Ecology of Australian Temperate Reefs: The Unique South

The coastal waters of southern Australia support some of the most diverse and unique marine ecosystems on Earth. Rocky reef habitat is particularly extensive, occurring intermittently from the intertidal to the shelf edge and along 5500 km of varied coastline. Reef habitats provide substrate for the most highly productive and diverse ecosystems in the region. However, when compared with other regions that have long been inhabited by curious ecologists, such as Europe and North America, Australia has a relatively short history of scientific endeavour in the marine realm. As such, huge efforts have been made over the past four decades or so to address key knowledge gaps and collect ecological data across the vast, varied and often inaccessible coastline of temperate Australia. It is timely, therefore, to collate and synthesize the outcomes of this recent research explosion, and the resulting volume will be of great interest to students, researchers and managers, as well as casual and professional ecologists and natural historians. The book will, of course, be most relevant to researchers in Australia but will also be useful to ecologists from other temperate systems seeking to contextualize their own observations.

The editors of the volume, Shepherd and Edgar, have spent an astonishing amount of time and effort diving and observing Australian temperate reef systems. Shepherd, a genuine pioneer, first used Scuba diving as a scientific tool in 1955 and has since conducted many, many thousands of dives over 50 years. Edgar began diving in 1977 in Tasmania and has been remarkably field-active ever since, enjoying many thousands of hours in coastal waters across southern Australia. Between them, they have over 90 years’ experience of Australian marine habitats, have published more than 250 papers and written seminal textbooks such as Marine Invertebrates of Southern Australia (Shepherd & Thomas 1982) and Australian Marine Life (Edgar 1997). In short, one cannot imagine a more appropriate editorial team to tackle the monumental task of synthesizing our current understanding of Australian temperate reef systems. This wealth of knowledge is evident throughout the book, which is a gold mine of unpublished data, grey literature and hidden-gem publications, much of which would otherwise remain inaccessible.

The book provides an overview of the geological history, oceanography and biogeography of the Unique South, before focusing on major taxonomic divisions within the algae, invertebrates and vertebrates. Minimal page space is devoted to the systematics and taxonomy of the flora and fauna, instead referring the reader to the relevant literature, which allows for a strong focus on ecological patterns and processes on temperate reefs. An overview of each taxonomic or functional group is first provided, before discussing the most relevant or ecologically important examples in detail. For example, given their elevated importance in the system, barren-forming sea urchins are examined in considerable detail, drawing on more than 40 years of research. The text is skilfully written, making the book accessible and informative to a wide readership. I found myself reading every page, rather than simply dipping into chapters of personal interest. The amount of data presented, in the form of tables, clearly drawn figures and thoughtful schematics, is substantial and provides ample evidence to support the discussions. The cited literature is broad and balanced, referencing both recent and historical studies. Carefully selected quotes from poets, writers and scientists punctuate the text and make for interesting asides.

My only minor criticism is that current threats and stressors to Australian temperate reefs, such as climate change, extreme climatic events, overfishing and processes acting across the land–sea interface, are considered only briefly at the end of the book. Given that these concurrent multiple stressors pose a considerable threat to these precious ecosystems and necessitate management actions, relatively little page space is devoted to discussing these issues. Also, given the vast experience of the authors, a forward-looking section on key knowledge gaps and research questions pertaining to the ecology of Australian temperate reefs would have been interesting. That said, the book expertly summarizes over four decades of ecological research and represents a phenomenal amount of work and dedication to observing natural marine systems. This wonderfully written book explores and justifies the global significance of the Unique South and in my opinion is a compulsory read for any temperate marine ecologist.

Dan Smale

Research Fellow

Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, The Laboratory, Citadel Hill, Plymouth, UK and University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia

E-mail: [email protected]

© 2014 Dan Smale