This book presents the main drivers of benthic structure and processes in estuaries from the 8,000 km-Brazilian coast, assesses the influence of natural and human disturbance, and discusses their ecological importance and management needs. Estuaries are unique coastal ecosystems often with low biodiversity that sustain and provide essential ecological services to mankind. These ecosystems include a variety of habitats with their own sediment and fauna dynamics, all of them globally altered or threatened by human activities. Mangroves, saltmarshes, tidal flats and other confined estuarine systems are under increasing stress by overfishing and other human activities leading to habitat and species loss. Combined changes in estuarine hydromorphology and in climate pose severe threats to estuarine ecosystems at a global scale.
This book provides an overview of the tropical marine environments of Brazil and a multi-disciplinary assessment of the impact of ongoing climate change in these environments. These changes will affect physical, biological and biogeochemical characteristics of coastal zones and oceans, modifying their ecological structure, their functions and the various services provided to humans and have the potential of causing severe socioeconomic impacts in local (coastal zone), regional (continental shelf and shallow seas) and global (ocean) scales. The Tropical Brazil presents a unique opportunity to evaluate how spatial and temporal heterogeneity influences the response and resilience of marine environments to climate changes. This region comprises the main reef constructions of the Western South Atlantic Ocean, the majority of the Brazilian deltas, one of the longest mangrove areas of the world, a very narrow and shallow continental shelf, extreme variations in sediment and nutrient flows, as well as undeniable importance in transferring heat and mass between hemispheres.
Das zweibändige Werk Fish and Fisheries in Estuaries: A Global Perspective enthält eine Darstellung des aktuellen Wissensstandes über Fische in Ästuaren. In Beiträgen von mehr als fünfzig international anerkannten Forschern und Experten für Ichthyologie in Ästuaren präsentiert dieses wegweisende Übersichtswerk die Themen Fischbestände und funktionelle Gruppen, Rekrutierung und Produktion in Ästuaren, Ernährungsökologie und trophische Dynamik, Erhaltung von Fischen in Ästuaren und viele mehr. In dreizehn ausführlichen Kapiteln werden die wichtigsten Aspekte zu Fischen und Fischerei in Ästuaren rund um die Welt beschrieben. Es wird die Biologie der Fische in Ästuargewässern und ihre Verbindung zu den dortigen Ökosystemen betrachtet, und es wird analysiert, wie sich die menschengemachte Industrialisierung und globale Ereignisse wie der Klimawandel auf einheimische und andere Arten auswirken. Weitere Themen sind die Vielfalt der Lebensräume, das Verhalten von Fischen bei der Nahrungssuche, Instrumente und Modelle der Umwelttechnik, Gefahren und Risiken für Fische und Fischerei in Ästuaren sowie die Gesundheit der Umwelt in Ästuaren. Dieses maßgebliche Referenzwerk enthält detaillierte Informationen über die Biologie und Ökologie von Fischen und Fischerei in Ästuaren und bietet außerdem: * Eine Betrachtung aktueller Ansätze und künftiger Forschungsrichtungen, die darauf abzielen, ein Gleichgewicht zwischen der Nutzung und der Erhaltung von Fischen in Ästuaren zu erreichen * Eine Erörterung der Umweltqualitätsziele sowie der nachhaltigen Fischerei und Bewirtschaftung der Ästuare * Eine Untersuchung, wie sich die zunehmende Nutzung von Ressourcen wie Nahrung, Raum und Wasser durch den Menschen auf die Fischerei in den Ästuaren auswirkt * Zahlreiche internationale Fallstudien zum Fischereimanagement, zu bedrohten Arten, zur Sanierung von Ästuaren, zur Fortpflanzung und Ontogenese und weiteren Themen * Eine Darstellung der Studien- und Probenahmeverfahren, der Feldausrüstung sowie der Verarbeitung, Analyse und Interpretation der Daten Das Werk Fish and Fisheries in Estuaries: A Global Perspective ist ein unverzichtbares Hilfsmittel und eine Referenzquelle für Fischbiologen, Fischereiwissenschaftler, Ökologen und Umweltwissenschaftler, Gewässerökologen, Naturschutzbiologen sowie Studierende der höheren Semester und Dozenten im Bereich Fischbiologie und Fischerei.
This book integrates a variety of issues such as regional settings of productivity and nutrient cycling; plankton of coastal and shelf systems; plankton, climate change and human-induced changes; harmful algae and their impacts; and gelatinous zooplankton. This book explores the intriguing marine plankton communities of the SWA region of South America encompassing low to high latitude environments, framed by a complex hydrographic background and global climate change. This vast and iconic region has been largely under-recognized and under-studied. However, in recent years a strong interest has emerged along with the acknowledgment of its high biological productivity. The book concludes by discussing conservation in the region, highlighting regional biodiversity hotspots where the challenges of climate change, habitat loss, and other threats to biodiversity may be particularly acute. Plankton Ecology of the Southwestern Atlantic is a timely synthesis of the field, setting a new baseline for future research. It will be important reading for both researchers and graduate students, and will also be of interest and use to a professional audience of oceanographers, conservation biologists, stake holders and educated science enthusiasts
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
The indiscriminate use of chemical substances in industrial processes and anthropogenic activities, have resulted in the release of these compounds into aquatic ecosystems through municipal, hospital and industrial discharges, producing various undesired effects on the environment and on species of ecological interest. These compounds, such as metals, pesticides, emerging pollutants and other substances are persistent and susceptible to biotic and/or abiotic transformations, yielding metabolites that can be more toxic than the original compounds. In this book, researchers from diverse environmental science disciplines share their experiences in countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico, and critically examine the problem of contaminants in aquatic ecosystems in Latin America, as well as the risks presented by their presence.
This book offers a new ecosystemic approach to the understanding of mangrove and salt marsh ecosystems. Brazil has one of the largest areas of mangroves in the world, where salt marshes might or might not be associated. Different landscapes comprise the extensive coastline, where mangrove and salt marsh species’ composition is discussed through the analysis of physiography, zonation, and succession processes. Both salt marsh and mangrove plants and the associated macroalgae will be characterized in their ecophysiological and phenological aspects, as well as genetic and epigenetic diversity. The chapters on microbial diversity and litterfall expose the well-known importance of these ecosystems as highly productive carbon sinks and pumps. The associated fauna of invertebrates (benthic meio and macrofaunas, especially brachyuran crabs) and vertebrates (fishes, birds, and mammals) are presented in a special section. The conservational approach encompasses issues, such as historical ecology, economic valuation, protected areas, environmental education, climate changes, and adaptive management.
Coastal and marine ecosystems, some severely degraded, other still pristine, control rich resources of inshore environments and coastal seas of Latin America's Pacific and Atlantic margins. Conflicts between the needs of the region's nations and diminishing revenues and environmental quality have induced awareness of coastal ecological problems and motivated financial support for restoration and management. The volume provides a competent review on the structure, processes and function of 22 important Latin American coastal marine ecosystems. Each contribution describes the environmental settings, biotic components and structure of the system, considers trophic processes and energy flow, evaluates the modifying influence of natural and human perturbations, and suggests management needs. Although the focus of the book is on basic ecological research, the results have application for coastal managers.
For the first time a state-of-the-art of present metal pollution along the coastline of Latin America is provided. This collection of papers from a conference held in August 1986 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is designed to inform readers of recent advances in an important, interdisciplinary field. Primary focus is on: - Metal Surveys, Metals in Sediments, Metals in Biota, Metal Transport and Cycles, Metal Monitoring. A final chapter combines conclusion, outlook and recommendations of how to master the critical situation of metal concentrations in coastal environments of Latin America. This book fills a long-standing gap in the literature and will be of prime interest to researchers, students and professionals in geology, biology and chemistry.
