The book summarizes recent developments in the ecology of kelp forests and coral reefs in order to develop an understanding of the general principles of their ecological organization and how they might be managed from an ecosystem perspective. Ecosystem management has recently become a major focus of efforts to sustain and manage natural resources and this primarily depends on an understanding of the state of the environment, component taxa, and their interactions that compose these food webs. Consequently, this book is an effort to make the desired transition toward ecosystem management by su ... More

The book summarizes recent developments in the ecology of kelp forests and coral reefs in order to develop an understanding of the general principles of their ecological organization and how they might be managed from an ecosystem perspective. Ecosystem management has recently become a major focus of efforts to sustain and manage natural resources and this primarily depends on an understanding of the state of the environment, component taxa, and their interactions that compose these food webs. Consequently, this book is an effort to make the desired transition toward ecosystem management by summarizing some of the recent and significant advances in our understanding of the Earth's shallow subtidal marine reefs in the last few decades, specifically coral reefs and kelp forests. The book offers a current review of our understanding of shallow benthic marine reefs and associated fisheries, focusing on food webs and how they have and are currently being altered by human influences. Chapters collectively span the globe and bring together the disparate literature into a synthetic and holistic understanding of these ecosystems. The authors introduce the environments and the food webs, how they vary in space and time, and address human influences. Based on the data and information reviewed, the authors present recommendations that would alleviate potential environmental or biodiversity problems. The main findings of the chapters are summarized in a concluding section synthesizing the organization of shallow marine reefs.