Mudflat Ecology
Intertidal mudflats are distinct, highly-productive marine habitats which provide important ecosystem services to the land-sea interface. In contrast to other marine habitats, and despite a large body of primary scientific literature, no comprehensive syn
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Peter G. Beninger Editor
Mudflat Ecology
Aquatic Ecology Series Volume 7 Editor Jef Huisman Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/5637
Peter G. Beninger Editor
Mudflat Ecology
Editor Peter G. Beninger MMS, Faculté des Sciences Université de Nantes Nantes, France
Aquatic Ecology Series ISBN 978-3-319-99192-4 ISBN 978-3-319-99194-8 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99194-8
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2018960276 © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2018 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland
Photo PG Beninger
Mud is Beauty in the making, Mud is melody awaking… Mud is mankind in the moulding, Heaven's mystery unfolding… - Robert William Service
For three wonderful women who have enriched my life immensely: my wife Li Jin, and our daughters Amelia and Cordelia. For my brother Ian, without whom none of this would have been possible.
Foreword
By any measure, and despite visual appearances, mudflats constitute a highly diverse scientific subject, posing a great challenge for the student or researcher of this ecosystem. Embedded within this disciplinary diversity is the extraordinary biological diversity of mudflats, once again belying their visual appearance. Mudflats have existed since the oldest sediments were formed, and hosted Earth’s earliest life, unambiguously already evolved in 3.48-billion-year-old rocks. Let me add that they are one of Earth’s largest ecosystems, lining thousands of miles of our worldwide coastlines. From this point of view, it is astonishing that scientific exploration, while proficient in heading to remote areas
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