The biogeography and ecology of the species of Chthamalus present on the west coast of America are described, using data from 51 localities from Alaska to Panama, together with their zonation on the shore with respect to that of other barnacles. The species present were C. dalli, Pilsbry 1916, C.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiotic interactions will modulate species' responses to climate change. Many approaches to predicting the impacts of climate change on biodiversity so far have been based purely on a climate envelope approach and have not considered direct and indirect species interactions. Using a long-term observational data set (>30 years) of competing intertidal barnacle species, we built a hierarchy of age-structured two-taxa population models (Semibalanus balanoides vs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLong-term research in the western English Channel, undertaken by the marine laboratories in Plymouth, is described and details of survey methods, sites, and time series given in this chapter. Major findings are summarized and their limitations outlined. Current research, with recent reestablishment and expansion of many sampling programmes, is presented, and possible future approaches are indicated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClimatic change has been implicated as the cause of abundance fluctuations in marine fish populations worldwide, but the effects on whole communities are poorly understood. We examined the effects of regional climatic change on two fish assemblages using independent datasets from inshore marine (English Channel, 1913-2002) and estuarine environments (Bristol Channel, 1981-2001). Our results show that climatic change has had dramatic effects on community composition.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTo separate human-induced changes from natural fluctuations in marine life requires long-term research. The western English Channel has been investigated from Plymouth for over 100 years. The abundance of marine life has been recorded and related to physical changes in the environment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRecovery of marine ecosystems from pollution has tended to receive less attention than the study of new or continuing impacts, but such studies are important in charting recovery from acute incidents and following legislation to deal with chronic contamination. Recovery is inevitably a long-term process, and where such studies have been made they are often too short-lived. Interest quickly wanes following an acute incident and governmental bodies rapidly switch to new legislative priorities for chronic inputs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe environmental and biotic conditions affecting fisheries for cephalopods are only partially understood. A problem central to this is how climate change may influence population movements by altering the availability of thermal resources. In this study we investigate the links between climate and sea-temperature changes and squid arrival time off southwestern England over a 20-year period.
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