The Biology of Rocky ShoresThis is an introduction to the study of marine rocky shores in the temperate zone. It is designed to encourage students and others to couple enormous intellectual rewards with the pleasure of working in some of the last easily accessible but relatively unspoilt places, and can be used as abasis for field courses, project work, or for lectures. Centred in North-West Europe, but using examples from all over the world, the book begins by considering the physical factors that characterize the habitat - primarily tides and waves - and goes on to assess how they influence the organisms that live within it. It describes how the behaviour andphysiology of individuals belonging to the major groups - algae, grazers, suspension feeders, and predators - are affected by their habitat, how their communities are structured, and discusses theories of community organization. For field courses, it suggests experiments and observations that can becarried out on the shore or in nearby laboratories. Finally, problems of pollution and conservation are considered in the context of their effects upon biodiversity. |
Contents
problems | 5 |
Making quantitative observations | 13 |
What causes zonation? The relative influences | 28 |
Algae the primary energy sources | 51 |
the fucoids | 57 |
viii | 86 |
how to live | 105 |
Predators and their influences | 133 |
The functioning of rockyshore communities | 158 |
Biodiversity pollution and conservation | 190 |
A brief classification of selected organisms | 207 |
Some sites at which research quoted in | 213 |
219 | |
235 | |
238 | |
Other editions - View all
The Biology of Rocky Shores Colin Little,Gray A. Williams,Cynthia D. Trowbridge No preview available - 2009 |
Common terms and phrases
abundant adults algae algal amphipods anemones animals areas Ascophyllum Asterias barnacles behaviour bryozoans Carcinus Carcinus maenas Cellana Chthamalus coast of North colonies community structure competition crabs density desiccation discuss distribution diversity dog whelks dominant Ecology effects emersion epiphytes Estuary experiments exposed shores exposure factors fauna feeding fish fronds fucoids Fucus serratus Fucus vesiculosus gastropods Gibbula grazing growth habitats hydroids important individuals interactions intertidal invertebrates kelp keystone species Laminaria larvae levels limpets Littorina Lough Hyne low tide low-shore macroalgae major Marine Biological Association Marine Biology mid shore mussels Mytilus edulis North America north-west Europe nudibranchs numbers organisms Pacific coast Patella vulgata Pelvetia physical Pisaster plankton plants pollution populations predators prey recruitment rock rocky shores Sargassum sea urchins Semibalanus balanoides sessile settle settlement shell sheltered shores snails spores starfish sublittoral substrate surface survival suspension feeders tidal tide-pools Ulva wave action wave-exposed winkles zonation zone