Overview

To the casual visitor, the Gulf of Mexico shores offer mainly sun, sand, and sea. Even the standard field guides, focused on one group of animals or plants, barely hint at the wealth and diversity of habitats and species along Gulf shores. Shore Ecology of the Gulf of Mexico, using a “whole habitat” approach, breaks new ground in describing all the conspicuous vascular plants, algae, birds, mammals, mollusks, crustaceans, and other invertebrates for each marine habitat. The area covered begins west of the Mississippi delta in Louisiana and follows the shores west and south to the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. Transitions between habitats also receive detailed treatment. The authors discuss changes in flora and fauna that result from differences in climate, shore geology, and patterns of precipitation in the succeeding habitats along the Gulf rim. They include discussion of more than 1,000 species of plants and animals, both on shore and in the near-shore subtidal zone, to give a virtually complete picture of western Gulf coast ecosystems. Excellent line drawings and photographs of over 800 species complement the text. For marine scientists, students, and knowledgeable beachcombers, this is a thorough source on Gulf coast marine life.

Full Product Details

Author:   Joseph C. Britton ,  Brian Morton
Publisher:   University of Texas Press
Imprint:   University of Texas Press
Dimensions:   Width: 21.60cm , Height: 1.90cm , Length: 27.90cm
Weight:   0.454kg
ISBN:  

9780292776265

ISBN 10:   0292776268
Pages:   396
Publication Date:   01 May 1989
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Preface Part 1. Introduction 1. The Western Gulf of Mexico: An Introduction to Shores and Life Taxonomy: The Names of Things Community Relationships Shore Categories and Gulf Shore Communities Climate A Survey of the Coastline 2. The Tidal Shore: Principles and Processes Tides Waves Exposure Gradients Zonation The Molding of the Shoreline Toward Gulf Shores Part 2. Hard Shores 3. Hard Shores of the Northwestern Gulf Introduction Biotic Zonation on the Texas Jetties Environmental Gradients and Texas Jetties The Supralittoral Fringe The Mid-littoral Zone The Sublittoral Fringe and Sublittoral Zone Gulls and Terns 4. The Hard Shores of Eastern Mexico Introduction Man-made Hard Shores Natural Mainland Hard Shores Toward the Tropical Hard Shores A Final Perspective 5. Bay Hard Shores Introduction Bay Breakwaters Pilings The Oyster Community Fishes Pelicans, Cormorants and the Oyster Catcher A Perspective on Oysters Part 3. Soft Shores 6. Gulf Beaches and Barrier Islands Introduction Sands, Spits and Barrier Islands The Foreshore: Intertidal Sand The Strand Line The Backshore The Upper Shore The Sandy Gulf Beaches of Yucatan Sargent Beach Toward Bayshores 7. Texas Primary Bays Introduction Physical Features of Texas Estuaries Estuarine Life Bayshore Vegetation Fauna of the Bayshores Biota of the Subtidal Grassbeds Unvegetated Subtidal Bayfloors Bay Macroplankton Bay Fishes and Cephalopods The Harvestfish 8. Secondary Bays, Lower Salinity Marshlands and Hypersaline Lagoons Introduction Salinity Profile of a Typical Estuary Texas Secondary Bays Coastal Marshlands Hypersaline Lagoons 9. Mangrove Shores Introduction The Plants The Texas Mangal Mangroves of Central Mexico Shores Northern Yucatan Mangroves Mangroves in Perspective Part 4. Subtidal Sands, Banks and Coral Reefs 10. Subtidal Sands and Banks Introduction Texas Offshore Sands The Offshore Fauna of Yucatan Offshore Banks of the Northwestern Gulf 11. Coral Communities of the Western Gulf of Mexico Introduction Reefs of the Northwestern Gulf of Mexico Nearshore Reefs of Central Mexico Yucatan Offshore Reefs and Banks Toward the Caribbean Part 5. The Future 12. The Future for Gulf Shores Introduction The Changing/Evolving Shore The Human Influence The Human Legacy Conservation Epilogue Glossary A Taxonomic Guide Literature Index

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Author Information

Joseph C. Britton (1942–2006) was Professor of Biology at Texas Christian University. Brian Morton is Professor Emeritus of Marine Biology at the University of Hong Kong.

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