Mollusks and Marine Environments of the Ten Thousand Islands

Mollusks and Marine Environments of the Ten Thousand Islands
Author: Edward J. Petuch
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 270
Release: 2022-09-06
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1000644987

Mollusks and Marine Environments of the Ten Thousand Islands provides the first comprehensive overview of the shells and habitats that are present in the last unexplored coastal area of southwestern Florida. The mysterious and primordial Ten Thousand Islands, where the rivers and marshlands of the Everglades empty into the Gulf of Mexico, house a number of remarkable marine ecosystems, many shown here in detail for the first time. Primary among these are unique worm shell “reef systems,” composed entirely of immense masses of vermetid gastropod mollusks. These previously unexplored and unstudied gastropod reefs, which are often many acres in size, are shown here to mimic coral reefs in their growth structure and represent the only large-scale molluscan reefs found anywhere on Earth. Living in association with the zonated gastropod reefs are a number of rare and unusual mollusks, some of which represent endemic species that are unique to the Ten Thousand Islands. These and many other southwestern Florida shells are illustrated throughout this book, along with detailed illustrations and descriptions of the marine and estuarine environments that dominate the archipelago and its adjacent lagoon systems.

Molluscan Faunas of the Gulf of Mexico

Molluscan Faunas of the Gulf of Mexico
Author: Edward J. Petuch
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 238
Release: 2024-11-29
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1040203566

Recent biodiversity studies, reported here for the first time, have shown that the molluscan fauna of the Gulf of Mexico is far richer and more complex than previously thought. As a result of these new discoveries, the Gulf malacofauna is shown to contain large numbers of endemic species that reside within four separate biogeographical subdivisions of the larger Carolinian Molluscan Province: the Floridian, Suwannean, Texan, and Yucatanean Subprovinces. These four Gulf biotic components, with each supporting its own endemic fauna, are shown here to be separated by distinct ecological and oceanographic barriers. The resultant physical and genetic isolation has led to the evolution of spectacular sibling species radiations, many unknown and undescribed until now. Some of the most conspicuous and important of these are found in the gastropod families Fasciolariidae, Volutidae, Conidae, Muricidae, and Busyconidae, all of which are dominant predators in their respective benthonic ecosystems. The species within these ecologically important families, along with hundreds of endemic taxa in 50 other gastropod and bivalve families, are illustrated here in Molluscan Faunas of the Gulf of Mexico: Endemism in North America’s Inland Sea on 132 color plates and are discussed in detail in the individual chapters. Special attention is given to the mollusks of poorly studied and virtually unknown ecosystems such as those on the deep reefs off the Florida Keys and Dry Tortugas, the deep water coralline algal beds off western Florida, the Flower Garden Reefs off Texas, the petroleum seeps and brine pools of the Sigsbee Escarpment, the Campeche Bank Archipelago, and the deep water areas at the mouth of the Yucatan Channel. This new book is unlike previous taxonomic surveys of the Gulf of Mexico mollusks in that it highlights only the endemic species and genera and does not cover the large number of widespread Carolinian and Caribbean taxa that occur with them. In this aspect, the book is designed to be an augmentation to previous faunal surveys, adding hundreds more taxa that had been missed in these older surveys or were described after those earlier works had been published. The emphasis on endemic species and species complexes is meant to underscore the special nature of the Gulf of Mexico malacofauna, setting it aside from all others in the Tropical Western Atlantic Region.

The Ecphoras

The Ecphoras
Author: Edward J. Petuch
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 306
Release: 2023-05-19
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 100088211X

In the Miocene and Pliocene fossil shell beds of the eastern United States, the single most spectacular molluscan species radiation is seen in the ecphora shells (the Tribe Ecphorini). These bizarrely shaped gastropods, with their distinctive ribbed shell sculpture, represent a separate branch of the Subfamily Ocenebridae, Family Muricidae. Characteristically, these muricid gastropods are heavily ornamented with spiral ribs and cords and are considered some of the most beautiful and interesting groups of fossil mollusks found along the Atlantic Coastal Plain and Floridian Peninsula. The ecphoras are greatly sought after by fossil collectors. The ecphora faunas, and their individual species and subspecies, are illustrated and described in detail, along with photographs of ecphora-bearing geological units and in-situ specimens. The authors list the 67 known species and subspecies that are recognized as valid, arranged by the eight genera and five subgenera that encompass these taxa.

Molluscan Communities of the Florida Keys and Adjacent Areas

Molluscan Communities of the Florida Keys and Adjacent Areas
Author: Edward J. Petuch
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 316
Release: 2014-12-15
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1482249197

Molluscan Communities of the Florida Keys and Adjacent Areas: Their Ecology and Biodiversity is the first comprehensive overview of the ecology and biodiversity of the phylum Mollusca in the area of Florida extending from the Dry Tortugas and Ten Thousand Islands in the west to Palm Beach in the east. The book provides detailed analyses of mollusca

Tropical Marine Mollusks

Tropical Marine Mollusks
Author: Edward J. Petuch
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 595
Release: 2020-12-10
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1000285421

Marine biogeography, the study of the spatial distribution of organisms in the world’s oceans, is one of the most fascinating branches of oceanography. This book continues the pioneering research into the distributions of molluscan faunas, first studied by biologists over 160 years ago. It illustrates 1778 species of gastropods in full color, many of which are extremely rare and poorly known endemic species that are illustrated for the first time outside of their original descriptions. The spatial arrangements of malacofaunas shown in this book can be considered proxies for worldwide oceanic conditions and used as tools for determining patterns of global climate change. The book's documentation of evolutionary "hot spots" and geographically restricted endemic faunas can also be used as a base line for future studies on patterns of environmental deterioration and extinction in the marine biosphere. Documenting the evolution of the amazingly rich worldwide gastropod fauna, this book will appeal to physical and chemical oceanographers, systematic and evolutionary biologists, historical geologists, paleontologists, climatologists, geomorphologists, and physical geographers. The authors incorporate aspects of all of these disciplines into a new classification system for the nomenclature of biogeographical spatial units found in tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate seas.

Biogeography and Biodiversity of Western Atlantic Mollusks

Biogeography and Biodiversity of Western Atlantic Mollusks
Author: Edward J. Petuch
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 255
Release: 2013-04-02
Genre: Science
ISBN: 146657979X

Shallow water marine molluscan faunas are distributed in a pattern of distinct, geographically definable areas. This makes mollusks ideal for studying the distribution of organisms in the marine environment and the processes and patterns that control their evolution. Biogeography and Biodiversity of Western Atlantic Mollusks is the first book to use quantitative methodologies to define marine molluscan biogeographical patterns. It traces the historical development of these patterns for the subtropical and tropical western Atlantic. The book discusses the multistage process of evolving new taxa caused by eustatic fluctuations, ecological stress, and evolutionary selection. Drawing on his decades of intensive field work, the author defines three western Atlantic molluscan provinces and 15 subprovinces based on his Provincial Combined Index, a modern refinement of Valentine’s 50% rule. The faunal provinces—Carolinian, Caribbean, and Brazilian—are discussed in detail. The text defines the physical aspects of the provinces using quantitative data, with water temperature as the primary parameter. It discusses the details of the 15 subprovinces—geographically definable faunal subdivisions—as well as provinciatones, transition zones of provincial overlap. The author’s algorithms demonstrate that the bulk of the molluscan biodiversity is concentrated in 40 separate centers of speciation, ranging from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, south to Argentina. Many of these evolutionary hotspots reside on remote archipelagos and offshore banks as well as within areas of provincial overlap. The text describes some of the more exotic and poorly known areas and presents maps and color photographs of characteristic habitats, index species, and live animals, including over 400 species of rare and seldom seen shells.

Endangered and Threatened Animals of Florida and Their Habitats

Endangered and Threatened Animals of Florida and Their Habitats
Author: Chris Scott
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Total Pages: 388
Release: 2004
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9780292705296

"This fully illustrated book is a comprehensive, yet convenient and easy-to-understand guide to Florida's endangered and threatened animals and the habitats that support them. Chris Scott covers all 71 species, subspecies, or populations of mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, crustaceans, insects, corals, and mollusks. His species accounts describe each animal's listed status, identifying characteristics, historical and current distribution, biology, current threats, and conservation efforts.

Marine Products of Commerce

Marine Products of Commerce
Author: Donald Kiteley Tressler
Publisher:
Total Pages: 776
Release: 1923
Genre: Commercial products
ISBN:

Excerpt from preface: This book is designed for both the scientific and the practical man. It attempts to give the chemist and biologist a general survey of the fishery industries, pointing out their relative importance, indicating their location, and describing the methods in common use. There has been no attempt to consider all the methods of the fisheries; if this were attempted, a lengthy treatise such as G. Brown Goode's "Fisheries and fishery industries of the United States" would result. By reading this book, the practical man may learn how chemistry and biology are correlated with the fishery industries. Simple language is used throughout. But few technical terms are included and care is taken to define those terms which may not be familiar to the layman. The author hopes that this book may fill the long felt need of the student of industrial biology, for a concise treatise on the fishery industries. These industries have been considered from a scientific viewpoint and, while it is impossible to go into great detail in describing the applications of chemistry, physics, and biology in the preparation and preservation of marine products, the applications are outlined and references to the original literature are given which should serve as a guide for study. In all cases, special consideration is given to American methods and processes. Obviously, it is impossible to treat of the technology of the marine products industries in all parts of the world; however, especially important foreign industries are described. A special effort is made to describe carefully the manufacture and refining of solar sea salt. It is hoped that the information presented will be of value not only to the student of industrial chemistry and the marine industries but also to the salt manufacturer. It is hoped that the book may call attention to the great need for chemical and biological research to solve the numerous problems of the fishery industries. Several of these problems are brought to the attention of the reader in the last chapter.