Wahl Marine Hard Bottom Communities

Patterns, Dynamics, Diversity, and Change
2009
ISBN: 978-3-540-92704-4
Verlag: Springer
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: 1 - PDF Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, Band 206, 446 Seiten, eBook

Reihe: Ecological Studies

Marine hard bottoms feature some of the most spectacular and diverse biological communities on this planet. These not only contain a rich treasure of genetic, taxonomic and functional information but also deliver irreplaceable ecosystem services. At the same time, they are highly vulnerable and increasingly threatened by anthropogenic pressures. This volume has collected contributions by 50 scientists from numerous biogeographic regions, dealing with characteristics of hard bottom communities. Distributional patterns in space and time are described, followed by analyses of the intrinsic and extrinsic dynamics producing these patterns. A strong emphasis is placed on the ongoing changes occurring in the structure and diversity of these communities in response to spiralling environmental impacts, and on state-of-the-art countermeasures aiming to preserve these ecological treasures. Finally, various values of diversity are assessed, hopefully as an incentive for enhanced conservation efforts.

Zielgruppe

Research

Autoren/Hrsg.

Wahl, Martin

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Part I Habitat, substrata and communities

1. Aquatic particularities and functional groups

2. Communities on different shallow substrata

3. Communities on deep-sea hard bottoms

4. Communities on living substrata: epibioses

Part II Diversity patterns and their causes

5. Latitudinal patterns of species richness in hard bottom communities

6. Regional scale patterns
7. Patterns along environmental gradients
8. Evolutionary patterns of diversity and their causes
9. Environmental variability: analysis and ecological implications

Part III Community Dynamics
10. Fertilization strategies
11. Larval supply and dispersal

12. Settlement and recruitment

13. Seasonal dynamics

14. Disruption, succession and stochasticity
15. Changes in diversity and ecosystem functioning during succession
16. Simple and complex interactions

Part IV Changing Biodiversity
17. Anthropogenic changes in patterns of diversity on hard substrata: an overview

18. Shifts in abiotic variables and consequences for diversity
19. The loss of natural habitats and the addition of artificial substrata

20. Multiple stressors & disturbances: when change is not the nature of things

21. Mass mortalities and Extinctions
22. Biological Invasions: Insights from marine benthic communities

23. Habitat distribution and heterogeneity in marine invasion dynamics: The importance of hard substrate and artificial structure

24. Rehabilitation of habitat and the value of artificial reefs

25. Protection of biota and the value of marine protected areas

Part V Value of Diversity

26. The role of biodiversity for the functioning of rocky reef communities

27. Functional and taxonomic perspectives of marine biodiversity: functional diversity and ecosystem processes

28. Mechanisms underpinning diversity-stability relationships in hard bottom assemblages

29. The aesthetic value of littoral hard substrata and consideration of ethical frameworks for their investigation and conservation

Part VI Appropriate research methods

30. Field methods in marine ecology