Note: Literaturangaben

Note: Intro -- Preface -- Contents -- Contributors -- Part I: Geology, Chemical and Physical Oceanography -- 1: The Geological Origins and Paleoceanographic History of the Mediterranean Region: Tethys to Present -- Introduction -- A Brief Synthesis of the Geological Evolution of the Mediterranean Region -- Paleoecology of Tethyan Carbonate Platforms as Trackers of Its Geological Evolution and Associated Paleoceanographic Changes -- After the Mediterranean Closure -- The Anoxic Events (Sapropels) -- References -- 2: A Channeled Shelf Fan Initiated by Flooding of the Black Sea -- Introduction -- Prior Observations -- Shelf Fan Morphology -- Seismic Stratigraphy -- Litho- and Bio-Stratigraphy -- Methods -- New Results -- Survey Area 1-2 -- Survey Area 4 -- Survey Area 3 -- Transit Line -- Discussion -- Hypothesis to Be Evaluated for the Origin of the Shelf Fan -- Lowstand River Delta -- Construction Delayed After the Initial Mediterranean Connection -- Initiated with the Entry of Mediterranean Water Coincident with a Lowstand Lake -- Examples of Other Flooding Events -- Combination of Processes -- Conclusions -- References -- 3: Past, Present and Future Patterns of the Thermohaline Circulation and Characteristic Water Masses of the Mediterranean Sea -- Introduction -- Past and Present Status of the Thermohaline Circulation -- The Open Thermohaline Cell -- Atlantic Water -- Levantine Intermediate Water -- The Closed Thermohaline Cells -- Eastern Mediterranean Deep Water -- Western Mediterranean Deep Water -- Climate Transient Events -- Eastern Mediterranean Transient -- Western Mediterranean Transition -- The Mediterranean Outflow -- Long-Term Hydrological Changes -- Future Projections of the Thermohaline Circulation -- Implications of Thermohaline Circulation and Hydrological Changes on Mediterranean Marine Ecosystems -- Summary -- References. , 4: Past, Present and Future Patterns in the Nutrient Chemistry of the Eastern Mediterranean -- Introduction -- General and Mesoscale Circulation and Changes in the Circulation -- Description of the Present Distribution of Nutrients and Dissolved Oxygen and Changes Over the Past 25 years -- Description of Typical Vertical Profiles of Nutrients and Dissolved Oxygen -- Cross Basin Distribution and How They Have Changed with Time -- Dissolved and Particulate Organic Carbon and Nutrients -- Biogeochemical and Nutrient Cycling Processes -- Processes Related to the Unusually High N:P Ratio in the EMS -- Nitrate: Phosphate Ratio in the Deep Water -- The Eastern Mediterranean as a P Starved System -- Seasonal Changes in Primary Production and Nutrient Limitation -- Is the Nutrient Uptake in the Surface Waters Redfieldian? -- Nitrogen Fixation -- Physics Induced Bio-chemical Processes -- Use of Nutrient Budgets to Define Biogeochemical Processes -- Oceanic, Terrestrial and Atmospheric Nutrient Inputs -- Changes in External Nutrient Fluxes into the EMS with Time -- Changes in the Nutrient Supply from 1950 to 2000 -- What Was the Level of Nutrient Supply Prior to Anthropogenic Inputs? -- Possible Factors Which Will Influence Future Changes in Nutrient Distribution -- Future Circulation Changes That Might Affect Nutrient Distribution -- Is the EMS Particularly Vulnerable to Climate and Environmental Change? -- References -- 5: Marine Chemosynthesis in the Mediterranean Sea -- Introduction -- Modern Mediterranean Chemosynthetic Habitats -- Hydrothermal Vents -- Cold Seeps -- Historical Legacy of Chemosynthesis -- Threats to Mediterranean Chemosynthetic Habitats -- A Call for Protecting Chemosynthetic Habitats in the Mediterranean Past and Present -- MPAs for Extant Habitats -- Geosites -- References -- Part II: Ecology: Taxa and Trophic Levels. , 6: Microbial Components -- Introduction -- Main Groups and Trophic Roles of Microbial Plankton -- Fertilization Mechanisms in the Mediterranean -- Overview of Diversity of the Main Microbial Groups -- Phytoplankton -- Temporal Distribution and Vertical Organization of Phytoplankton Biomass -- Phytoplankton Composition -- Cyanobacteria -- Diatoms (Bacillariophyceae) -- Dinoflagellates (Dinophyceae) -- Prymnesiophyceae -- Other Groups -- Generalities on Phytoplankton Community Structure and Function -- The Seasonal Succession of Phytoplankton -- Harmful Algal Blooms in the Mediterranean -- Long-Term Temporal Variability -- Viruses and Heterotrophic Microbes -- Viruses -- Heterotrophic Prokaryotes -- Heterotrophic Pico- and Nanoflagellates -- Ciliates -- Microbial and Classical Food Webs. The Example of the Catalan Sea -- References -- 7: The Mediterranean Sea - Primary Productivity -- The Past - Paleoecology: Fossil Records -- The Mediterranean Sea Today: Ecology -- The Primary Producers in the Mediterranean Sea -- Spacial Aspect of Primary Production in the Mediterranean -- Seasonal Hydrodynamics of the Water Column and Nutrient Control -- Light Control -- Future Scenarios - Ecological Effects -- References -- 8: Autochthonous Seaweeds -- Introduction: What It Is Seaweed? -- How Many Different Seaweeds Are There in the Mediterranean Sea? -- The Origin of Seaweeds in the Mediterranean Sea -- Spatial Patterns of Seaweed Richness in the Mediterranean Sea -- Potential Effects of Climatic and Non- climatic Drivers on Mediterranean Seaweeds -- Temperature and Carbon Sink -- Ocean Acidification and Photosynthetic Metabolism -- UV Radiation -- Interactive Effect of Climate Change Variables: Temperature, UV Radiation and Acidification -- Sea Level Rise -- Future Research to Evaluate the Vulnerability of the Macrophytes to Climate Change. , Present Status of Mediterranean Seaweeds Communities and Its Relation to the Ecological Status of Coastal Waters -- References -- 9: Autochthonous Seagrasses -- Introduction -- Mediterranean Seagrass Species: Distribution, Biology and Ecology -- Posidonia oceanica (Linnaeus) Delile -- Cymodocea nodosa (Ucria) Ascherson -- Zostera marina Linnaeus -- Zostera noltii Hornemann -- Disturbances in Seagrass Meadows -- Anthropogenic Non-climatic Causes -- Mechanical Habitat Destruction -- Eutrophication -- Introduced Species -- Climate Change Potential Causes -- CO2 Increase and Acidification -- Temperature -- Sea Level Rise, Coastal Erosion and Climatic Extremes -- Interaction Between Non-climatic Anthropogenic and Climatic Drivers -- Management and Conservation of Mediterranean Seagrasses -- Protection and Management Measures -- Restoration Measures -- References -- 10: Alien Benthic Algae and Seagrasses in the Mediterranean Sea and Their Connection to Global Warming -- Alien Invasion in the Mediterranean -- Alien Algae and Seagrasses in the Mediterranean Sea -- Alien Seaweeds and Their Impact in the Israeli Mediterranean -- Halophila stipulacea - An Old-Timer Invasive Alien Seagrass in the Mediterranean -- Shellfish Transfer and Alien Seaweed Invasion: A Study Case from the Gulf of Lion -- Global Warming and Alien Seaweed Introduction in the Mediterranean -- How Should We Deal with the Alien Invasion in the Mediterranean Sea? -- References -- 11: The Zooplankton -- Introduction -- The Physical Framework for Zooplankton -- Driving Mechanisms for Plankton Production -- Seasonal Patterns -- Vertical Structure -- Near-Bottom Zooplanktonic Communities -- Horizontal Distribution Patterns at the Mesoscale -- Long-Term Changes -- The Time Series at Station Point B off Villefranche-sur-Mer -- The Time Series at Station Marechiara Off Naples. , The Time Series at the Baleares Station off Mallorca -- General Remarks -- Jellyfish Blooms and Changes in Fauna -- References -- 12: Zoobenthos -- Introduction -- Environmental Gradients -- Spatial Trends and Variability -- Zoobenthic Assemblages and Communities on Hard Substrata -- Supralittoral -- Mediolittoral -- Infralittoral -- Circalittoral -- Bathyal -- Zoobenthic Assemblages and Communities on Soft-Bottoms -- Infralittoral -- Circalittoral -- Deep-Sea -- Bathyal and Abyssal -- Cold Seeps -- Ecological Strategies -- Temporal Variability -- Plankton and Benthic-Pelagic Coupling -- Algae Dominated Communities and Sea-Grass Communities -- Vagile Fauna -- Animal-Dominated Communities -- Tendencies -- Directly Man-Induced Pressures -- Fishing Activity -- Nutrient Increase -- Harvesting -- Local Impacts -- Natural and/or Indirectly Man-Induced Pressures -- Increasing Temperature -- Ocean Acidification -- Easterly Wind-Storms -- Biological Invasions -- References -- 13: Foraminifera -- Introduction -- What Are Foraminifera? -- How Foraminifera Can Be Used in Applied Science -- Ecology of Benthic Foraminifera -- The Early Works on Mediterranean Foraminifera -- The Last 30 Years of Efforts in the Study of Benthic Foraminifera -- Problems in the Sampling Methodology -- The Hard vs. Soft Shelled Foraminifera Issue -- The Last Frontier in the Study of Foraminifera -- Concluding Remarks -- References -- 14: Mediterranean Corals Through Time: From Miocene to Present -- Introduction -- Mediterranean Coral Fauna in the Miocene -- Early-Middle Miocene -- Late Miocene -- Coral Responses to a Cooling Mediterranean: From the Pliocene to the Glacial Ages -- Pliocene -- Pleistocene -- Present Coral Fauna: NE Atlantic Relict -- Corals Other than Scleractinians -- Corals as Palaeoceanographic Archives -- Biodiversity of Tomorrow -- Discussion and Final Remarks. , References.