Cambridge Books Online

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Aquatic Ecosystems
Trends and Global Prospects
Edited by Nicholas V. C. Polunin
Book DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511751790
Online ISBN: 9780511751790
Hardback ISBN: 9780521833271
Chapter
PART V - ROCKY SHORES pp. 207-208
Chapter DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511751790.019
Cambridge University Press
Part V
Rocky shores
207
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Cambridge Books Online Cambridge University Press, 2011
The rocky-shore ecosystems addressed in this part are
hugely important in terms of biodiversity and ecosystem
services yet they cover less than 0.5% of the global marine
surface area. They all have hard foundations that confer a
certain physical resilience; however, the biogenic struc-
tures provided by kelps and corals are proving particularly
vulnerable to environmental change, especially so in the
case of coral reefs.
Rocky intertidal systems occur at the interface of the
land and sea in every climate zone, and are typically
open ecosystems with steep environmental gradients that
support a wide range of organisms (Chapter 14). Their
accessibility to people renders them susceptible to use and
abuse, but also amenable to management, while a relative
lack of biogenic structures and general openness of character
confer resilient qualities on them. The kelp forests that
dominate shallow temperate coasts are comprised primarily
of structure-producing brown algae, the global distribution
of which is physiologically constrained by light at high
latitudes and by nutrients, warm water and macrophytes at
low latitudes (Chapter 15). Mammals, shes, crabs, sea
urchins, lobsters, molluscs and algae reect the high prod-
uctivity of the kelp forests, for which pertinent archaeo-
logical records offer a window on past exploitation patterns
and effects over hundreds of years at some locations.
Tropical coral reefs are built by anthozoan polyps with
symbiotic zooxanthellae and other organisms secreting cal-
cium carbonate that thrive in conditions of warm water
(>18

C), high light intensity and seawater aragonite sat-

uration, stable full salinity (35) and low dissolved nutrient
concentrations (Chapter 16). Recent average sea-surface
temperatures c.1

C higher, CO
2
concentrations c.50%
higher, and sea levels 4080 m higher than in the last few
million years mean that present-day corals are living ever
closer to their upper tolerance limits. Chapters 1416 all
conclude with recommendations and actions to sustainably
manage these rocky shores and promote conservation, while
considering both local and global scales.
208 PART V
Downloaded from Cambridge Books Online by IP 117.211.87.42 on Mon Nov 28 07:47:40 GMT 2011.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511751790.019
Cambridge Books Online Cambridge University Press, 2011