Subtropical convergence regions in the southwestern Atlantic have a high biological productivity, and are important as nursery and feeding areas and as reproduction grounds for fishery stocks of subtropical and antarctic origin.
This book represents the first multidisciplinary treatise of this large and complex marine ecosystem. It analyses how subtropical convergence and land-sea interactions influence the coast, and sea and their biota. Synthesizing the rapidly expanding information, it provides a comprehensive appraisal of the biological resources, an assessment of their sustainable exploitation, and an evaluation of oceanographic processes. An inventory of all marine taxa in the southwestern Atlantic is included as an appendix.

1 Introduction and Overview

2 Regional Climate
3 Coastal Plain and Patos Lagoon
4 Environment and Biota of the Patos Lagoon Estuary
4.1 Geological Setting
4.2 Hydrographic Characteristics
4.3 Environmental Chemistry
4.4 Tidal Marsh and Wetland Plants
4.5 Submersed Spermatophytes
4.6 Benthic Macroalgae
4.7 Microalgae
4.8 Bacteria and Protozooplankton
4.9 Zooplankton
4.10 Benthic Invertebrates
4.11 Physiological Adaptations of Invertebrates and Fish
4.12 Ichthyoplankton
4.13 Fish Fauna
4.14 Bird Fauna
4.15 Marine Mammals
5 Energy Flow and Habitats in the Patos Lagoon Estuary
5.1Primary Production Cycles
5.2 Trophic Structure
5.3 Irregularly Flooded Marginal Marshes
5.4 Unvegetated Intertidal Flats and Subtidal Bottoms
5.5 Seagrass Meadows
5.6 Rubble Structures and Hard Substrates
6 Coastal and Marine Environments and Their Biota
6.1 Geomorphological Setting
6.2 Physical Oceanography
6.3 Chemical Characteristics
6.4 Coastal Foredune Flora
6.5 Coastal Foredune Fauna
6.6 Bacterioplankton
6.7 Phytoplankton
6.8 Protozooplankton
6.9 Zooplankton
6.10 Benthic Beach Invertebrates
6.11 Continental Shelf Benthos
6.12 Ichthyoplankton
6.13 Pelagic Teleosts
6.14 Demersal and Benthic Teleosts
6.15 Early Life History of Silverside Fishes
6.16 Demersal Elasmobranchs
6.17 Cephalopods
6.18 Marine Mammals and Turtles
6.19 Sea and Shore Birds
6.20 Genetic-Biochemical Differentiation among Marine Organisms
7 Relationships and Function of Coastal and Marine Environments
7.1 The Foredune System
7.2 The Beach and Surf Zone
7.3 The Continental Shelf and Slope
8 Estuarine-Marine Interactions
9 Fisheries
10 Natural and Human Impact
11 Management Considerations
References.