Trophic Organization in Coastal Systems

Description

Derived from an unprecedented research effort covering over 70 field years of field data in a series of studies, Trophic Organization in Coastal Systems represents an alternative approach to coastal research that has been successfully applied to coastal resource management issues. This unique book is based upon a sequence of long-term, interdisciplinary studies of a series of coastal regions in... Read more

Derived from an unprecedented research effort covering over 70 field years of field data in a series of studies, Trophic Organization in Coastal Systems represents an alternative approach to coastal research that has been successfully applied to coastal resource management issues. This unique book is based upon a sequence of long-term, interdisciplinary studies of a series of coastal regions in the NE Gulf of Mexico that include nutrient loading, habitat definition, quantified collections of organisms from microbes to fishes, and the determination of the trophic organization that defines the processes that shape the productivity of these areas.

A multidisciplinary team of marine scientists, chemists, physical oceanographers, geologists, hydrologists, engineers, experimental biologists, and taxonomists have created a singular database of changes in a series of Gulf of Mexico coastal systems. This field information, together with field and laboratory experimentation, is integrated with the scientific literature to advance our understanding of how coastal food webs work. The central focus is on the relationship of primary production in the form of species-specific phytoplankton communities with associated food webs of coastal systems and the relationship of tropho-dynamic processes to long-term changes (natural and polluted) in such areas. The impacts of phytoplankton blooms on trophic organization is elucidated.

The author, a renowned marine scientist, provides detailed knowledge of the processes that drive coastal ecosystems. He presents an in-depth discussion of a hierarchy of cyclical periods associated with the formation and development of aquatic food webs. Trophic Organization in Coastal Systems will be particularly useful to those involved in research related to the importance of aquatic food webs to an understanding of how aquatic systems function. The principles and processes of trophic organization presented here can serve as a valuable model for research in other regions of the world. Read less

INTRODUCTION
Food Webs and the Ecosystem Paradigm
Trophodynamic Aspects of Ecosystem Processes
Food Web Ecology in Coastal Systems
Trophic Studies in the NE Gulf of Mexico

THE NORTHEAST GULF OF MEXICO
Background
Drainage Basins
Coastal Habitats
Estuarine/Coastal Systems of the NE Gulf
Perdido Bay System
Pensacola Bay System
Choctawhatchee Bay System
Apalachicola Bay System
Apalachee Bay System

LONG-TERM STUDIES: NE GULF OF MEXICO
Field Programs

TROPHIC ORGANIZATION IN GULF COASTAL SYSTEMS
Approaches to the Study of Trophodynamics
Field Collections
The Trophic Unit
Feeding Variability
Spatial Features of Trophic Response
Temporal Features of Trophic Response
Inadequacy of Species-level Designations in Ecological Studies
Trophic Level Designations
Trophic Unit Transformation

STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS OF TROPHIC ORGANIZATION
Infaunal Macroinvertebrates
Descriptive Field Data
Habitat Changes
Spatial Variation
Temporal Variation
Predation experiments
Physical Habitat Changes, Predation, and Food Web Relationships
Effects of Toxic Agents on Trophic Relationships
Long-Term Changes of Trophic Organization
Habitat Background
Biological Trends
Trophic Relationships
Dynamic Regression Models
Long-Term Trends

COASTAL PHYTOPLANKTON ORGANIZATION
Freshwater Runoff and Primary Production
The Perdido Drainage System
Seasonal and Interannual River Flow Patterns
Nutrient Loading
Nutrient Concentration Gradients
Nutrient Limitation
Sediment/Water Quality
Phytoplankton Changes in Perdido Bay
Phytoplankton Changes in Wolf Bay

FOOD WEB RESPONSE TO PLANKTON BLOOMS
Introduction
Habitat Trends in Perdido Bay
Biomass Distribution and Species Richness
Trophic Organization
Future Analytical Directions

COMPARATIVE ASPECTS OF TROPHIC ORGANIZATION
Overfishing and Pollution in the NE Gulf
Spatial Distribution of Food Web Components
Spatial Patterns of Primary Productivity
Herbivores
Omnivores
C1 Carnivores
C2 Carnivores
C3 Carnivores
Comparative Aspects of Trophic Organization
Temporal Distribution of Trophic Units
Baywide Trends of Invertebrates and Fishes
Trophic Indices

REGULATION AND FOOD WEB FACTORS
Pulp Mill Effluents and Food Web Dynamics (Apalachee Bay)
Phytoplankton Organization in Apalachee Bay, Florida
Mercury in the Penobscot River-Estuary, Maine
Scientific Literature
Food Web Dynamics of Mercury in the Penobscot System

TROPHIC ORGANIZATION AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Resource Management: the Promise and the Reality
The Apalachicola Experiment
Freshwater Flows and the Apalachicola Resource
Planning and Management Initiatives in the Apalachicola System

ECOSYSTEM STUDIES: APPROACHES AND METHODS
Ecosystem Research vs. Patch-Quilt Ecology
An Alternate Approach to Ecosystem Studies
Tier 1: Establishment of Research Goals
Tier 2: Development of the Research Programs
Tier 3: Development of Resource Management Programs
Tier 4: Review of Research Activities
Tier 5: Comparison with Other Systems
Tier 6: Development of a Resource Management Program
Tier 7: Application of Research Activities to Education

CONCLUSIONS
SUMMARY OF RESULTS

APPENDIX I: Field/Laboratory Methods Used for the CARRMA Studies (1971 - 2002)

APPENDIX II: Trophic Organization of Infaunal and Epibenthic Macroinvertebrates and Fishes

APPENDIX III: Statistical Analysis Used in the Long-Term Studies of the Northeastern Gulf of Mexico (1971 - 2002)

INDEX

Author(s)

Biography

Robert J. Livingston

Trophic Organization in Coastal Systems

Description

Table of Contents

Author(s)

Biography

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