Marine macrophytes (macroalgae, seagrasses, and mangroves) comprise thousands of species distributed in shallow water areas along the world’s coastlines. They play a key role in marine ecosystems regarding biodiversity and energy flow. A large proportion of macrophyte species can be characterised as ecosystem engineers—organisms that directly or indirectly affect the availability of resources to other species by modifying, maintaining, and creating habitats. This book is divided into three main themes: • Marine macroalgae and seagrasses as sources of biodiversity gives an overview of the diversity of the main organisms associated with macrophytes, and their functional role and interactions within their hosts. • Primary and secondary production of Macrophytes synthesizes research on food web structures derived from/or associated with, macrophytes and the transfer of macrophytic primary and secondary production from one ecosystem to another. • Threats to macrophytic ecosystem engineers addresses human-induced effects including eutrophication, physical destruction, invasive species, and global warming. The book is among the first one to concentrate on the value of macrophytes for the well-being of marine habitats. The book is aimed at academics but may be useful for students, policy makers, and laymen alike.

Marine macrophytes (macroalgae, seagrasses, and mangroves) comprise thousands of species distributed in shallow water areas along the world’s coastlines. They play a key role in marine ecosystems regarding biodiversity and energy flow. A large proportion of macrophyte species can be characterised as ecosystem engineers—organisms that directly or indirectly affect the availability of resources to other species by modifying, maintaining, and creating habitats. This book is divided into three main themes: • Marine macroalgae and seagrasses as sources of biodiversity gives an overview of the diversity of the main organisms associated with macrophytes, and their functional role and interactions within their hosts. • Primary and secondary production of Macrophytes synthesizes research on food web structures derived from/or associated with, macrophytes and the transfer of macrophytic primary and secondary production from one ecosystem to another. • Threats to macrophytic ecosystem engineers addresses human-induced effects including eutrophication, physical destruction, invasive species, and global warming. The book is among the first one to concentrate on the value of macrophytes for the well-being of marine habitats. The book is aimed at academics but may be useful for students, policy makers, and laymen alike.

The marine environment supports a remarkable diversity of organisms which are a potential source of natural products with biological activities. These organisms contain a wide range of marine plants (from micro- to macrophytes), which have been used in the food and pharmaceutical industry. They play a key role in marine ecosystems regarding biodiversity and energy flow. However, the biochemistry and biological activities of many of these macrophytes (namely macroalgae and halophytes, including seagrasses) are still far from being fully explored. These plants provide physical structure, increase habitat complexity and heterogeneity and affect various organisms like invertebrates, fishes and waterbirds. Most popular bioactive components include polysaccharides, peptides, phenolics and fatty acids (FAs). Polar lipids (glycolipids, phospholipids and betaine lipids) are emerging as novel value-added bioactive phytochemicals, rich in n-3 FA, with high nutritional value and health beneficial effects for the prevention of chronic diseases. The complexity provided by macrophytes has been exhaustively studied in aquatic environments. But, macrophyte complexity has rarely been measured in a standardized fashion, making comparisons among different studies and the establishment of general conclusions difficult. To address this issue, this work is focused on questions related to the habitat structural complexity provided by these plants.Marine Macrophytes covers comprehensive information on the diversity of the main organisms associated with macrophytes, and their functional role and interactions within their hosts. It presents the state of the art research obtained with the biological quality elements (BQEs) macroalgae and angiosperms in both coastal and transitional waters. Additionally, future prospects on the use of these biological elements to assess the ecological status are discussed.This book will appeal to academics but may be useful for students, researchers, policy makers, and laymen also.

We present you with an updated reference book aimed for upper-level undergraduate and graduate students interested in Marine Biology. The textbook is designed to introduce the fundamentals of marine organisms and their ecological roles in the world’s oceans, and is organized by functional groups, emphasizing marine biodiversity rather than systematics or habitats. Each chapter has been written and peer-reviewed by renowned international experts in their respective fields, and includes updated information on relevant topics, from the microbial loop and primary production in the oceans, to marine megafauna and the impacts of projected climate change on marine life and ecosystems.

A comprehensive account of how abiotic and biotic interactions shape patterns of coastal marine biodiversity and ecosystem processes globally.