Enclosed Experimental Ecosystems and Scale

• Preface.- Introduction and Background: Coastal ecosystems, management, and research.- Concepts of scale in ecology.- Mesocosms and scaling patterns.- Using mesocosms to study the effects of scale.- Designing Experimental Ecosystem Studies: General principles.- Temporal and spatial scaling.- Mixing and flow.- Materials exchange.- Light.- Walls.- Temperature.- Physical and biological complexity.- Aquatic grasses.- Marshes.- Sediments.- Chemistry.- Tools for Design and Analysis of Experiments: The world is variable.- Dimensional analysis.- Modeling tools.- Applications: Benthic organisms.- Nutrient enrichment and trophic efficiency.- Aquatic grasses, nutrients, and suspended sediments.- Index.

From the reviews: "This gem of a book deals with both experimentation and theory as applied to the ecology of coastal systems, covering broad scales of space, time, and complexity. ... The work's prose is succinct and clear, and the figures are abundant and beautifully rendered with lots of color. This comprehensive, practical guide will be valuable to students and researchers who are studying or managing coastal ecosystems. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduate through professional collections." (P. R. Pinet, Choice, Vol. 47 (1), September, 2009) "It provides a nice practical guide for mesocosm users, and would thus be a worth-while purchase for ecologists planning mesocosm experiments, especially in temperate coastal systems. ... offers plenty of material to interest even the most seasoned mesocosm user. ... The use of nontechnical language, lucid illustrations, and a summary style render the volume imminently readable for levels ranging from keen undergraduates planning to honors project to experienced professional ecologists." (John N. Griffin and Brian R. Silliman, The Quarterly Review of Biology, Vol. 85 (3), September, 2010)