Ecology of Marine Sediments

by Gray, John S.; Elliot, Michael

• ISBN13: 9780198569022
• ISBN10: 0198569025
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-03-25
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Marine sediments provide the largest habitat on planet earth, yet knowledge of the structure and function of their flora and fauna continues to be poorly described in current textbooks. This concise, readable introduction to benthic ecology builds upon the strengths of the previous edition but has been thoroughly revised throughout to incorporate the new technologies and methods that have allowed a rapid and ongoing development of the field. It explores the relationship between community structure and function, and the selection of global examples ensures an international appeal and relevance. The economic value of marine sediments increases daily, reflected in the text with a new emphasis on pollution, climate change, conservation, and management. This accessible textbook is suitable for both advanced undergraduate and graduate students who have had a general ecology course, but no further training in benthic ecology. It will also be of relevance and use to professional researchers and consultants in marine ecology and environmental science who seek a compact but comprehensive introduction to benthic ecology.

Table of Contents

A tribute to John Stuart Gray (1941-2007)	p. ix
Introduction	p. 1
Sampling sediments	p. 11
Sampling design	p. 11
Sampling the fauna	p. 17
The sediment and related environmental factors	p. 22
Grain size and related variables	p. 22
Other important environmental variables	p. 25
The fauna and environmental variables	p. 30
Describing assemblages of sediment-living organisms	p. 34
Abundance models	p. 34
Species occurrences	p. 38
Size and biomass spectra	p. 40
Describing faunal patterns	p. 41
Describing assemblages	p. 44
Diversity	p. 52
Measuring diversity	p. 52
Scale and biodiversity	p. 56
Turnover (beta) diversity	p. 57
Patterns of diversity in benthic assemblages	p. 59
Latitudinal and longitudinal gradients of diversity	p. 65
The link between species richness and system function	p. 67
Functional diversity of benthic assemblages	p. 70
Ecological functioning	p. 70
Secondary production in benthic macrofauna	p. 71
Production estimates in meiofauna	p. 76
Energy budgets for single species	p. 77
Elemental budgets	p. 79
Production: biomass ratios	p. 79
Community metabolism	p. 82
Spatial variations in sediment systems	p. 89
The importance of scale	p. 89
Measuring scale effects on sediment systems	p. 93
Biological interactions causing disturbances	p. 97
The settlement process	p. 103
Causes of change in dominance patterns	p. 105
Generalizing effects of disturbance	p. 106
Temporal variations in benthic assemblages	p. 109
Seasonal patterns	p. 110
Long-term patterns	p. 112
The stability of benthic communities	p. 116
Human impacts on soft-sediment systems-trawling and fisheries	p. 122
Ecological effects of trawling	p. 122
Common types of trawls and dredges	p. 126
Effects of gear on different sediment types	p. 126
General effects of trawling on benthic systems	p. 130
Human impacts on soft-sediment systems-pollution	p. 133
Effects of increased organic matter on numbers and biomass	p. 133
Effects of organic enrichment on diversity	p. 134
Effects of discharges from the oil industry	p. 136
Effects of heavy metals and xenobiotic chemicals on benthic fauna	p. 141
Adaptive strategies to pollution/disturbance	p. 144
Sediment quality standards	p. 149
Integrative benthic assessments	p. 152
Recovery of the benthic community after stress	p. 154
The soft-sediment benthos in the ecosystem	p. 157
Food webs, and feeding and functional groups	p. 157
Ecosystem models	p. 160
Network analysis: cycling index and average path length	p. 160
The European Regional Seas Ecosystem Model (ERSEM)	p. 164
The benthos in the management of marine sediments	p. 171
The use and analysis of benthic data	p. 171
The DPSIR approach-indicators and objectives	p. 174
Benthic monitoring	p. 180
The role of the benthos in a priori assessments	p. 182
The role of benthos in quality assessments	p. 186
Predictive models and marine benthic management	p. 188
Benthic analytical quality control and quality assurance (AQC/QA) and data reliability	p. 189
Concluding remarks	p. 190
References and Further Reading	p. 194
Index	p. 215
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