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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Page 6
... shown , with arbitrary axes . ( After Dyer , 1973. ) depth 1 2 3 4 fresh salt salinity ર velocity Figure 1.5 Salinity and velocity profiles in a fjordic estuary . The salinity and velocity profiles for 4 positions in the estuary are shown ...
... shown , with arbitrary axes . ( After Dyer , 1973. ) depth 1 2 3 4 fresh salt salinity ર velocity Figure 1.5 Salinity and velocity profiles in a fjordic estuary . The salinity and velocity profiles for 4 positions in the estuary are shown ...
Page 7
... shown , with arbitrary axes . ( After Dyer , 1973. ) there is a continuous mixing between the sea and fresh water . Surface waters will be less saline than the bottom waters at any given point in the estuary , but unlike the highly ...
... shown , with arbitrary axes . ( After Dyer , 1973. ) there is a continuous mixing between the sea and fresh water . Surface waters will be less saline than the bottom waters at any given point in the estuary , but unlike the highly ...
Page 9
... shown that the interstitial salinity varies much less than the salinity of the overlying water , due to the slow rate of interchange between them . On the intertidal mudflats , where the most abundant populations of estuarine animals ...
... shown that the interstitial salinity varies much less than the salinity of the overlying water , due to the slow rate of interchange between them . On the intertidal mudflats , where the most abundant populations of estuarine animals ...
Page 11
... shown in Figure 1.8 . It can be seen that for a sediment with pebbles 104 μm ( 1 cm ) diameter erosion of the sediment will take place at current speeds of over 150 cm s1 . At current speeds between 150 and 90 cm s1 the pebbles will be ...
... shown in Figure 1.8 . It can be seen that for a sediment with pebbles 104 μm ( 1 cm ) diameter erosion of the sediment will take place at current speeds of over 150 cm s1 . At current speeds between 150 and 90 cm s1 the pebbles will be ...
Page 15
... shown in Figure 1.11 . The material lost as exudation from plants , and as excretion from animals contributes to the dissolved organic material in the estuary , whereas the detritus produced from the death of organisms is primarily in ...
... shown in Figure 1.11 . The material lost as exudation from plants , and as excretion from animals contributes to the dissolved organic material in the estuary , whereas the detritus produced from the death of organisms is primarily in ...
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