The Estuarine EcosystemFor the inhabitants of many of the world's major cities and towns, estuaries provide their nearest glimpse of a natural habitat; a habitat which, despite the attempts of man to pollute it or reclaim it, has remained a fascinating insight into a natural world where energy is transformed from sunlight into plant material, and then through the steps of a food chain is converted into a rich food supply for birds and fish. The biologist has become interested in estuaries as areas in which to study the responses of animals and plants to severe environmental gradients. Gradients of salinity for example, and the problems of living in turbid water or a muddy substrate, prevent most animal species from the adjacent sea or rivers from entering estuaries. In spite of these problems, life in estuaries can be very abundant because estuarine mud is a rich food supply which can support a large number of animals with a large total weight and a high annual production. Indeed estuaries have been claimed to be among the most productive natural habitats in the world. When the first edition of this book appeared, biologists were beginning to realise that the estuarine ecosystem was an ideal habitat in which to observe the processes controlling biological productivity. |
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Contents
1 | |
PRIMARY CONSUMERS | 71 |
1 | 77 |
THE SECONDARY CONSUMERS | 87 |
1 | 113 |
3 | 119 |
5 | 128 |
ESTUARINE POLLUTION | 133 |
THE MANAGEMENT OF ESTUARIES | 177 |
READING LIST | 195 |
INDEX | 211 |
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Common terms and phrases
abundance annual production ash-free dry wt bacteria benthic benthos biomass birds bivalve brackish Carcinus Coastal Marine Science concentration Corophium volutator crabs Crangon deposit feeders detritus discharge dissolved Ecology ecosystem effluent energy environment environmental Estuarine and Coastal estuarine animals estuarine ecosystem estuarine organisms estuarine water factors fauna feeding Figure fish flesh dry wt fresh water freshwater g ash-free g dry wt g flesh dry Grevelingen habitat Hydrobia ulvae increase industrial intertidal areas invertebrates kcal km² Macoma balthica macrofauna Marine Biology material mean biomass meiofauna metals mudflats mussel Mytilus Nereis diversicolor nitrogen number of species nutrients occur organic carbon organic enrichment oxygen P/B ratio particles phytoplankton planktonic plants pollution polychaete populations predators prey primary consumers primary production reclamation river salinity salt marshes Scotland sea water secondary consumers sediment sewage shown Spartina studies surface tide toxicity trophic level utilised Wadden Sea waste yr¯¹ yr¹ Ythan estuary zooplankton Zostera