Marine Ecology in a Changing World

What is it about?

“Marine Ecology in a Changing World” examines the classical ecological issues of marine ecosystems under the scope of the present climate change. With contributions from an impressive group of Argentinean and German oceanographers, the book brings a comprehensive examination of marine ecology facing a turning point in the recent nature history. The book begins with an examination of the fundamentals of marine ecology: ecosystem stability, water quality and biodiversity in the context of the documented world changes. It then provides an overview of the major marine ecosystems under the same scope, from the primary producers to the big marine mammals. Between them, the book chapters approach a comprehensive examination of the primary consumers level, benthic communities, seaweeds assemblages and wetlands ecology and fisheries. This information will surely equip students and the international scientific community with a wide cutting-edge view of the marine life presently facing deviations from the classical theory"

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Why is it important?

The world is rapidly changing. In recent decades, technological progress has been impressive in fi elds such as communications, computers, robotics, development of high precision acoustic instruments, diving equipment, etc. This modern technology has undoubtedly improved our ability to explore oceans and coasts, and get solid and reliable information about their ecology. At the same time, we have been gradually experiencing the effects of the global climate change: sea ice declination, receding of glaciers and permafrost, increased snow melt and runoff, shifted ranges for plants and animals, changes in populations, timing of many life-cycle events—such as blooms and migration-, decoupling of species interactions, damages due to droughts and fl oods, etc. The global ocean is no exception, and due to its extent, it is the largest, though silent ecosystem(s) under change. In a broad sense, ecology is the study of organisms in relation to their surroundings. This book aims to cover the classic topics on marine ecology and the changes and deviations induced by climate change that modify the preexistent natural laws that govern the entire spectrum from species to ecosystem. With contributions from an impressive group of Argentinean and German oceanographers, Marine Ecology in a Changing World brings a comprehensive analysis of a discipline facing a turning point in recent history. The book begins with an overview of the fundamentals of marine ecology: ecosystem stability, water quality and biodiversity in the context of the documented world changes. The following chapters are organized in accordance with the major biological orders, from primary producers to large marine mammals, through to the primary consumers, benthic communities, seaweeds, wetlands and fi sheries. This information will provide students and researchers from the international scientifi c community with a wide view and present cutting-edge information about the marine life presently facing deviations from the classical theory. Chapter 1 introduces general aspects of physical and chemical oceanography, dealing with the stressing changes affecting the stability and water quality of the oceans. Chapter 2 deals with coastal marine biodiversity in the general context of the global change, considering some of the consequences of climate change on the physical and chemical properties of coastal environments to later discuss how these changes affect the biotic components of the ecosystem. Chapter 3 discusses both direct and indirect effects of ocean-climate change on the phytoplankton productivity, providing examples of proximate impacts on individuals, populations and communities by reviewing fi eld observations at different latitudes, empirical approaches and data modeling. Chapter 4 summarizes the observed and potential future responses of zooplankton populations to climate change, focusing mainly on the effects that global warming, ocean acidifi cation and UV-radiation. Chapter 5 describes the variability of benthic organisms in relation to climate change, mainly in the context of increasing temperatures and ocean acidifi cation. It also describes these effects on coral reefs and rocky intertidal habitats. Chapter 6 discusses deviations affecting coastal wetland environments through the world, including changes driven by global atmospheric and climate alterations, coastal changes induced by human use of water on land, increased erosion of terrestrial sediments and direct human destruction of coastal habitats. Chapter 7 introduces basic concepts of the seaweeds’ ecology, emphasizing their role in the climate change phenomenon. The chapter also illustrates some of the evidence for changes in the seaweed community, focusing on studies related to changes in temperature, UV-radiation, sealevel rise and ocean acidifi cation. Chapter 8 summarizes the current and future impacts of climate-driven changes on the physiology and ecology of marine fi shes, and how world fi sheries are responding to these changes. Finally, Chapter 9 deals with the natural history of marine mammals, analyzing how they were affected by climate change and also considering the anthropogenic causes. The preparation of this book was significantly facilitated by the collaborative efforts of each of the authors. We are indebted to them, main players in the realization of this book, and the many other colleagues who provided suggestions and help during the entire process of development of the book. An acknowledgement is also given to the main editorial board and all the editorial staff who provided us with the confi dence and help to accomplish this project which started in late 2011. August 2013 Andrés Hugo Arias- María Clara Menendez