Aquatic invasive species -- harmful, non-native plants, animals, and microorganisms living in aquatic habitats -- damage ecosystems or threaten commercial, agricultural, and recreational activities. The Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990 created the Task Force and required it to develop an aquatic nuisance species program. The Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 includes a provision that the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) assess federal costs of, and spending on, aquatic invasive species. This book examines how much Task Force member agencies expended addressing aquatic invasive species for fiscal years 2012-2014; activities conducted by Task Force member agencies and challenges in addressing aquatic invasive species; and the extent to which the Task Force has measured progress in achieving the goals of its 2013-2017 strategic plan.

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

Modern marine turtles belong to an ancient group of reptiles inhabiting the Earth for over 110 million years, since the Cretaceous. Marine turtles depend on both marine and terrestrial habitats for their growth and development, from high energy beaches to benthic reefs, and the open waters of the seas. All seven species of sea turtles are listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Animals (IUCN 2011). The threats facing sea turtles are many, both on land and at sea, including habitat loss, predation, and human exploitation. This book examines the ecology, behavior and conservation efforts of sea turtles.

This book provides current research on the ecosystems of coral reefs, as well as the environmental impact and current threats to the coral reefs. Chapter One studies proteins responsive to variable temperature exposure in the reef-building coral Seriatopora hystrix. Chapters Two and Three examine the impact of arachidonic acid's (ArA) on coral reefs. The final chapter discusses environmental monitoring in the Gulf of Thailand, and the use of coral skeletons as metal pollution recorders.

The fishery products and bivalve mollusks sector is certainly one of the most complex in term of sanitary and commercial topics, considering the high number of species that require a precise identification. For all these reasons, the knowledge and the skills in this field remain prerogative of a few experts on the subject and operators who, in time and for various reasons, have acquired specific knowledge and skills. On the other hand, the evolution of community legislation, and especially the growing worldwide interest for fishery products and bivalve mollusks, requires a common system of traceability and labeling aimed at increasing the transparency in commercial transactions, facilitating the identification of the fish and mollusks species and increasing consumer confidence. In this perspective, the proposed publication stands as an easy reference tool intended for all the stakeholders involved in the Mediterranean seafood chain, and in which some essential elements of the community rules relating to inspection and control of fishery products and bivalve mollusks are revealed. The presence of illustrations will represent a quick and easy way to acquire the essential information to identify the main Mediterranean fishery products and bivalve mollusks of commercial interest.

This current book discusses the formation, distribution and environmental impacts of marine sediments. The first chapter describes the isolation, taxonomic approach, diversity, secondary metabolites and activities of actinobacteria. Chapter Two aims at the verification of anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) usability as a textural indicator of rocks, with special emphasis on origin of fluid pathway within tight turbidite sandstones burying a foreland basin. The final chapter reviews aluminum impact on the growth of benthic diatom.

The billfish is fixed at the apex of the oceanic food chain. Composed of sailfish, marlin, spearfish, and swordfish, they roam the pelagic waters of the Atlantic and are easily recognized by their long, spear-like beaks. Noted for their speed, size, and acrobatic jumps, billfish have for centuries inspired a broad spectrum of society. Even in antiquity, Aristotle, who assiduously studied the swordfish, named this gladiator of the sea xiphias - the sword. The Billfish Story tells the saga of this unique group of fish and those who have formed bonds with them - relationships forged by anglers, biologists, charter-boat captains, and conservationists through their pursuit, study, and protection of these species. More than simply reciting important discoveries, Stan Ulanski argues passionately that billfish occupy a position of unique importance in our culture as a nexus linking natural and human history. Ulanski, both a scientist and an angler, brings a rich background to the subject in a multifaceted approach that will enrich not only readers appreciation of billfish but the whole of the natural world.

From the days of discovery and colonization, America has looked to the sea. In times of stress the sea has been our ally, and in times of peace, a source of our prosperity. Sometimes hostile and sometimes generous in its moods, the ocean always has offered its abundant resources in countless ways. But only recently have we begun to perceive its true potential. The driving force and urgency of our new concern for the sea stem from the changing character of the world itself-from mounting economic needs, from congested populations, from our own deteriorating shores. It is now nearly 10 years since reports by the National Academy of Science and the U.S. Navy focused attention upon the vital import of our undeveloped marine resources. The intervening decade has been marked by a mounting interest and activity. Further reports, studies, and statements have poured forth in profusion, representing the experience, the views, and the best judgment of the outstanding experts of the country. Throughout this period a voluminous legislative record testifies also to a growing Congressional concern, which culminated in June 1966 in the Marine Resources and Engineering Development Act, expressing a conviction and defining a national purpose: 1) a conviction that the time had arrived for this country to give serious and systematic attention to our marine environment and to the potential resources of the oceans, and 2) a national determination to take the steps necessary to stimulate marine exploration, science, technology, and financial investment on a vastly augmented scale.

Beach Trip Biology is a resource for parents to use with children traveling to the Caribbean or South Florida. The book provides background information for parent to provide biological learning experiences. Chapters have learning objectives and identifies essential biology concepts that are reinforced.

This book is the third companion volume to 'An Introduction To Using GIS In Marine Biology'. It is designed to augment the information on using GIS in marine biology provided in that book, and, indeed, to be used alongside it rather than to be used independently as a stand-alone volume. Therefore, this book will be of most interest to those who have already read 'An Introduction To Using GIS In Marine Biology'.
This book consists of five exercises covering the practical use of GIS in marine biology using ERSI's ArcGIS(r) 10.2 GIS software and R statistical software. These exercises are based around integrating GIS and Species Distribution Modelling (SDM), and work through an example of an SDM from processing your survey data, through making raster data layers of environmental variables to constructing an SDM, visualising its predicted spatial distribution and validating its predictive ability. The exercises are designed to be followed in the order they are presented, and work with a specific data set, which can be downloaded separately for free.
Working through these five exercises will help the novice GIS user obtain experience in creating and using SDMs, and so develop their GIS skills. Unlike most other GIS tutorials, this information is specifically presented in a marine biological context and all the exercises use real data from a marine biological study. Therefore, these exercises are more likely to provide the kind of experience in using GIS that marine biologists will find useful and applicable to their own research.
These exercises are presented in the same easy-to-follow flow diagram-based format first introduced in the 'How To...' section of 'An Introduction To Using GIS In Marine Biology'. They are accompanied by images which show the user how their GIS project should look as they progress through the exercises, allowing them to compare their own work to the expected results.
This is part of the PSLS series of books which use Task-Oriented Learning (TOL) to teach the practical application of research skills to the life sciences. This involves demonstrating how these skills can be used in the specific circumstances in which they are likely to be required rather than concentrating on teaching theoretical frameworks or on teaching skills in a generic or abstract manner. By seeing how the similar processes are used to achieve a variety of different goals within a specific field, it becomes easier for the reader to identify the general rules behind the practical application of these processes and, therefore, to transfer them to novel situations they may encounter in the future.
Table Of Contents:
Preface.
1. Introduction.
2. How To Use The ArcGIS 10.2 Software User Interface.
3. Exercise One: Creating A Presence-Absence Raster Grid For A Species From Survey Data.
4. Exercise Two: Creating Raster Data Layers Of Environmental Variables.
5. Exercise Three: Creating A Species Distribution Model (SDM).
6. Exercise Four: Visualising The Results Of An SDM In A GIS Project.
7. Exercise Five: Validating The Predictive Ability Of An SDM Using An Independent Data Set.
Appendix I.

This book is the fourth companion volume to 'An Introduction To Using GIS In Marine Biology'. It is designed to augment the information on using GIS in marine biology provided in that book, and, indeed, to be used alongside it rather than to be used independently as a stand-alone volume. Therefore, this book will be of most interest to those who have already read 'An Introduction To Using GIS In Marine Biology'.
This book consists of five exercises covering the practical use of GIS in marine biology using ERSI's ArcGIS(r) 10.2 GIS software. These exercises are based around using GIS to investigate the home ranges of individual animals. They range from creating minimum convex polygons (MCPs) and kernel density estimates (KDEs) to comparing the home ranges of different individuals in a population. The exercises are designed to be followed in the order they are presented, and work with a specific data set which can be downloaded for free.
Working through these five exercises will help the novice GIS user obtain experience in investigating the home ranges of individual animals in a GIS-based environment, and so develop their GIS skills. Unlike most other GIS tutorials, this information is specifically presented in a marine biological context and all the exercises use real data from a marine biological study. Therefore, these exercises are more likely to provide the kind of experience in using GIS that marine biologists will find useful and applicable to their own research.
These exercises are presented in the same easy-to-follow flow diagram-based format first introduced in the 'How To...' section of 'An Introduction To Using GIS In Marine Biology'. They are accompanied by images which show the user how their GIS project should look as they progress through the exercises, allowing them to compare their own work to the expected results.
This is part of the PSLS series of books which use Task-Oriented Learning (TOL) to teach the practical application of research skills to the life sciences. This involves demonstrating how these skills can be used in the specific circumstances in which they are likely to be required rather than concentrating on teaching theoretical frameworks or on teaching skills in a generic or abstract manner. By seeing how the similar processes are used to achieve a variety of different goals within a specific field, it becomes easier for the reader to identify the general rules behind the practical application of these processes and, therefore, to transfer them to novel situations they may encounter in the future.
Table Of Contents:
Preface.
1. Introduction.
2. How To Use The ArcGIS(r) 10.2 Software User Interface.
3. Exercise One: Estimating The Home Range Of An Individual Animal Using A Minimum Convex Polygon (MCP).
4. Exercise Two: Estimating The Home Range Of An Individual Animal Using A Kernel Density Estimate (KDE) In An Open Environment.
5. Exercise Three: Estimating The Home Range Of An Individual Animal Using A Kernel Density Estimate (KDE) In An Environment With Barriers.
6. Exercise Four: Comparing The Home Ranges Of Different Individuals In A Population
7. Exercise Five: Investigating How Many Individuals Use Each Location Within A Study Area

This book is the second companion volume to 'An Introduction To Using GIS In Marine Biology'. It is designed to augment the information on using GIS in marine biology provided in that book, and, indeed, to be used alongside it rather than to be used independently as a stand-alone volume. Therefore, this book will be of most interest to those who have already read 'An Introduction To Using GIS In Marine Biology'.
This book consists of five exercises covering the practical use of GIS in marine biology using ESRI's ArcGIS(r) 10.2 software. These exercises are based around creating and using raster data layers to display and analyse environmental variables. They range from making raster data layers of environmental variables to linking this information to data layers of species occurrence.
Working through these five exercises will help the novice GIS user obtain experience in working with raster data layers of environmental variables and so develop their GIS skills. Unlike most other GIS tutorials, this information is specifically presented in a marine biological context and all the exercises use real data from a marine biological study. Therefore, these exercises are more likely to provide the kind of experience in using GIS that marine biologists will find useful and applicable to their own research.
These exercises are presented in the same easy-to-follow flow diagram-based format first introduced in the 'How To...' section of 'An Introduction To Using GIS In Marine Biology'. They are accompanied by images which show the user how their GIS project should look as they progress through the exercises, allowing them to compare their own work to the expected results.
This is part of the PSLS series of books which use Task-Oriented Learning (TOL) to teach the practical application of research skills to the life sciences. This involves demonstrating how these skills can be used in the specific circumstances in which they are likely to be required rather than concentrating on teaching theoretical frameworks or on teaching skills in a generic or abstract manner. By seeing how the similar processes are used to achieve a variety of different goals within a specific field, it becomes easier for the reader to identify the general rules behind the practical application of these processes and, therefore, to transfer them to novel situations they may encounter in the future.
Table Of Contents:
Preface
1. Introduction
2. How To Use The ArcGIS 10.2 Software User Interface.
3. Exercise One: Creating A Raster Data Layer Of Water Depth.
4. Exercise Two: Deriving Additional Topographic Raster Data ayers From Water Depth
5. Exercise Three: Using Zonal Statistics To Calculate RegionalOccupancy Rates For A Species.
6. Exercise Four: Linking And Comparing Data From AnEnvironmental Raster Data Layer To Species Locational Records
7. Exercise Five: Linking Data From Environmental Raster Data Layers To A Polygon Grid Of Species Abundance Per Unit Survey Effort.

This book is the fifth companion volume to 'An Introduction To Using GIS In Marine Biology'. It is designed to augment the information on using GIS in marine biology provided in that book, and, indeed, to be used alongside it rather than to be used independently as a stand-alone volume. Therefore, this book will be of most interest to those who have already read 'An Introduction To Using GIS In Marine Biology'. This book consists of five exercises covering the practical use of GIS in marine biology using ESRI's ArcGIS(r) 10.2 software. These exercises are based around creating maps for reports and presentations. They range from making a map template which allows you to quickly make new maps in a standard format to creating a custom legend which allows you to repeatedly apply the same symbols to multiple data layers and making multi-part maps . The exercises are designed to be followed in the order they are presented, and work with a specific data set, which can be download separately for free. Working through these five exercises will help the novice GIS user obtain experience making maps for reports and presenations, and so develop their GIS skills. Unlike most other GIS tutorials, this information is specifically presented in a marine biological context and all the exercises use real data from a marine biological study. Therefore, these exercises are more likely to provide the kind of experience in using GIS that marine biologists will find useful and applicable to their own research. These exercises are presented in the same easy-to-follow flow diagram-based format first introduced in the 'How To...' section of 'An Introduction To Using GIS In Marine Biology'. They are accompanied by images which show the user how their GIS project should look as they progress through the exercises, allowing them to compare their own work to the expected results. This is part of the PSLS series of books which use Task-Oriented Learning (TOL) to teach the practical application of research skills to the life sciences. This involves demonstrating how these skills can be used in the specific circumstances in which they are likely to be required rather than concentrating on teaching theoretical frameworks or on teaching skills in a generic or abstract manner. By seeing how the similar processes are used to achieve a variety of different goals within a specific field, it becomes easier for the reader to identify the general rules behind the practical application of these processes and, therefore, to transfer them to novel situations they may encounter in the future.
Table Of Contents:
Preface.
1. Introduction.
2. How To Use The ArcGIS 10.2 Software User Interface.
3. Exercise One: Creating A Map Template For A Project.
4. Exercise Two: Making And Using A Style File To Create A Custom Legend For A Data Layer.
5. Exercise Three: Creating A Map With An Insert To Show Its Location In The World.
6. Exercise Four: Creating A Multi-Part Map For Showing The Distributions Of Multiple Species At Once.
7. Exercise Five: Creating A Map With An Accompanying Graph Showing Additional Information.

Fish are one of the most important global food sources, supplying a significant share of the world's protein consumption. From stocks of wild Alaskan salmon and North Sea cod to entire fish communities with myriad species, fisheries require careful management to ensure that stocks remain productive, and mathematical models are essential tools for doing so. Fish Ecology, Evolution, and Exploitation is an authoritative introduction to the modern size- and trait-based approach to fish populations and communities. Ken Andersen covers the theoretical foundations, mathematical formulations, and real-world applications of this powerful new modeling method, which is grounded in the latest ecological theory and population biology. He begins with fundamental assumptions on the level of individuals and goes on to cover population demography and fisheries impact assessments. He shows how size- and trait-based models shed new light on familiar fisheries concepts such as maximum sustainable yield and fisheries selectivity-insights that classic age-based theory can't provide-and develops novel evolutionary impacts of fishing. Andersen extends the theory to entire fish communities and uses it to support the ecosystem approach to fisheries management, and forges critical links between trait-based methods and evolutionary ecology. Accessible to ecologists with a basic quantitative background, this incisive book unifies the thinking in ecology and fisheries science and is an indispensable reference for anyone seeking to apply size- and trait-based models to fish demography, fisheries impact assessments, and fish evolutionary ecology.