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The Estuarine Ecosystem pp 1–48Cite as

The Estuarine Environment

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Part of the book series: Tertiary Level Biology ((TLB))

Abstract

Estuaries have for long been important to mankind, either as places of navigation, or as locations on their banks for towns and cities. Nowadays they are under pressure, either as repositories for the effluent of industrial processes and domestic waste, or as prime sites for reclamation to create land for industry or agriculture. Against this background the biologist has been attracted to other functions of estuaries: vital feeding areas for many species of birds, especially waders and wildfowl, the locations of coastal fisheries, or as fascinating areas which present challenges to our understanding of how animals and plants adapt to their environment. The estuarine environment is characterised by having a constantly changing mixture of salt and fresh water, and by being dominated by fine sedimentary material carried into the estuary from the sea and from rivers which accumulates in the estuary to form mudflats. The mixtures of salt and fresh water present challenges to the physiology of the animals which few are able to adapt to. The mudflats present areas which are rich in food, but are low in oxygen or even anoxic.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Stirling, UK

    Donald S. McLusky B.Sc., Ph.D. (Senior Lecturer in Biology)

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  1. Donald S. McLusky B.Sc., Ph.D.
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© 1989 Chapman & Hall

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McLusky, D.S. (1989). The Estuarine Environment. In: The Estuarine Ecosystem. Tertiary Level Biology. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-7616-3_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-7616-3_1

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-7514-0164-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-7616-3

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