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Ecology of coastal waters: A systems approach
589
Book reviews
This book is well produced, by photo-offset reproduction, but is expensive in comparison with other volumes that are also available. It would make a useful addition to a library, but is not so valuable for personal use. T. P. ABBES
Ecology of Coastal Waters: A Systems Approach K. H. Mann Blackwell Scientific kl 0.80 (paper)
Publications,
Oxford,
1982, ix + 322 pp, E25.00
(cloth)
This book is an account of recent advancesin our understanding of how coastalecosystems function. Although in the preface the author somewhat facetiously states that ‘. . . parts of the text do indeed have the namesof plants and animals scattered through them, but they are incidental to the accounts of ecological processes. . .‘, this stimulating volume is in fact firmly based on the author’s own wide experience and deep understanding of the ways in which the individual organism and communities as a whole are adapted to exploit particular environmental situations. Studies on a variety of communities and ecosystemsasa whole, however, show that complex interactions occur in marine systems which could not be inferred from the study of each organism in isolation, just as the behaviour of a whole organism could not be inferred from a study of the physiology of its component ceils. An initial introduction to the conceptual basisfor the systemsapproach serves asa basis for following chapters on a variety of ecosystemsincluding seagrass,mangrove systems, seaweedsystems, phytoplankton-based systems, coral reefs and sediment communities. There are also perceptive reviews on the role of micro-organismsin coastal waters, water movement and productivity and fish and shellfish production in coastal waters. The book is concluded with an overview of simulation modelsin ecology, their role in management of coastalecosystemsand of somerecent holistic approachesto the development of models of ecosystem function. The text is written in a thoroughly readable style and is wellillustrated with figures and tables. It is marred only by occasional typographical and other printing errors and is to be thoroughly recommendedfor the advanced student and professionalresearch scientist asa refreshing introduction to this rapidly developing branch of marine science. R. C. NEWELL
The Macdonald Macdonald
Encyclopedia
of Shells
and Co., London and Sydney, 1982, 512 pp, E4.95
This soft back volume was originally published in 1979 in Milan. This is the first edition to be published in Great Britain. It is intended asa field guide to a selection of about 500 of the 100000 speciesof mollusc to be found throughout the world. The first part forms the introduction giving an account of the anatomy, physiology, life cycle, classification and habitat of the molluscs, useful suggestionson how to collect, to preserve, look after and classify mollusc specimens.
Book reviews
This book is well produced, by photo-offset reproduction, but is expensive in comparison with other volumes that are also available. It would make a useful addition to a library, but is not so valuable for personal use. T. P. ABBES
Ecology of Coastal Waters: A Systems Approach K. H. Mann Blackwell Scientific kl 0.80 (paper)
Publications,
Oxford,
1982, ix + 322 pp, E25.00
(cloth)
This book is an account of recent advancesin our understanding of how coastalecosystems function. Although in the preface the author somewhat facetiously states that ‘. . . parts of the text do indeed have the namesof plants and animals scattered through them, but they are incidental to the accounts of ecological processes. . .‘, this stimulating volume is in fact firmly based on the author’s own wide experience and deep understanding of the ways in which the individual organism and communities as a whole are adapted to exploit particular environmental situations. Studies on a variety of communities and ecosystemsasa whole, however, show that complex interactions occur in marine systems which could not be inferred from the study of each organism in isolation, just as the behaviour of a whole organism could not be inferred from a study of the physiology of its component ceils. An initial introduction to the conceptual basisfor the systemsapproach serves asa basis for following chapters on a variety of ecosystemsincluding seagrass,mangrove systems, seaweedsystems, phytoplankton-based systems, coral reefs and sediment communities. There are also perceptive reviews on the role of micro-organismsin coastal waters, water movement and productivity and fish and shellfish production in coastal waters. The book is concluded with an overview of simulation modelsin ecology, their role in management of coastalecosystemsand of somerecent holistic approachesto the development of models of ecosystem function. The text is written in a thoroughly readable style and is wellillustrated with figures and tables. It is marred only by occasional typographical and other printing errors and is to be thoroughly recommendedfor the advanced student and professionalresearch scientist asa refreshing introduction to this rapidly developing branch of marine science. R. C. NEWELL
The Macdonald Macdonald
Encyclopedia
of Shells
and Co., London and Sydney, 1982, 512 pp, E4.95
This soft back volume was originally published in 1979 in Milan. This is the first edition to be published in Great Britain. It is intended asa field guide to a selection of about 500 of the 100000 speciesof mollusc to be found throughout the world. The first part forms the introduction giving an account of the anatomy, physiology, life cycle, classification and habitat of the molluscs, useful suggestionson how to collect, to preserve, look after and classify mollusc specimens.