Since the release of the documentary Blackfish in 2013, millions around the world have focused on the plight of the orca, the most profitable and controversial display animal in history. Yet, until now, no historical account has explained how we came to care about killer whales in the first place. Drawing on interviews, official records, private archives, and his own family history, Jason M. Colby tells the exhilarating and often heartbreaking story of how people came to love the ocean's greatest predator. Historically reviled as dangerous pests, killer whales were dying by the hundreds, even thousands, by the 1950s-the victims of whalers, fishermen, and even the US military. In the Pacific Northwest, fishermen shot them, scientists harpooned them, and the Canadian government mounted a machine gun to eliminate them. But that all changed in 1965, when Seattle entrepreneur Ted Griffin became the first person to swim and perform with a captive killer whale. The show proved wildly popular, and he began capturing and selling others, including Sea World's first Shamu. Over the following decade, live display transformed views of Orcinus orca. The public embraced killer whales as charismatic and friendly, while scientists enjoyed their first access to live orcas. In the Pacific Northwest, these captive encounters reshaped regional values and helped drive environmental activism, including Greenpeace's anti-whaling campaigns. Yet even as Northwesterners taught the world to love whales, they came to oppose their captivity and to fight for the freedom of a marine predator that had become a regional icon. This is the definitive history of how the feared and despised "killer" became the beloved "orca"-and what that has meant for our relationship with the ocean and its creatures.

Most nonscientists are usually aware of fossils, and it is commonly believed that they are extremely rare. In fact, fossils are exceptionally common in many sedimentary rocks and are used extensively in geology for age dating, interpretation of ancient environments, and the discovery of natural resources. However, there is another type of fossil deposit that is truly rare. These rare fossil deposits, called Lagerst?tten, preserve the remains of the soft tissues or the articulated skeletal remains of ancient creatures in truly astonishing fine detail. Some of these deposits are world-famous, such as the Burgess Shale, or Solnhofen but there are others dating from many different geological eras from the Paleozoic, up to the Eocene. Recently, a concerted effort has been made to understand the overall significance of these rare fossil deposits. Whereas in the past these deposits were considered novelties, modern researchers are trying to understand what they can tell us about ancient life and environments. New sophisticated techniques (including image and geochemical analyses) are providing enormous new contributions to our knowledge of Lagerst?tten sites and to paleobiology in general.

This volume describes many of the most famous Lagerst?tten locations worldwide and is complete with over 70 superb halftones showing some of these exotic fossils in all their glory. Paleontologists are beginning to understand why such deposits occur, how they have varied since the advent of marine metazoan life, and how their presence effects our understanding of the evolution of life in the Earth's oceans. In this way, the study of Lagerst?tten continues to move towards the mainstream of paleobiological, biological, and geological research, and away from its former status as the examination of mere curiosities.

All those interested in these beautiful and sometimes enigmatic deposits will want to own this book.

The success of the first volume of The Biology of Sea Turtles revealed a need for broad but comprehensive reviews of major recent advances in sea turtle biology. Biology of Sea Turtles, Volume II emphasizes practical aspects of biology that relate to sea turtle management and to changes in marine and coastal ecosystems. These topics include the interactions of humans and sea turtles, an introduction to sea turtle anatomy, sensory and reproductive biology, sea turtle habitat use and ecology, stress and health, and the maintenance of captured animals. This volume provides both historical and up-to-date information.

Seagrasses occur in coastal zones throughout the world in the areas of marine habitats that are most heavily influenced by humans. Despite a growing awareness of the importance of these plants, a full appreciation of their role in coastal ecosystems has yet to be reached. This book provides an entry point for those wishing to learn about seagrass ecology and provides a broad overview of the present state of knowledge. The volume discusses the recent progress in research and current research foci, complemented by extensive literature references to guide the reader to more detailed studies. This book will be valuable to students of marine biology wishing to specialize in this area and to established researchers wanting to enter the field. In addition, it will provide an excellent reference for those involved in the management and conservation of coastal areas that harbor seagrasses.

Here is a comprehensive review of the ecology of freshwater bivalves and gastropods worldwide. Robert Dillon discusses the ecology of these species in its broadest sense, including diet, habitat, and reproductive biology to emphasize the tremendous diversity of these freshwater invertebrates. He develops a new life history model that unifies them and reviews their population and community ecology, treating competition, predation, parasitism, and biogeography. Extensively referenced and synthesizing work from the nineteenth century through to the present day, this book includes original analyses that unify previous work into a coherent whole.

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. Designed to be accessible to readers at all levels, it 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.

Teleost (bony) fishes represent the most abundant taxonomic group of vertebrates. They are found in all conceivable types of aquatic environment and are extremely diverse behaviourally. Behavioural ecology of teleost fishes reviews the recent advances in knowledge of behavioural strategies and tactics of habitat selection and space use, foraging, predator avoidance and evasion, and reproduction among the teleost fishes. It proposes new directions and approaches for future research. It also considers the impact of individual behaviour on population and community ecology.

Results from the National Lake Fish Tissue Study indicate that mercury, PCBs, and dioxins and furans are widely distributed in lakes and reservoirs in the lower 48 states. These waterbodies occur in a variety of landscapes, and they can receive contaminants from several sources, including direct discharges in the water, air deposition and agricultural or urban runoff. Monitoring fish contamination in lakes and reservoirs is a critical activity for protecting human and ecosystem health because lakes and reservoirs provide important sports fisheries and other recreational opportunities. Lake ecosystems also provide critical habitat for aquatic species, and they support wildlife populations that depend on aquatic species for food. This book is a study of contaminants found in fish and their environmental impact.

Rivers have been vitally important to human populations worldwide for millennia as “highways” for inland travel, and as sources of water for drinking, cooking, cleaning, manufacturing, irrigation, and power generation, as well as repositories for human, animal, and industrial wastes. This accessible textbook takes a broad approach to river ecology, covering the basics but going beyond by including topics that are often overlooked such as blackwater streams and rivers, tidal creek ecosystems, and reservoir limnology. Since most running water (lotic) systems have been altered or impacted by human activities, there is significant emphasis on anthropogenic impacts, including sedimentation, nutrient pollution and related eutrophication issues as well as the effects of dams and river fragmentation, power plant operations, chemical contamination, wastewater treatment discharges, industrial scale livestock production, invasive species, and rural and urban storm water runoff on river ecosystems. Advances in stream and river restoration are also discussed.

Silicon is among the most abundant elements on earth. It plays a key but largely unappreciated role in many biogeochemical processes, including those that regulate climate and undergird marine food webs. "The Silicon Cycle" is the first book in more than 20 years to present a comprehensive overview of the silicon cycle and issues associated with it. The book summarizes the major outcomes of the project Land-Ocean Interactions: Silica Cycle, initiated by the Scientific Community on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE) of the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU). It tracks the pathway of silicon from land to sea and discusses its biotic and abiotic modifications in transit as well as its cycling in the coastal seas. Natural geological processes in combination with atmospheric and hydrological processes are discussed, as well as human perturbations of the natural controls of the silicon cycle.

The biodiversity of many ecosystems is under threat and although seas cover the majority of our planet's surface, far less is known about the biodiversity of marine environments than that of terrestrial systems. It is also not clear whether many of the patterns known to occur on land also occur in the sea. Until we have a firmer idea of the diversity of a wide range of marine habitats and what controls it, we have little hope of conserving biodiversity, or determining the impact of human activities such as mariculture, fishing, dumping of waste and pollution. This book brings together key studies from the deep sea and open ocean, to tropical shores and polar regions to consider how comparable the patterns and processes underlying diversity are in these different ecosystems. Marine Biodiversity will be a major resource for all those interested in biodiversity and its conservation.

This book is about those animals found on the sea floor that live by filtering microscopic particles carried by water currents. Its purpose is to review what is known about the biology of suspension feeders in relation to their flow environment. The book includes the larval biology, physiology, ethology, and ecology of suspension feeders interacting with water flow. It will be of value to marine scientists beginning research in the new, interdisciplinary field of hydrodynamics and benthic biology, and it is the first attempt to provide a comprehensive overview of this synthesis from the biological viewpoint.

Riparian Landscapes examines the ecological systems of streamside and floodplain areas from the perspective of landscape ecology. The author describes the specific spatial pattern of riparian vegetation as a result of, and a control on, the ecological, geomorphological, and hydrological processes that operate along rivers. He also discusses the role of the riparian zone in controlling species distribution and abundance and highlights the intelligent management of these valuable ecological resources. Finally, Malanson explores the potential for linking hydrological, geomorphological and ecological simulation models.

Chrysophytes are beautiful and delicate organisms living mostly in freshwater. They are pivotal for studies of protistan evolution, studies of food web dynamics in oligotrophic freshwater ecosystems, and for assessment of environmental degradation resulting from eutrophication and acid rain. They also represent excellent model cellular systems for studying processes inherent in basic metabolism, biomineralization, endo- and exocytosis and macro-assembly of cell surface layers. This book gives a broad overview of chrysophytes and contains chapters by leading experts organized under the themes of phylogeny, systematics and evolution; development, physiology, and nutrition; and ecology, paleoecology, and reproduction. The book contains major contributions towards a reorganization of chrysophyte systematics, plus comprehensive reviews of chrysophyte basic metabolism, biomineralization and siliceous scale deposition, ecology, paleoecology, and a history of chrysophyte research. Contributors present reviews of the literature in their particular area and also present ideas for future research.

Brackish water can be found wherever sea water is diluted by freshwater to form water of intermediate salinity. The ephemeral habitats of estuaries, coastal lagoons and inland seas are rich in fauna, but are threatened by rising sea levels, drainage and reclamation of low lying coastal land, storms and sea defences. This is the first identification guide to the fauna of these ecologically important areas. The ecology of these animals and their habitats are examined and reviewed. The keys are designed to be used with living material, and illustrations are provided for all species likely to be found in brackish-water habitats in northwestern Europe, making identification easy. Fieldworkers, naturalists and students interested in these fragile and ephemeral habitats will find this an indispensable reference.

Riparian Landscapes examines the ecological systems of streamside and floodplain areas from the perspective of landscape ecology. The specific spatial pattern of riparian vegetation is seen as a result of, and a control on, the ecological, geomorphological, and hydrological processes that operate along rivers. Riparian structures are controlled by the spatial dynamics of channels, flooding and soil moisture. These dynamics are part of integrated cascades of water, sediment, nutrients and carbon, to which animal and plant species respond in ways that illuminate community structure and competition. The role of the riparian zone in controlling species distribution and abundance is discussed. Intelligent management of these valuable ecological resources is highlighted. The potential for linking hydrological, geomorphological and ecological simulation models is also explored. This book will be of interest to graduate and professional research workers in environmental science, ecology and physical geography.

Written primarily for 16-19 year old students, this primer introduces the key features of the marine environment and explores definitions of marine biodiversity at different levels of biological organization: genetic, species, ecosystem, and functional. It also discusses how changes in ocean features due to human activities are having a negative impact on marine biological diversity. The primer aims to extend students' knowledge and inspire them to take their school-level learning further. It explores topics that are familiar from the curriculum and also introduces new ideas, giving students a first taste of the study of biology beyond school-level and demonstrating how concepts frequently encountered at school are relevant to and applied in current research. This is an ideal text to support students who are considering making the transition from studying biology at school to university. Digital formats and resources The book is available for students and institutions to purchase in a variety of formats, and is supported by online resources: - The e-book offers a mobile experience and convenient access along with functionality tools, navigation features, and links that offer extra learning support: www.oxfordtextbooks.co.uk/ebooks - Online resources include multiple choice questions for students to check their understanding, and, for registered adopters, figures and tables from the book

The challenges that the world's running water systems now face have never been more numerous or acute; at the same time, these complex habitats remain absolutely crucial to human wellbeing and future survival. If rivers can ever be anything like sustainable, ecology needs to take its place as an equal among the physical sciences such as hydrology and geomorphology. A real understanding of the natural history and ecology of running waters must now be brought even more prominently into river management. The primary purpose of this textbook is to provide the up-to-date overview that students and practitioners will require to achieve this aim. The book's unifying focus is on rivers and streams as ecosystems in which the particular identity of organisms is not the main emphasis but rather the processes in which they are involved - specifically energy flow and the cycling of materials. It builds on the physicochemical foundations of the habitat templet and explores the diversity and adaptations of the biota, progressing from the population and community ecology of organisms and linking them to ecosystem processes and services in the wider biosphere via the complexities of species interactions and food webs. These include water quality and patterns of river discharge, as well as aesthetics, waste disposal, and environmental health. While the book is not primarily focused on application per se, each chapter addresses how humans affect rivers and, in turn, are affected by them. A final, future-oriented chapter identifies key strategic areas and sets a roadmap for integrating knowledge of natural history and ecology into policy and management. The Biology and Ecology of Streams and Rivers is an accessible text suitable for both senior undergraduate and graduate students taking courses in both lotic and general ecology as well as more established researchers, practitioners, managers, and conservationists requiring a concise and contemporary overview of running waters.

AMERICA'S MARINE SANCTUARIES tells the story of fourteen underwater places so important they are under special protection, together forming the US National Marine Sanctuary System. These sanctuaries, spanning more than 620,000 square miles and ranging from the Florida Keys to the Great Lakes and to the Hawaiian Islands, are critical and breath-taking marine habitats that provide homes to endangered and threatened species. They, also, preserve America's rich maritime heritage and act as living laboratories for science, research, education and conservation, offering outdoor recreation experiences for all ages. Through 150 full-colour photographs and lively narrative, AMERICA'S MARINE SANCTUARIES showcases each of the marine sanctuaries and the creatures that live there, from whales and manatees to Hawaiian monk seals and Laysan ducks, as well as sunken ships from the Ghost Fleet and USS Monitor to Shipwreck Alley. The book underscores how marine sanctuaries have shaped the nation's development, survival, and identity and celebrates these protected underwater treasures for all they can tell us about our communities, our country and our world.

Interest in water will continue to grow for a long time to come. It will continue to spread over a large number of disciplines and technologies. Research into water in all its aspects has become so diverse that even those with a direct interest find it impossible to keep up with the original literature beyond a very limited range. On the other hand, scientists want to keep in touch with a wide spectrum of basic and applied research on water and the role played by aqueous solvents in physical, chemical, biological, technological and environmental processes. Water Science Reviews contains three or four critical reviews of the type previously published in the seven volume work Water - A Comprehensive Treatise. Some reviews update previously published topics while others feature areas of Water Sciences that have never yet been reviewed. A common focus is the central position adopted by water in the systems and processes described.

Learning marine biology from a textbook is one thing. But take readers to the bottom of the sea in a submarine to discover living fossils or to coral reefs to observe a day in the life of an octopus, and the sea and its splendors come into focus, in brilliant colors and with immediacy.

In "Sensuous Seas," Eugene Kaplan offers readers an irresistibly irreverent voyage to the world of sea creatures, with a look at their habitats, their beauty and, yes, even their sex lives. A marine biologist who has built fish farms in Africa and established a marine laboratory in Jamaica, Kaplan takes us to oceans across the world to experience the lives of their inhabitants, from the horribly grotesque to the exquisitely beautiful. In chapters with titles such as "Fiddler on the Root" (reproductive rituals of fiddler crabs) and "Size Does Count" (why barnacles have the largest penis, comparatively, in the animal kingdom), Kaplan ventures inside coral reefs to study mating parrotfish; dives 740 feet in a submarine to find living fossils; explains what results from swallowing a piece of living octopus tentacle; and describes a shark attack on a friend.

The book is a sensuous blend of sparkling prose and 150 beautiful illustrations that clarify the science. Each chapter opens with an exciting personal anecdote that leads into the scientific exploration of a distinct inhabitant of the sea world--allowing the reader to experience firsthand the incredible complexity of sea life.

A one-of-a-kind memoir that unfolds in remarkable reaches of ocean few of us can ever visit for ourselves, "Sensuous Seas" brings the underwater world back to living room and classroom alike. Readers will be surprised at how much marine biology they have learned while being amused.

The fourth volume of Water Science Reviews presents three fascinating accounts of hydration phenomena in collodial systems. O. Fennell Evans and David Miller provide a reappraisal of the role of water in promoting amphiphilic assembly and structure. Donald Eagland's review of water-soluble polymers highlights those which show unique solution properties or where there is contention as to the explanation for the behaviour. The final review, from Kenneth Newman, deals with the hydration of surfaces, a topic of profound scientific and technological importance.

Pressure on large fluvial lowlands has increased tremendously during the past twenty years because of flood control, urbanization, and increased dependence upon floodplains and deltas for food production. This book examines human impacts on lowland rivers, and discusses how these changes affect different types of riverine environments and flood processes. Surveying a global range of large rivers, it provides a primary focus on the lower Rhine River in the Netherlands and the Lower Mississippi River in Louisiana. A particular focus of the book is on geo-engineering, which is described in a straight-forward writing style that is accessible to a broad audience of advanced students, researchers, and practitioners in global environmental change, fluvial geomorphology and sedimentology, and flood and water management.

Covering the behavior and ecology of the northern fur seal, this book is a model long-term study of marine mammals, one that tests theory through both observation of undisturbed behavior and manipulative experiments on individuals. Here Roger Gentry draws on nearly two decades of research on three different islands to show how behavior among these seals changes with population size, sex ratio, and environment, to explain the behavior of the population beginning with individuals, and to generalize the results to other members of the eared seal family. In so doing, he offers one of the most comprehensive studies of its kind on any marine mammal species to date. Gentry shows that the species is driven by very different behavioral traits than have been assumed for it in the past. His book analyzes behavior on scales of hours to lifetimes, investigates the mating system, considers processes that underlie the mating system (site fidelity, behavioral estrus, and the development of territoriality), and addresses specific aspects of maternal strategy (female attendance behavior, pup growth, seasonal influences, and the effects of continental shelf width). Gentry contributes to knowledge about marine mammals by providing a very specific basis for interspecies comparisons, and he suggests a link between population trend and environmental regime shifts. He also guides the debate over seal mating systems from an interpretive to an empirical or experimental basis. Originally published in 1997. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

This book deals with the lifestyles of phytoplankton, the microscopic plant life living in the open waters of lakes, ponds and rivers and makes frequent references to the phytoplankton of the sea. It reviews adaptations required of organisms to live their lives independently of solid surfaces and the different ways that these have been achieved. Chapters dealing with particular topics are arranged in approximately the order in which they become a problem to the organism: How can it stay up in the water? Can it gain sufficient light and nutrients? How fast can it grow under different conditions? And what are the results of sinking out, feeding by animals, attacks by parasitic fungi and bacteria? The final chapter assembles this information to show ways in which plankton changes with season and through much longer periods of time, contrasting the behaviours in different types of lakes. This book is important for two reasons: it is the first major book on the subject for some years and projects many recent research findings; and the approach departs from previous volumes in concentrating on needs and adaptive responses to them.