Aquatic Habitat Ecology & Conservation: Continental and Marine Ecosystems Connectivity

Aquatic Habitat Ecology & Conservation: Continental and Marine Ecosystems Connectivity PDF

Author: Mario Barletta

Publisher: Frontiers Media SA

Published: 2020-10-23

Total Pages: 228

ISBN-13: 2889660818

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The ‘Aquatic Habitat Conservation in South America’ Symposium occurred during the XXI Brazilian Society of Ichthyology Meeting. The proceedings were published as a special issue in the Journal of Fish Biology (vol. 89, Number 1, June 2016). In this special issue, authors provided an analytical overview of problems faced by the conservation of fishes and aquatic habitats of South America. Habitat loss emerged as the greatest concern for all South American aquatic ecosystems, with a long list of causes related to unsustainable development models. Based on this finding, we would like to extend this topic to other continents, different climates, fauna and flora around the world. Our goal is to provide a comprehensive and multidisciplinary overview of variables that influence flora and fauna distributions and shape their ecological interactions within aquatic ecosystems

Sustaining Marine Fisheries

Sustaining Marine Fisheries PDF

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 1999-03-19

Total Pages: 189

ISBN-13: 0309055261

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Fluctuations and declines in marine fish populations have caused growing concern among marine scientists, fisheries managers, commercial and recreational fishers, and the public. Sustaining Marine Fisheries explores the nature of marine ecosystems and the complex interacting factors that shape their productivity. The book documents the condition of marine fisheries today, highlighting species and geographic areas that are under particular stress. Challenges to achieving sustainability are discussed, and shortcomings of existing fisheries management and regulation are examined. The volume calls for fisheries management to adopt a broader ecosystem perspective that encompasses all relevant environmental and human influences. Sustaining Marine Fisheries offers new approaches to building workable fisheries management institutions, improving scientific data, and developing management tools. The book recommends ways to change current practices that encourage overexploitation of fish resources. It will be of special interest to marine policymakers and ecologists, fisheries regulators and managers, fisheries scientists and marine ecologists, fishers, and concerned individuals.

Shifting Baselines

Shifting Baselines PDF

Author: Jeremy B.C. Jackson

Publisher: Island Press

Published: 2012-06-22

Total Pages: 312

ISBN-13: 161091029X

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Shifting Baselines explores the real-world implications of a groundbreaking idea: we must understand the oceans of the past to protect the oceans of the future. In 1995, acclaimed marine biologist Daniel Pauly coined the term "shifting baselines" to describe a phenomenon of lowered expectations, in which each generation regards a progressively poorer natural world as normal. This seminal volume expands on Pauly's work, showing how skewed visions of the past have led to disastrous marine policies and why historical perspective is critical to revitalize fisheries and ecosystems. Edited by marine ecologists Jeremy Jackson and Enric Sala, and historian Karen Alexander, the book brings together knowledge from disparate disciplines to paint a more realistic picture of past fisheries. The authors use case studies on the cod fishery and the connection between sardine and anchovy populations, among others, to explain various methods for studying historic trends and the intricate relationships between species. Subsequent chapters offer recommendations about both specific research methods and effective management. This practical information is framed by inspiring essays by Carl Safina and Randy Olson on a personal experience of shifting baselines and the importance of human stories in describing this phenomenon to a broad public. While each contributor brings a different expertise to bear, all agree on the importance of historical perspective for effective fisheries management. Readers, from students to professionals, will benefit enormously from this informed hindsight.

Ocean Acidification

Ocean Acidification PDF

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2010-09-14

Total Pages: 200

ISBN-13: 030916155X

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The ocean has absorbed a significant portion of all human-made carbon dioxide emissions. This benefits human society by moderating the rate of climate change, but also causes unprecedented changes to ocean chemistry. Carbon dioxide taken up by the ocean decreases the pH of the water and leads to a suite of chemical changes collectively known as ocean acidification. The long term consequences of ocean acidification are not known, but are expected to result in changes to many ecosystems and the services they provide to society. Ocean Acidification: A National Strategy to Meet the Challenges of a Changing Ocean reviews the current state of knowledge, explores gaps in understanding, and identifies several key findings. Like climate change, ocean acidification is a growing global problem that will intensify with continued CO2 emissions and has the potential to change marine ecosystems and affect benefits to society. The federal government has taken positive initial steps by developing a national ocean acidification program, but more information is needed to fully understand and address the threat that ocean acidification may pose to marine ecosystems and the services they provide. In addition, a global observation network of chemical and biological sensors is needed to monitor changes in ocean conditions attributable to acidification.

Evolution and the Aquatic Ecosystem

Evolution and the Aquatic Ecosystem PDF

Author: Jennifer L. Nielsen

Publisher:

Published: 1995

Total Pages: 462

ISBN-13:

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Provides empirical, theoretical, and philosophical insights into the evolution of aquatic ecosystems from perspectives that range from molecular and cellular biology to ecology and behavior. The 36 papers and panel discussions were reviewed across disciplines and presented at a May 1994 conference in Monterey, California. They cover general perspectives, morphology and systematics, behavior and life history, genetics, and ecosystems and habitat.

Biogeochemistry of the Ross Sea

Biogeochemistry of the Ross Sea PDF

Author: Giacomo R. DiTullio

Publisher: American Geophysical Union

Published: 2003-01-10

Total Pages: 374

ISBN-13:

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Published by the American Geophysical Union as part of the Antarctic Research Series, Volume 78. The seas surrounding Antarctica are the least-studied on Earth, yet they figure prominently in both the global climate system and the biogeochemical cycling of such key elements as C, N, Si, and P. The Southern Ocean affects climate directly through the sinking of surface waters via cooling and changes in salt content. Such water near Antarctica moves slowly northward through all major ocean basins. In doing so, it retains a long-lived signature of the physical and biological processes that occurred in Antarctic surface waters lasting many hundreds of years through all phases: sinking, northward flow, and mixing or upwelling into the sunlit ocean thousands of kilometers away. By this process, CO2 that dissolves into the Antarctic seas may be stored in the deep ocean for centuries. In fact, the Southern Ocean is one of the most important regions on Earth for the uptake and subsurface transport of fossil fuel CO2.

Connectivity Conservation

Connectivity Conservation PDF

Author: Kevin R. Crooks

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2006-11-02

Total Pages: 675

ISBN-13: 113946020X

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One of the biggest threats to the survival of many plant and animal species is the destruction or fragmentation of their natural habitats. The conservation of landscape connections, where animals, plants, and ecological processes can move freely from one habitat to another, is therefore an essential part of any new conservation or environmental protection plan. In practice, however, maintaining, creating, and protecting connectivity in our increasingly dissected world is a daunting challenge. This fascinating volume provides a synthesis on the current status and literature of connectivity conservation research and implementation. It shows the challenges involved in applying existing knowledge to real-world examples and highlights areas in need of further study. Containing contributions from leading scientists and practitioners, this topical and thought-provoking volume will be essential reading for graduate students, researchers, and practitioners working in conservation biology and natural resource management.

The Controversy over Marine Protected Areas

The Controversy over Marine Protected Areas PDF

Author: Alex Caveen

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2014-10-17

Total Pages: 174

ISBN-13: 331910957X

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This book is a critical analysis of the concept of marine protected areas (MPAs) particularly as a tool for marine resource management. It explains the reasons for the extraordinary rise of MPAs to the top of the political agenda for marine policy, and evaluates the scientific credentials for the unprecedented popularity of this management option. The book reveals the role played by two policy networks – epistemic community and advocacy coalition – in promoting the notion of MPA, showing how advocacy for marine reserves by some scientists based on limited evidence of fisheries benefits has led to a blurring of the boundary between science and politics. Second, the study investigates whether the scientific consensus on MPAs has resulted in a publication bias, whereby pro-MPA articles are given preferential treatment by peer-reviewed academic journals, though it found only limited evidence of such a bias. Third, the project conducts a systematic review of the literature to determine the ecological effects of MPAs, and reaches the conclusion that there is little proof of a positive impact on finfish populations in temperate waters. Fourth, the study uses discourse analysis to trace the effects of a public campaigning policy network on marine conservation zones (MCZs) in England, which demonstrated that there was considerable confusion over the objectives that MCZs were being designated to achieve. The book’s conclusion is that the MPA issue shows the power of ideas in marine governance, but offers a caution that scientists who cross the line between science and politics risk exaggerating the benefits of MPAs by glossing over uncertainties in the data, which may antagonise the fishing industry, delay resolution of the MPA issue, and weaken public faith in marine science if and when the benefits of MCZs are subsequently seen to be limited.