Seascape Ecology

Seascape Ecology provides a comprehensive look at the state-of-the-science in the application of landscape ecology to the seas and provides guidance for future research priorities. The first book devoted exclusively to this rapidly emerging and increasingly important discipline, it is comprised of contributions from researchers at the forefront of seascape ecology working around the world. It presents the principles, concepts, methodology, and techniques informing seascape ecology and reports on the latest developments in the application of the approach to marine ecology and management.

A growing number of marine scientists, geographers, and marine managers are asking questions about the marine environment that are best addressed with a landscape ecology perspective. Seascape Ecology represents the first serious effort to fill the gap in the literature on the subject. Key topics and features of interest include:

• The origins and history of seascape ecology and various approaches to spatial patterning in the sea
• The links between seascape patterns and ecological processes, with special attention paid to the roles played by seagrasses and salt marshes and animal movements through seascapes
• Human influences on seascape ecology—includes models for assessing human-seascape interactions
• A special epilogue in which three eminent scientists who have been instrumental in shaping the course of landscape ecology offer their insights and perspectives

Seascape Ecology is a must-read for researchers and professionals in an array of disciplines, including marine biology, environmental science, geosciences, marine and coastal management, and environmental protection. It is also an excellent supplementary text for university courses in those fields.

Simon James Pittman is a marine ecologist with a Ph.D. in Geographical Sciences from the University of Queensland, Australia. As a scientist with one foot in academia and the other in government, he has taught and mentored graduate students, managed research projects informing management, as well as writing for marine science journals, academic books, and scientific reports. He is Director of Seascape Analytics Ltd., working as a senior scientist for the Biogeography Branch of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Dr. Pittman is an Associate Researcher at Plymouth University’s Marine Institute, and Affiliate Faculty of Oregon State University and the University of the Virgin Islands.