Biology and Ecology of Antarctic Krill


Book Description

This book gives a unique insight into the current knowledge of krill population dynamics including distribution, biomass, production, recruitment, growth and mortality rates. Detailed analysis is provided on food and feeding, reproduction and krill behaviour. The volume provides an overview on the aspects of natural challenges to the species, which involve predation, parasites and the commercial exploitation of the resource and its management. A chapter on genetics shows the results of population subdivision and summarizes recent work on sequencing transcriptomes for studying gene function as part of the physiology of live krill. The focus of Chapter 4 is on physiological functions such as biochemical composition, metabolic activity and growth change with ontogeny and season; and will demonstrate which environmental factors are the main drivers for variability. Further discussed in this chapter are the bottle necks which occur in the annual life cycle of krill, and the mechanisms krill have adapted to cope with severe environmental condition.




Biology of the Southern Ocean


Book Description

First published in 1993, The Biology of the Southern Ocean has been referred to as international research at its best and an invaluable reference. Drawing on the considerable volume of information published in the last ten years, this second edition retains the format that made the first edition a popular bestseller, while updating the information




Krill


Book Description

Krill, or euphausiids, a group of immense importance in marine ecosystems, comprises over 80 species, most of which are planktonic. Krill are widespread with species to be found in all the oceans of the world. Their numerical density in some regions increases their importance to marine ecosystems and has led to commercially successful krill harvesting. This comprehensive volume, thoroughly edited by Inigo Everson, well known for his work in this area, comprises chapters written by internationally acknowledged experts. The contents include coverage of: sampling and distribution, population, aggregation, reproduction and the role of krill in the ecosystem. Further specific chapters include krill harvesting, products and details of management in Japanese, Canadian and Southern Ocean waters. Drawing on the experience in each, the ecosystem approach to management is discussed in detail and how it might be applied more widely for example in forage fisheries. This most important volume draws together, for the first time, a vast amount of vital information for all those involved in work on these important marine organisms. Krill will be of great use to fisheries scientists, marine biologists and ecologists, oceanographers, zoologists and invertebrate biologists and all those involved in the commercial harvesting, exploitation and management of krill, world wide. Libraries in all aquatic and marine research stations and universities where marine and fisheries sciences are studied and taught should have multiple copies of this landmark publication on their shelves. Contributions from internationally-recognised experts in the field. Well-edited to provide an accessible and user-friendly book. Krill are a key part of ocean ecosystems. Part of exciting new Blackwell Science Series.




Antarctic Ecosystems


Book Description

Antarctic Ecosystems comprises 55 papers presented at the Fifth Symposium on Antarctic Biology held under the auspices of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) in Hobart, Australia, 29 August - 3 September, 1988. Both short- and long-term changes in ecosystems and community structures caused by natural and human factors were discussed to help understand the ecological processes taking place in a changing environment. The variability of ecological factors must be known for the development of realistic monitoring strategies and sound conservation practices.







Wild Sea


Book Description

“This bracing history charts the myths, the exploration, and the inhabitants of the all-too-real and wild circumpolar ocean to our south.” —The Sydney Morning Herald, Pick of the Week Unlike the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, and Arctic Oceans with their long maritime histories, little is known about the Southern Ocean. This book takes readers beyond the familiar heroic narratives of polar exploration to explore the nature of this stormy circumpolar ocean and its place in Western and Indigenous histories. Drawing from a vast archive of charts and maps, sea captains’ journals, whalers’ log books, missionaries’ correspondence, voyagers’ letters, scientific reports, stories, myths, and her own experiences, Joy McCann embarks on a voyage of discovery across its surfaces and into its depths, revealing its distinctive physical and biological processes as well as the people, species, events, and ideas that have shaped our perceptions of it. The result is both a global story of changing scientific knowledge about oceans and their vulnerability to human actions and a local one, showing how the Southern Ocean has defined and sustained southern environments and people over time. Beautifully and powerfully written, Wild Sea will raise a broader awareness and appreciation of the natural and cultural history of this little-known ocean and its emerging importance as a barometer of planetary climate change. “A sensitive portrait of a complex ecosystem, from krill to blue whales, and of the ice, winds, and currents that are critical to the circulation of the world’s oceans.” —Harper’s “Wilderness seekers will rejoice in this stirring portrait . . . McCann deftly navigates both natural glories and archival complexities.” —Nature




Marine Biology


Book Description

Philip Mladenov provides a comprehensive overview of marine biology, providing a tour of marine life and marine processes that ranges from the polar oceans to tropical coral reefs; and from the intertidal to the hydrothermal vents of the deep sea.




Top Predators in Marine Ecosystems


Book Description

The sustainable exploitation of the marine environment depends upon our capacity to develop systems of management with predictable outcomes. Unfortunately, marine ecosystems are highly dynamic and this property could conflict with the objective of sustainable exploitation. This book investigates the theory that the population and behavioural dynamics of predators at the upper end of marine food chains can be used to assist with management. Since these species integrate the dynamics of marine ecosystems across a wide range of spatial and temporal scales, they offer new sources of information that can be formally used in setting management objectives. This book examines the current advances in the understanding of the ecology of marine predators and will investigate how information from these species could be used in management.




Antarctic Peninsula Region of the Southern Ocean


Book Description

The book is based on results from the Russian expedition in the region of the Antarctic Peninsula and Powell Basin in the northern part of the Weddell Sea, as well as on the review of earlier research in the region. The main goal of the research was to collect the newest data and study the physical properties and ecology of this key region of the Southern Ocean. Data analysis is supplemented with numerical modeling of the atmosphere-ocean interaction and circulation in the adjacent region, including research on rogue waves. The focus of the study was the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, currents and water properties in the Bransfield Strait and Antarctic Sound, properties of seawater, currents, ecosystem and biological communities in the Powell Basin of the northwestern Weddell Sea, and their variations. An attempt is made to reveal the role of various components of the Antarctic environment in the formation of biological productivity and maintenance of the Antarctic krill population. This is especially important as in the last decades the Antarctic environment has experienced significant changes related to the global climatic trends.




Extremophiles as Astrobiological Models


Book Description

The data in this book are new or updated, and will serve also as Origin of Life and evolutionary studies. Endospores of bacteria have a long history of use as model organisms in astrobiology, including survival in extreme environments and interplanetary transfer of life. Numerous other bacteria as well as archaea, lichens, fungi, algae and tiny animals (tardigrades, or water bears) are now being investigated for their tolerance to extreme conditions in simulated or real space environments. Experimental results from exposure studies on the International Space Station and space probes for up to 1.5 years are presented and discussed. Suggestions for extaterrestrial energy sources are also indicated. Audience Researchers and graduate students in microbiology, biochemistry, molecular biology and astrobiology, as well as anyone interested in the search for extraterrestrial life and its technical preparations.