This accessible textbook provides an ideal point of entry into the field, providing basic information on the nature of soft-sediment ecosystems, examples of how and why we research them, the new questions these studies inspire, and the applications that ultimately benefit society.

Marine sediments are the second largest habitat on earth and yet are poorly understood. This book gives a broad coverage of the central topics in the ecology of soft sediments.

Oceanographic discontinuities (e. g. frontal systems, upwelling areas, ice edges) are often areas of enhanced biological productivity. Considerable research on the physics and biology of the physical boundaries defining these discontinues has been accomplished (see [I D. The interface between water and sediment is the largest physical boundary in the ocean, but has not received a proportionate degree of attention. The purpose of the Nato Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) was to focus on soft-sediment systems by identifying deficiencies in our knowledge of these systems and defining key issues in the management of coastal sedimentary habitats. Marine sediments play important roles in the marine ecosystem and the biosphere. They provide food and habitat for many marine organisms, some of which are commercially important. More importantly from a global perspective, marine sediments also provide "ecosystem goods and services" [2J. Organic matter from primary production in the water column and contaminants scavenged by particles accumulate in sediments where their fate is determined by sediment processes such as bioturbation and biogeochemical cycling. Nutrients are regenerated and contaminants degraded in sediments. Under some conditions, carbon accumulates in coastal and shelf sediments and may by removed from the carbon cycle for millions of years, having a potentially significant impact on global climate change. Sediments also protect coasts. The economic value of services provided by coastal areas has recently been estimated to be on the order of $12,568 9 10 y" [3J, far in excess of the global GNP.

Marine sediments dominate the global seabed, creating the largest ecosystem on earth. Seafloor biodiversity is a key mediator of ecosystem functioning, yet critical processes are often excluded from global biogeochemical budgets or simplified to black boxes in ecosystem models. This accessible textbook provides an ideal point of entry into the field, providing basic information on the nature of soft-sediment ecosystems, examples of how and why we research them, the new questions these studies inspire, and the applications that ultimately benefit society. While focussing on coastal habitats (

The Gulf of California is one of the most beautiful places in the world, but it is also important to earth and marine scientists who work far beyond the area. In text and an accompanying CD-ROM with stunning satellite images, this atlas captures the dynamics of natural cycles in the fertility of the Gulf of California that have been in near-continuous operation for more than five million years. The book is designed to answer key questions that link the health of coastal ecosystems with the regionÕs evolutionary history: What was the richness of ÒfossilÓ ecosystems in the Gulf of California? How has it changed over time? Which ecosystems are most amenable to conservation? With an emphasis on the intricate workings of the Gulf, a team of scientists led by Markes E. Johnson and Jorge Ledesma-V‡zquez explores how marine invertebrates such as corals and bivalves, as well as certain algae, contribute to the operation of a vast Òorganic engineÓ that acts as a significant carbon trap. The Atlas reveals that the role of these organisms in the ecology of the Gulf was greatly underestimated in the past. The organisms that live in these environments (or provide the sediments for beaches and dunes) are mass producers of calcium carbonate. Until now, no book has considered the centrality of calcium carbonate production as it functions today across multiple ecosystems and how it has evolved over time. An important work of scholarship that also evokes the regionÕs natural splendor, the Atlas will be of interest to a wide range of scientists, including geologists, paleontologists, marine biologists, ecologists, and conservation biologists.

The challenge in understanding how natural ecosystems work is linked to the complexity of ecological relationships between species, functional traits and ecosystem functions. Most of the current frameworks to studying the relationships within fundamental ecology overlook ecosystem multifunctionality, i.e., the fact that multiple species of various trait assemblages simultaneously contribute to multiple functions. Moreover, ecosystem multifunctionality has been mainly studied on the terrestrial systems of much simpler dynamics and less heterogeneity compared to their marine counterparts. Understanding the complexity within ecosystem multifunctionality in the real-world complex systems is a critical step to be able to improve our knowledge and management of socio-ecological systems. In this thesis, I develop different ways of characterising ecosystem multifunctionality in coastal marine systems. The frameworks that I developed are Network Analysis of Traits, Bayesian Belief Multifunctionality Framework and Multivariate Network Analysis. These frameworks incorporate network theory that supports a holistic and transparent analysis of multifunctional relationships and provides insights into changes in community composition, changes in functional diversity, redundancy patterns, ecosystem resilience and functional synergies and trade-offs that can result from forcing an ecosystem in a particular direction. The frameworks were tested on real-world complex coastal ecosystems, namely, the intertidal sandflats of Kaipara Harbour and Whangateau Harbour, New Zealand. This thesis begins with Introduction, where I explain the background of my research and highlight the research gaps. Chapter 1 of my thesis presents Network Analysis of Traits that looks at the changes in the community structure subject to an increased level of experimental nitrogen. Chapter 2 shows Bayesian Belief Multifunctionality Framework in the assessment of multifunctional relationships between species, functional traits, ecosystem functions and nature's contributions to people. Final Chapter 3 shows Multivariate Network Analysis developed based on empirical data collected by me and shows the role of individual trait clusters and environmental characteristics in explaining multiple ecosystem functions that I measured. The frameworks that I created provide insights into the mechanistic ecological underpinnings of complex multifunctionality relationships and will support increasing our knowledge of how natural ecosystems work. Such knowledge is fundamental to the successful management of socio-ecological systems.