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The benthos of soft sublittoral habitats

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 December 2011

T. H. Pearson
T. H. Pearson
Affiliation:
SEAS Ltd, Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory, Oban, Argyll, Scotland, U.K.
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Synopsis

A brief outline of the characteristics and habitat of marine sedimentary benthos is given together with a consideration of the factors influencing the structure and distribution of benthic communities and the role of larval strategies in influencing recruitment to such communities. The bearing these ecological factors have for the conservation of such communities in Scottish waters is discussed in the context of current and potential threats to their present stability and distributions. It is suggested that the rich communities of the fjordic and shelf areas of the western coast and island groups merit the greatest current concern for conservation, in the face of increasing pressures from a range of developmental actions.

Type
Research Article
Information
Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Section B: Biological Sciences , Volume 100: Marine Conservation in Scotland , 1992 , pp. 113 - 122
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Society of Edinburgh 1992

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