The manufacture of plastic as well as its indiscriminate disposal and destruction by incineration pollutes atmospheric, terrestrial, and aquatic ecosystems. Synthetic plastics do not break down; they accumulate in the environment as macro-, micro-, and nanoplastics. These particulate plastics are a major source of pollutants in soil and marine ecosystems. Particulate Plastics in Terrestrial and Aquatic Environments provides a fundamental understanding of the sources of these plastics and the threats they pose to the environment. The book demonstrates the ecotoxicity of particulate plastics using case studies and offers management practices to mitigate particulate plastic contamination in the environment. Features * Describes physical and chemical properties of particulate plastics in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems * Presents information on characteristics of particulate plastics as impacted by weathering processes * Provides numerous approaches for managing particulate plastic contamination * Identifies sources of particulate plastics in the environment; distribution and characteristics of particulate plastics; and management strategies of particulate plastics Written by a global team of scientists, this book is for researchers in the fields of environmental safety and waste management or individuals interested in the impact of particulate plastics on environmental health.

There's so much we don't know about what lies deep beneath the ocean's surface - and the time to find out is growing increasingly precious . . . Professor Alex Rogers is one of the world's leading experts in marine biology and oceanology, and has spent his life studying the deep ocean - and in particular the impact of human activity on the ecosystems of the oceans. In this timely, galvanising and fascinating book - replete with stunning photography of strange and beautiful creatures - Professor Rogers offers a fundamentally optimistic view of humanity's relationship with the oceans - and also a very personal account of his own interaction with the seas.

Ecosystem-Based Management (EBM) is one of the most holistic approaches to protecting marine and coastal ecosystems as it recognizes the need to protect entire marine ecosystems instead of individual species. After decades of pollution, habitat degradation and overfishing, now climate change and ocean acidification threaten the health of the ocean in unprecedented way. Environmental Management of Marine Ecosystems illustrates the current status, trends, and effects of climate, natural disturbances and anthropogenic impacts on marine ecosystems. It demonstrates how to integrate different management tools and models in an up-to-date, multidisciplinary approach to environmental management. This indispensable guide provides several case studies from around the world and creates a framework for identifying management tools and their applications in coral reefs, fisheries, migratory species, marine islands and associated ecosystems such as mangroves and sea grass beds. It discusses the physical and chemical compositions of marine ecosystems along with the threats and actions needed to protect them. The application of model framework to several contemporary management issues include the modelling of harmful algal bloom dynamics, understanding the dispersal of sea lice, and the possible impacts on intertidal communities of the provision of novel offshore habitat. The results of extensive research by an international team of contributors, the Environmental Management of Marine Ecosystems is designed to inform scientists, practitioners, academics, government and non-government policymakers on the particularities of marine ecosystems and assist them in understanding the EBM approaches in means of mitigation and adaptation of human activities that result in sustainability. These practices will help change the current methodologies used for resource assessment and the future regulations of marine resources.

This landmark publication collates information and studies on the use of estuaries, and specific habitats within them, as nursery, feeding and refuge areas, and migration routes of marine and other fish, many of which are of commercial and conservation importance. The editors and authors of the book have carefully compiled a huge wealth of information from the work of 18 organizations across 11 countries, providing a unique collection of data never before brought together within the covers of one book.

Chapters within this exceptional publication cover habitat use by fishes, recruitment and production in estuaries, links between fish and other trophic levels, endangered and rare species, estuarine development and restoration, environmental quality of estuaries and the management of estuarine fishes. The book notably contains extensive chapters on field methods and data analysis.

"Fishes in Estuaries" is an essential tool and reference source for fisheries and environmental managers, fish biologists, environmental scientists, aquatic ecologists and conservation biologists. Libraries in all universities and research establishments where biological sciences are studied and taught should have copies of this book on their shelves, as should personnel employed in regulatory and consultant capacities, such as within rivers authorities, environment agencies and fish and wildlife departments.
Comprehensive coverage of commercially exploited species.
Internationally known and respected contributors.
Multi-contributor approach providing very detailed coverage.
Estuaries are a vitally important ecosystem.

A concise but comprehensive introduction to the biology of standing waters (lakes and ponds). As with other books in the Biology of Habitats Series, the emphasis in this book is on the organisms that dominate freshwater environments. Management and conservation aspects are also considered. The first edition of the book published in 1998 with a second, revised edition in 2005. There has been significant development in the field since the last revision appeared, particularly in the ecology of lakes and ponds in subtropical and tropical areas, and a new revision of this now classic text is timely.

Advances in Marine Biology, Volume 84, the latest release in a series that has been providing in-depth and up-to-date reviews on all aspects of marine biology since 1963, updates on many topics that will appeal to postgraduates and researchers in marine biology, fisheries science, ecology, zoology and biological oceanography.

This is the second edition of Freshwater Algae; the popular guide to temperate freshwater algae. This book uniquely combines practical information on sampling and experimental techniques with an explanation of basic algal taxonomy plus a key to identify the more frequently-occurring organisms. Fully revised, it describes major bioindicator species in relation to key environmental parameters and their implications for aquatic management. This second edition includes: the same clear writing style as the first edition to provide an easily accessible source of information on algae within standing and flowing waters, and the problems they may cause the identification of 250 algae using a key based on readily observable morphological features that can be readily observed under a conventional light microscope up-to-date information on the molecular determination of taxonomic status, analytical microtechniques and the potential role of computer analysis in algal biology upgrades to numerous line drawings to include more detail and extra species information, full colour photographs of live algae including many new images from the USA and China Bridging the gap between simple identification texts and highly specialised research volumes, this book is used both as a comprehensive introduction to the subject and as a laboratory manual. The new edition will be invaluable to aquatic biologists for algal identification, and for all practitioners and researchers working within aquatic microbiology in industry and academia.

Seafloor Geomorphology as Benthic Habitat: GeoHab Atlas of Seafloor Geomorphic Features and Benthic Habitats, Second Edition, provides an updated synthesis of seabed geomorphology and benthic habitats. This new edition includes new case studies from all geographic areas and habitats that were not included in the previous edition, including the Arctic, Asia, Africa and South America. Using multibeam sonar, the benthic ecology of submarine features, such as fjords, sand banks, coral reefs, seamounts, canyons, mud volcanoes and spreading ridges is revealed in unprecedented detail. This timely release offers new understanding for researchers in Marine Biodiversity, environmental managers, ecologists, and more.

Sharks in Mexico: Research and Conservation, Volume 83 in the Advances in Marine Biology series, provides in-depth and up-to-date reviews on all aspects of marine biology that will appeal to postgraduates and researchers in marine biology, fisheries science, ecology, zoology and biological oceanography. New chapters cover The Sharks of Pacific Mexico and their Conservation - Why Should we Care?, Biodiversity and Conservation of Sharks in Pacific Mexico, Shark Ecology, The Role of the Apex Predator and Current Conservation Status, Review of Current Genetic Analyses for Sharks of Pacific Mexico and Conservation Implications, and much more.

This open access book surveys the frontier of scientific river research and provides examples to guide management towards a sustainable future of riverine ecosystems. Principal structures and functions of the biogeosphere of rivers are explained; key threats are identified, and effective solutions for restoration and mitigation are provided. Rivers are among the most threatened ecosystems of the world. They increasingly suffer from pollution, water abstraction, river channelisation and damming. Fundamental knowledge of ecosystem structure and function is necessary to understand how human acitivities interfere with natural processes and which interventions are feasible to rectify this. Modern water legislation strives for sustainable water resource management and protection of important habitats and species. However, decision makers would benefit from more profound understanding of ecosystem degradation processes and of innovative methodologies and tools for efficient mitigation and restoration. The book provides best-practice examples of sustainable river management from on-site studies, European-wide analyses and case studies from other parts of the world. This book will be of interest to researchers in the field of aquatic ecology, river system functioning, conservation and restoration, to postgraduate students, to institutions involved in water management, and to water related industries.

The first edition of this book, published in 1982 by the University of Queensland Press, established itself as the main introductory textbook on marine parasitology. The second edition has been revised to take account of recent advances and includes an additional chapter on the structure of marine parasite communities. There are also new sections on pollution, translocations of hosts and parasites, and on the effects of parasites on the aquaculture of marine fish, molluscs and crustacea. The chapters covering ecological, zoogeographical and economic aspects have also been significantly changed. Aimed particularly at students and research workers in parasitology and marine biology, the book will also be of interest to ecologists, biologists concerned with zoogeographical problems, and to aquaculturists, fish and fisheries biologists.

Nematodes are incontestably the most numerous and the most diverse metazoans in freshwater habitats, and these properties bestow exceptional significance to their role in the environment. An array of functional roles has been attributed to them: they are grazers on bacteria and primary producers, regulators of decomposition of plant material, predators, prey for other animals, and closely associated symbionts of bacteria and other organisms. Freshwater nematodes are central in the context of environmental monitoring, pollution assessments, global warming and food webs, and this is increasingly being recognized. Moreover, the short generation time (a few days to months) of many species makes nematodes ideal for laboratory studies. This book: Provides a follow-up to Freshwater Nematodes: Ecology and Taxonomy (2006). Offers guidelines for studying the ecology of free-living nematodes, including detailed protocols and case studies. Promotes free-living nematodes as model organisms for studies in a broad range of research fields. Despite the recognized importance of nematodes across ecosystems, many species of free-living nematodes have yet to be discovered, and essential knowledge gaps remain. Ecology of Freshwater Nematodes provides an overview of research efforts in this field, and is an important resource for researchers in the field of nematology and ecology.

The ONLY textbook available on marine mammal physiology, a core topic in Marine Science undergrad teaching Builds on the unique overall theme 'How would you design a marine mammal?' which focuses on what an undergrad student would actually want to know. What would they ask? So rather than "What are the biochemical differences between marine and terrestrial mammals?" the book addresses "How can marine mammals dive for such a long time?" or "How do they stay warm in such cold water?" Organises the Table of Contents into common 'real' student questions. The book thus centres around the point of view of the student. This makes it accessible and student-focused. Consistency across all chapters Provides consistent Power Point slides that teachers can use when they don't know the field well AND that students can use as study guides. Offers Study Questions and future thinking/implications questions. A Driving Question for each chapter is highlighted in a box. A concluding chapter ties up loose ends and consolidates the driving questions from the individual chapters. Contains the contributions of well-respected, prominent scientists in the field. Author bios for each chapter showcase diversity in contributor pool. Focuses on physiological adaptations of marine mammals and connects them with the ecological context, including anthropogenic impacts. Discusses differences that might exist by type of marine mammal, development questions, and behavioral issues.

This volume summarizes recent advances in environmental microbiology by providing fascinating insights into the diversity of microbial life that exists on our planet. The first two chapters present theoretical perspectives that help to consolidate our understanding of evolution as an adaptive process by which the niche and habitat of each species develop in a manner that interconnects individual components of an ecosystem. This results in communities that function by simultaneously coordinating their metabolic and physiologic actions. The third contribution addresses the fossil record of microorganisms, and the subsequent chapters then introduce the microbial life that currently exists in various terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Coverage of the geosphere addresses endolithic organisms, life in caves and the deep continental biosphere, including how subsurface microbial life may impact spent nuclear fuel repositories. The discussion of the hydrosphere includes hypersaline environments and arctic food chains. By better understanding examples from the micro biosphere, we can elucidate the many ways in which the niches of different species, both large and small, interconnect within the overlapping habitats of this world, which is governed by its microorganisms.

This book highlights perspectives, insights, and data in the coupled fields of aquatic microbial ecology and biogeochemistry when viewed through the lens of collaborative duos - dual career couples. Their synergy and collaborative interactions have contributed substantially to our contemporary understanding of pattern, process and dynamics. This is thus a book by dual career couples about dual scientific processes. The papers herein represent wide-ranging topics, from the processes that structure microbial diversity to nitrogen and photosynthesis metabolism, to dynamics of changing ecosystems and processes and dynamics in individual ecosystems. In all, these papers take us from the Arctic to Africa, from the Arabian Sea to Australia, from small lakes in Maine and Yellowstone hot vents to the Sargasso Sea, and in the process provide analyses that make us think about the structure and function of all of these systems in the aquatic realm. This book is useful not only for the depth and breadth of knowledge conveyed in its chapters, but serves to guide dual career couples faced with the great challenges only they face. Great teams do make great science.

This work provides a user-friendly, species level taxonomic key based on morphology, current nomenclature, and modern taxonomy using molecular tools which fulfill the most pressing needs of both researchers and environmental managers. This key arms the reader with the tools necessary to improve their species identification abilities. This book resolves another issue as well: the mix of female and male characters used in keys to the calanoid copepods. Often, during the identification process, both calanoid copepod sexes are not available, and the user of such a key is stuck with an uncertain identification. Here, separate male and female keys to the calanoid copepods are provided for both the genera and species levels.

This book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license. This volume focuses on microscopic plastic debris, also referred to as microplastics, which have been detected in aquatic environments around the globe and have accordingly raised serious concerns. The book explores whether microplastics represent emerging contaminants in freshwater systems, an area that remains underrepresented to date. Given the complexity of the issue, the book covers the current state-of-research on microplastics in rivers and lakes, including analytical aspects, environmental concentrations and sources, modelling approaches, interactions with biota, and ecological implications. To provide a broader perspective, the book also discusses lessons learned from nanomaterials and the implications of plastic debris for regulation, politics, economy, and society. In a research field that is rapidly evolving, it offers a solid overview for environmental chemists, engineers, and toxicologists, as well as water managers and policy-makers.

The evolution of observational instruments, simulation techniques, and computing power has given aquatic scientists a new understanding of biological and physical processes that span temporal and spatial scales. This has created a need for a single volume that addresses concepts of scale in a manner that builds bridges between experimentalists and theoreticians in aquatic ecology. Handbook of Scaling Methods in Aquatic Ecology: Measurement, Analysis, Simulation is the first comprehensive compilation of modern scaling methods used in marine and freshwater ecological research. Written by leading researchers, it presents a systematic approach to dealing with space and time in aquatic ecology. This is a compendium that analyzes themes related to the response or behavior of organisms to processes occurring over multiple spatial and temporal scales. This book covers: novel techniques for data collection, focusing on processes over a broad range of scales (from bacteria to ocean basins); newly-developed concepts and data analysis algorithms; and innovative computer models and simulations to mimic complex biological processes. The Handbook serves as a reference volume for investigators seeking insight into new experimental approaches and data analysis, as well as the sensor design required for optimal sampling. Many of the algorithms and models provided are directly applicable to your experimental data. This comprehensive treatment of scaling methods and applications can help foster a unified understanding of subject matter among the modeling, experimental, and field research communities.

Marine environmental history analyses the changing relationships between human societies and marine natural resources over time. This is the first book which deals in a systematic way with the theoretical backgrounds of this discipline. Major theories and methods are introduced by leading scholars of the field. The book seeks to encapsulate some of the major novelties of this fascinating new discipline and its contribution to the management, conservation and restoration of marine and coastal ecosystems as well as the cultural heritages of coastal communities in different parts of the world.

This book explores the ethnobiology of corals by examining the various ways in which humans, past and present, have exploited and taken care of coral and coralline habitats. This book will bring the educated general audience closer to corals by exploring the various circumstances of human-coral coexistence by providing scientifically sound and jargon-free perspectives and experiences from across the globe. Corals are a vital part of the marine environment since they promote and sustain marine and global biodiversity while providing numerous other environmental and cultural services. Countless valuable coral conservation efforts are published in academic and general audience venues on a daily basis. However relevant, few of these reports show a direct, deeper understanding of the intimate relationship between people and corals throughout the world's societies. Ethnobiology of Corals and Coral Reefs establishes an intimate bond between the audience and the wonder of corals and their importance to humankind.

The book presents recent research on marine ecology in different parts of the world. It aims to shed light on relevant topics for budding marine ecologists. The "blue soup" of Planet Earth, which comprises both biotic and abiotic components, is essential to keeping the wheel of civilization running. Four major ecosystem service categories have been identified within this context, namely provisioning services such as water, food, mangrove timber, honey, fish, wax, fuel wood, fodder and bioactive compounds from marine and estuarine flora and fauna; regulating services such as the regulation of climate, coastal erosion, coral bleaching and pollution; cultural services encompassing recreational (tourism), spiritual and other non-material benefits; and supporting services such as nutrient cycling and photosynthesis. These valuable services are obtained from various resources that must be conserved for the sake of humanity. This book presents data for each resource type, not just in the form of a simple description, but also through case studies that resulted from several research projects and pilot programs carried out in different parts of the world. Statistical tools were also used to critically analyze the influence of relevant hydrological parameters on the biotic community. Advanced research in marine and estuarine ecology is based on the use of sophisticated instruments, sampling precision, statistical tools, etc., which have also been highlighted in the book.

Wetland and Stream Rapid Assessments: Development, Validation, and Application describes the scientific and environmental policy background for rapid wetland and stream assessments, how such assessment methods are developed and statistically verified, and how they can be used in environmental decision-making-including wetland and stream permitting. In addition, it provides several case studies of method development and use in various parts of the world. Readers will find guidance on developing and testing such methods, along with examples of how these methods have been used in various programs across North America. Rapid wetland and stream functional assessments are becoming frequently used methods in federal, state and local environmental permitting programs in North America. Many governments are interested in developing new methods or improving existing methods for their own jurisdictions. This book provides an ideal guide to these initiatives.

This book provides an overview of floating offshore wind farms and focuses on the economic aspects of this renewable-energy technology. It presents economic maps demonstrating the main costs, and explores various important aspects of floating offshore wind farms. It examines topics including offshore wind turbines, floating offshore wind platforms, mooring and anchoring, as well as offshore electrical systems. It is a particularly useful resource in light of the fact that most water masses are deep and therefore not suitable for fixed offshore wind farms. A valuable reference work for students and researchers interested in naval and ocean engineering and economics, this book provides a new perspective on floating offshore wind farms, and makes a useful contribution to the existing literature.

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.