Screen LibraryLife in the open ocean : the biology of pelagic species /
"No book currently available treats all of the major animal groups making up the swimmers and drifters of the open sea and their many fascinating characteristics. This book will provide a description of the animals themselves and explain how they are adapted to live in the open ocean environmen...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | |
|---|---|
| Corporate Authors: | |
| Group Author: | |
| Published: |
Wiley-Blackwell,
|
| Publisher Address: | Hoboken, NJ : |
| Publication Dates: | 2022. |
| Literature type: | Book |
| Language: | English |
| Subjects: | |
| Summary: |
"No book currently available treats all of the major animal groups making up the swimmers and drifters of the open sea and their many fascinating characteristics. This book will provide a description of the animals themselves and explain how they are adapted to live in the open ocean environment. Most of the planet earth (over 60% of it) is deep ocean. Within the oceanic realm are two basic ecosystems, the ocean bottom, a two-dimensional environment containing creatures that creep, crawl, burrow, or lie in wait for prey, and the immense, three-dimensional pelagic region that lies above it, the largest living space on the planet, containing the swimmers and drifters. The deep ocean bottom has been the focus of a lot of excitement over the last 25 years, with many expeditions to the fabulous communities inhabiting the hydrothermal vents at our planet's oceanic ridges. Just as fascinating are the communities of marine animals that inhabit the oceans' pelagic realm, and the creatures' adaptations to an environment devoid of barriers to movement in three-dimensional space. Many people are familiar with the term "plankton", the tiny plants and animals that drift with the ocean currents. More are familiar with the large pelagic species such as tuna, sharks, and swordfish, not only from pictures or fishing trips, but from the dinner table. The large, highly capable swimming species like tuna and sharks are termed "nekton". In between the tiny drifters and the strong swimmers are an entire community of animals that are familiar mainly to oceanographers but are the critical link between the small and the large. Animals in the intermediate community are not as capable at swimming as the tunas but are better at it than the small zooplankton. Collectively, the creatures are known as the micronekton and macrozooplankton and they make up one of the largest animal communities on the planet. The micronekton and macrozooplankton include a variety of different animal groups. Several |
| Carrier Form: | xx, 988 pages, 32 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color), maps, forms ; 25 cm |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN: |
9781405145299 1405145293 |
| Index Number: | QH91 |
| CLC: | Q178.53 |
| Call Number: | Q178.53/T693 |