Sediment dwelling, microscopic primary producers, that occupy sediments in the photic
zone, are commonly referred to as microphytobenthos (MPB). The MPB are essential …

Taste or gustation is the sense evolving from the chemo-sensory system present in the oral
cavity of avian species, which evolved to evaluate the nutritional value of foods by detecting …

Meiobenthology is the science of the tiny animals that live in huge numbers in all aquatic
sediments. This fully revised and enlarged second edition emphasizes new discoveries and …

The variability of bird beak morphology reflects diverse foraging strategies. One such
feeding mechanism in shorebirds involves surface tension–induced transport of prey in …

Ecology Letters (2012) 15: 347–356 Abstract Food webs are comprised of a network of
trophic interactions and are essential to elucidating ecosystem processes and functions …

We show that a higher vertebrate can graze surficial intertidal biofilm, previously only
considered a food source for rasping invertebrates and a few specialized fish. Using …

Estuaries of major rivers provide important stopover habitat for migratory birds throughout
the world. These estuaries experience large amounts of freshwater inputs from spring runoff …

The ecological role of brachyuran crabs in mangroves has been extensively studied, but
their role as mediators of biogeochemical processes of essential nutrients remains unclear …

Three families of probe-foraging birds, Scolopacidae (sandpipers and snipes), Apterygidae
(kiwi), and Threskiornithidae (ibises, including spoonbills) have independently evolved long …

Shorebirds are major, but thus far under-acknowledged, players in mudflat food webs and
associated physio-chemical processes. Mud is a critical habitat type for shorebirds, offering …