Estuarine Ecology and Assessments of Functional Biotic Diversity
Research projects carried out under this theme address the general question:
What processes determine the composition and distribution of species assemblages and communities in the South Slough estuary, and to what extent are ecological relationships among diverse groups of organisms determined by top-down processes, bottom-up mechanisms, or environmental stress?
Examples of research projects that focus on estuarine ecology and functional biotic diversity within the South Slough NERR include:
- Biological interactions and ecological relationships among estuarine and marine organisms along the marine-to-freshwater estuarine gradient.
- Development of an early warning system to detect arrival and colonization by new aquatic non-indigenous species.
- Control of estuarine communities by top-down (predation and competition) versus bottom-up (nutrients and productivity) processes.
- Quantitative comparison of primary production in the estuarine water column and by microphytobenthos.
- Role of predation by shorebirds and waterfowl on populations of estuarine invertebrates.
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