Poole Harbour's unique combination of physical characteristics provide for a rich and productive ecological community recognised for its internationally significant bird populations and as a haven for the naturalisation of exotic species. But the Harbour is also exceptional in the extent to which it represents in microcosm the world-wide tensions between environment and development. The contrasts are sometimes startling: the narrow Harbour entrance separates an unspoilt natural environment of considerable importance from an urban landscape where property competes with Manhattan and Hong Kong Island in the world-wide table of real estate values. The Harbour serves as a port, fishing ground, a receiver of effluent and increasingly as a playground for the affluent. It also lies above Europe's largest on-shore oil-field. <IT>The Ecology of Poole Harbour</IT> brings together for the first time expert contributions in such a way as to provide a picture of the ecology of the Harbour system as a whole. It covers all the major habitats from reed beds and salt marshes to the extensive mudflats and unseen sub-tidal regions, while also examining in some detail a wide range of ecological phenomena and issues. * First expert overview of ecology of Poole Harbour as a whole.

1. The Geology of Poole Harbour. -- 2. Geomorphology of Poole Harbour. -- 3. Salinity and Tides in Poole Harbour: Estuary or Lagoon? -- 4. The Vegetation of Poole Harbour. -- 5. Physical and Ecological Aspects of the Poole Harbour Reedbeds. -- 6. History and Ecology of <IT>Spartina anglica</IT> in Poole Harbour. -- 7. Macro-invertebrate Fauna in the Intertidal Mudflats. -- 8. Sub-tidal Ecology of Poole Harbour -- An Overview. -- 9. Zooplankton Distribution in Poole Harbour. -- 10. The Important Birds of Poole Harbour: Population Changes Since 1998. -- 11. Otters in Poole Harbour. -- 12. Non-native Species in and around Poole Harbour. -- 13. The Manila Clam in Poole Harbour. -- 14. Ecological Impacts of Sika Deer on Poole Harbour Saltmarshes. -- 15. Sika Deer Trampling and Saltmarsh Creek Erosion: Preliminary Investigation. -- 16. Marine Fisheries of Poole Harbour. -- 17. Ecological Effects of Pump-scoop Dredging for Cockles on the Intertidal Benthic Community. -- 18. Water Quality and Pollution Monitoring in Poole Harbour. -- 19. Sediment Quality and Benthic Invertebrates in Holes Bay. -- 20. Macroalgal Mat Development and Associated Changes in Infaunal Biodiversity. -- 21. Predicting Habitat Change in Poole Harbour Using Aerial Photography. -- 22. Poole Harbour European Marine Site.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Print version record.

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