in the Yaere Floodplain in North Cameroon, the turbidity behaviour in the Amazon floodplains, evaluating the potential and performance of New Urbanism for reducing flood risks.

This volume is written by leading authorities in red algae. All subfamilies, genera and species are described, notes on ecology and distribution given, and each named species is illustrated by one or more half-tones or line drawings showing distinctive features. User-friendly keys are provided to enable identifi cation of genera and species. Special features of this volume are the concise but comprehensive and practical introduction and a complete re-evaluation of British Isles taxa in consultation with other international specialists. In addition, one new species and three new combinations are proposed. This is a reprint edition of 0-11-310016-7 published in 1984.

South African temporarily open/closed estuaries (TOCEs) and similar systems along the coastlines of other regions of the world, especially Australia, are amongst the most productive aquatic ecosystems. They shift seasonally from mostly open mouth states during rainy seasons to mostly closed mouth states during the dry part of the year. This allows a whole range of juvenile forms of estuarine-dependent and estuarine-associated marine species to be recruited inside their sheltered and productive reaches, where they complete their growth to maturity. This book covers topics such as the structure and function of open/closed estuaries in South Africa, as well as outlining the future management decisions that need to be made in order to ensure the longevity of these productive ecosystems.

Freshwater harmful algal blooms (HABs) are comprised of algae that either create health hazards for humans or animals through the production of toxins or bioactive compounds or that cause deterioration of water quality through the build-up of high biomass, which degrades aesthetic, ecological, and recreational values. While freshwater HABs occur naturally, human actions that disturb ecosystems in the form of increased nutrient loadings and pollution, modified hydrology, and introduced species have been linked to the increased occurrence of some freshwater HABs. The majority of the freshwater HAB problems reported in the United States and world-wide are due to one group of algae, the cyanobacteria HABs (CyanoHABs), but other groups of algae can also be harmful. CyanoHABs are not a new phenomenon, but the frequency and geographic distribution of documented CyanoHABs seem to have dramatically increased in recent decades in the United States and globally. This book describes the broad range of negative impacts that freshwater HAB toxins have on humans, animals and aquatic ecosystems and actions that must be taken to resolve this issue. This book consists of public documents which have been located, gathered, combined, reformatted, and enhanced with a subject index, selectively edited and bound to provide easy access.

"The 1995 discovery of malformed frogs in a Minnesota wetland is one of a few singular events in the history of environmental awareness that has forever changed our views regarding the plight of global biodiversity. Lannoo's book offers a comprehensive and up-to-date assessment of the malformed frog phenomenon and its likely causes, as well as its possible relation to environmentally mediated malformations in humans. It immediately ranks as a definitive source for information regarding malformed frogs in the larger context of global amphibian declines."--James Hanken, Alexander Agassiz Professor of Zoology, Curator in Herpetology, and Director, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University
"Lannoo's book is unequivocally the definitive work on frog malformations, with broad relevance to the global decline of amphibians, the degradation of natural wetlands, and our own environmental legacy. This scholarly presentation by a top-rate scientist focuses on an irrefutable phenomenon in which frogs are serving as sentinels to which all of society should be listening."--J. Whitfield Gibbons, Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia
""Malformed Frogs" is a scientific detective story with a moral: things aren't often what they seem! Mike Lannoo's engaging prose captures the joys and drudgery of fieldwork as well as the fallible, human side of science, all in the service of understanding the occurrence of deformed amphibians. He convincingly shows that although not one of the commonly advanced explanations can suffice, we know enough right now to solve the problem."--Harry W. Greene, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University

Pearly mussels (Unionoidea) live in lakes, rivers, and streams around the world. These bivalves play important roles in freshwater ecosystems and were once both culturally and economically valuable as sources of food, pearls, and mother-of-pearl. Today, however, hundreds of species of these mussels are extinct or endangered. David L. Strayer provides a critical synthesis of the factors that control the distribution and abundance of pearly mussels. Using empirical analyses and models, he assesses the effects of dispersal, habitat quality, availability of fish hosts, adequate food, predators, and parasites. He also addresses conservation issues that apply to other inhabitants of fresh waters around the globe and other pressing issues in contemporary ecology.

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.

Oceanographers and the Cold War is about patronage, politics, and the community of scientists. It is the first book to examine the study of the oceans during the Cold War era and explore the international focus of American oceanographers, taking into account the roles of the US Navy, US foreign policy, and scientists throughout the world. Jacob Darwin Hamblin demonstrates that to understand the history of American oceanography, one must consider its role in both conflict and cooperation with other nations. Paradoxically, American oceanography after World War II was enmeshed in the military-industrial complex while characterized by close international cooperation. The military dimension of marine science--with its involvement in submarine acoustics, fleet operations, and sea-launched nuclear missiles--coexisted with data exchange programs with the Soviet Union and global operations in seas without borders. From an uneasy cooperation with the Soviet bloc in the International Geophysical Year of 1957-58, to the NATO Science Committee in the late 1960s, which excluded the Soviet Union, to the US Marine Sciences Council, which served as an important national link between scientists and the government, Oceanographers and the Cold War reveals the military and foreign policy goals served by US government involvement in cooperative activities between scientists, such as joint cruises and expeditions. It demonstrates as well the extent to which oceanographers used international cooperation as a vehicle to pursue patronage from military, government, and commercial sponsors during the Cold War, as they sought support for their work by creating "disciples of marine science" wherever they could.

Marine ecotourism is a major growth area within ecotourism, itself a rapidly expanding area within tourism as a whole. The activity has been attracting increasing attention, both from the popular media and from professionals and academics with an interest in tourism's potential to contribute to sustainable development. However, there is a growing consensus that far too often the term has been used merely as a tool for capitalising on the good intentions of tourists, without the industry itself having to make fundamental changes to their products or to the way they go about their operations. This has often been to the detriment of local environments, economies and host communities. Yet the ideal of ecotourism, as it is properly understood, is to present local communities with a sustainable development alternative - one that works to the benefit of local ecosystems, local economies and local people. The purpose of the first section of this book is therefore to introduce the concept of marine ecotourism and to draw out some of the key issues involved in ensuring that marine ecotourism is developed in a genuinely sustainable manner. The second section then discusses some practical experiences of planning and managing marine ecotourism from around the world, identifying common problems and discussing what might constitute good practice in addressing those problems.

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.

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.

Chemical and Biological Regulation of Aquatic Systems covers the fundamentals of chemical and microbial processes that control the quality of surface water. Topics discussed include the nature and environmental role of surface, complexation and redox reactions; fluxes in the water column and at sediment-water interface; bioavailability; intra- and extra-cellular processes; interactions of microbes with their environment; and microbial ecology. Basic principles are clearly explained and important examples are described in each case. For each environmental process, the respective roles of chemistry and biology are explained. The book features 600 references, 140 figures, and 55 tables. It's an excellent text for students in environmental sciences, researchers involved in quality control, and government and industry professionals who need to learn the fundamentals of an integrated approach to aquatic systems.

Designed specifically for the amateur naturalist and filled with hands-on projects and activities, Pond and Brook introduces the readers to the intriguing world of freshwater life. Michael Caduto's keen eye investigates all common freshwater environments, from wetlands and deep lakes to streams and vernal ponds. An important feature of the book is its holistic approach to both living and non-living components of freshwater environments, and how they fit together to weave an ecological whole. Readers will learn the unique properties of water, the basic principles vital to understanding aquatic life, and the origin of freshwater habitats.

This reference work is designed to provide background information on an array of northeastern Pacific marine invertebrate species so that they can be more easily included in comparative studies of morphology, cell biology, reproduction, embryology, larval biology, and ecology. It is meant to serve biologists who are new to the field as well as experienced investigators who may not be familiar with the invertebrate fauna of the northern Pacific Coast. The species discussed in this volume are mostly from the cold temperate waters of the San Juan Archipelago, near Puget SOund and the Strait of Georgia, but the information and methods given will be useful in laboratories from Alaska to central California and applicable to some extend in other coastal or inland facilities. An introductory chapter discusses basic prodcedures for collecting and maintaining mature specimens, for initiating spawning, and for culturing embryos and larvae in the laboratory. Subsequent chapters summarize reproduction and development in thirty different invertebrate groups and provided ercent references through which additional information can be traced, cite monographs or keys needed to identify species, and give methods useful for studying an array of selected species. Available information on habitat, diet, reproductive mode, egg size, developmental pattern, developmental times, larval type, and conditions for settlement and metamorphosis is reported for over 450 species.

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.

This is the sixteenth issue in the FAO series of worldwide annotated and illustrated catalogues of major groups of organisms that enter marine fisheries. It contains the 159 species in 15 genera known from the serranid subfamily Epinephelinae, including one species new to science. There is an introductory section with general remarks on habitat and fisheries of the family, a glossary of technical terms, an illustrated key to each genus and all species, and a detailed account for all species. Species accounts include an illustration of each species, scientific and vernacular names, and information on habitat, biology, fisheries, size, relevant literature, and distribution. Following the species accounts are a list of nominal species in the subfamily, a table of species by major marine fishing areas, and colour plates. A list of all nominal species and their present allocations is given. The work is fully indexed and there is a comprehensive list of references to pertinent literature.

From deep ocean trenches and the geographical poles to outer space, organisms can be found living in remarkably extreme conditions. This book provides a captivating account of these systems and their extraordinary inhabitants, 'extremophiles'. A diverse, multidisciplinary group of experts discuss responses and adaptations to change; biodiversity, bioenergetic processes, and biotic and abiotic interactions; polar environments; and life and habitability, including searching for biosignatures in the extraterrestrial environment. The editors emphasize that understanding these systems is important for increasing our knowledge and utilizing their potential, but this remains an understudied area. Given the threat to these environments and their biota caused by climate change and human impact, this timely book also addresses the urgency to document these systems. It will help graduate students and researchers in conservation, marine biology, evolutionary biology, environmental change and astrobiology better understand how life exists in these environments and their susceptibility or resilience to change.

In the last 50 years marine conservation has grown from almost nothing to become a major topic of global activity involving many people and organisations. Marine conservation activities have been applied to a huge diversity of species, habitats, ecosystems and whole seas. Many marine conservation actions have focused on human impacts on the marine environment from development and pollution to the impacts of fisheries. Whilst science has provided the backbone of thinking on marine conservation, perhaps the biggest change over this period has been the use of an ever-increasing range of techniques and disciplines to further marine conservation ends. Bob Earll explores what marine conservation involves in practice by providing a synthesis of the main developments from the viewpoints of 19 leading practitioners and pioneers who have helped shape its progress and successes. Their narratives highlight the diversity and richness of activity, and the realities of delivering marine conservation in practice with reference to a host of projects and case studies. Many of these narratives demonstrate how innovative conservationists have been - often developing novel approaches to problems where little information and no frameworks exist. The case studies described are based on a wide range of European and international projects. This book takes an in-depth look at the reality of delivering marine conservation in practice, where achieving change is often a complicated process, with barriers to overcome that have nothing to do with science. Marine conservationists will often be working with stakeholders for whom marine conservation is not a priority. This book aims to help readers describe and understand those realities, and shows that successful and inspirational projects can be delivered against the odds.