Author Description

The title says it all. For years the only books available for anyone who has an interest in marine ecology have laid in the realms of the academic texts. Fantastic books indeed, however, there are none that bring the real ecology of the coastal environments to the general public. For the first time, this fascinating topic has been described in a way that anyone who loves the marine coastal environment, can not only understand but really enjoy, in an easy to read, informative text. The book describes the different habitats found mainly around the coastline of the earth and how as species the animals exploit each individual habitat to form the ecosystems we see today. In this book, we explore and discover what exactly ecology is, the physical aspects and biological processes of ecology. Then we dissect the rocky coast, the sandy shore, the estuaries, the saltmarsh, the mangroves, and the coral reefs. Complete with 29 diagrams and illustrations. THE MARINE LIFE SERIES - 3 BOOKS BY ANDREW CAINE MARINE BIOLOGY FOR THE NON-BIOLOGIST THE BASIS OF LIFE IN THE OCEANS. SOFT-BODIED ANIMALS - THE CNIDARIANS: jellyfish, hydroids, anemones, soft corals, stony corals. SHELLFISH - THE MOLLUSCS: gastropods, mesogastropods, archeogastropods, neogastropods, nudibranchs (sea slugs) bivalves, cephalopods, squids, cuttlefish and octopi. ANIMALS WITH EXOSKELETONS - THE CRUSTACEANS: decapods, crabs, lobsters and shrimps, barnacles. ANIMALS WITH SPINY SKINS - THE ECHINODERMS: starfish, brittle stars, urchins, sea cucumbers. CORAL REEF ARCHITECTURE: how they are made. MARINE INVERTEBRATE TOXINS: the deadly seaweed of Hana, shellfish poisoning. Ciguatera, cone shells, sea snakes, venomous fish. HYDROTHERMAL VENTS AND VENT BIOLOGY: the discovery, the physical environment, vent biology. ARENT OCEANS BRILLIANT - release date mid-N