Sheppard 1983
From RTAW Reefpedia
| Reference Details | |
| Type: | Book |
| Title: | A natural history of the coral reef |
| Author(s): | Sheppard, C.R.C (Charles R. C.) |
| Cover Image: |  |
| Publisher: | Blandford Press |
| City: | Poole (Dorset) |
| Year: | 1983 |
| Physical Description: | vii, 152 p. : ill. (some col.), maps ; 26 cm. |
| ISBN: | 0713712686 |
| Content Details | |
| Blurb: | In this book, Charles Sheppard, working and living on the Great Barrier Reef, has brought together the varied elements which comprise the coral reef with the aim of showing how the reef works as a complete ecosystem – how the fish, plants, corals and climate interrelate to produce a masterpiece among natural phenomena.
Sixty four colour and one hundred black and white photographs bring to life the scenery, animals and plants of the reef including the corals themselves. The structure of the coral is described, the conditions necessary for its formation, the different types of life which can be supported at various depths, the daily rhythms of animal movement. Written for the layman, much of the recently researched information synthesised here has hitherto been availably only in scientific papers. It is hoped that by bringing an understanding of the working of the reef as a whole to a wide public more will be aware of how precious but precarious is the existence of these structures and why they must be allowed to remain unspoiled. |
| Table of Contents: | Acknowledgements
Foreword Prelude A sea of coral Animal architects Kingdom of plants Platforms in the shallows The infinite variety The survival problem Daily rhythms Sand cycles Labyrinths in the reef World of twilight Islands of coral Coda Bibliography |
| Summary: | General information on how a coral reef works as an ecosystem, which can be applied to the captive environment. Showing how the components of the coral reef act as an ecosystem, fish, plants, corals and climate. |
| Review | |
| Rating: | 6 |
| Audience: | intermediate |
| Comments: | Grab a copy if you find one, but don’t stress if you don’t. The material within is covered in several other better books, it just gives a different slant on it. written for the average person, so a very easy book to read. For a book of its age there are heaps of images, illustrating ideas/concepts very well. The layout and text show its age, however it does not detract from the material. |
