Marine ecology

Marine Ecology began life as a series of lectures given to second and third year undergraduates at Oxford University. These lectures were designed to give students insights as to how marine ecosystems functioned, how they were being affected by natural and human interventions, and how we might be able to conserve them and manage them sustainably for the good of people, both recreationally and economically. This book presents 10 chapters, beginning with principles of oceanography important to ecology, through discussions of the magnitude of marine biodiversity and the factors influencing it, the functioning of marine ecosystems within trophic levels such as primary production, competition and dispersal, to different trophic level interactions such as herbivory, predation, and parasitism. The final three chapters look at the more applied aspects of marine ecology, discussing fisheries, human impacts, and management and conservation.

Other textbooks covering similar topics tend to treat the topics from the point of view of separate ecosystems, with chapters on reefs, rocks, and deep sea. This book, however, is topic driven as described above, arid each chapter makes full use of examples from all appropriate marine ecosystems. The book is illustrated throughout with many full color diagrams and high quality photographs.

The book is aimed at undergraduate and graduate students at colleges and universities, and it is hoped that the many examples from all over the world will provide global relevance and interest.

Both authors have long experience of research and teaching in marine ecology. --Book Jacket.