SUMMARY 1) The use of presence/absence data is a valid method for comparing communities from hard shore marine environments where the biota is relatively sessile. It is an extensively used method in botanical surveys and its use should be extended into the marine environment. 2) Blackhead had the highest species richness and the widest range of species diversity, suggesting a diversity of habit...

We conducted at-sea line transect surveys for Marbled Murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) to determine density off the coast of central California and to explore the utility of various survey protocols. Surveys were designed to compare line versus strip transect methods, and reveal the effects of distance from shore, viewing conditions and seasonal trends on density estimates. On consecutive d...

Critical transition zones, such as aquatic–terrestrial interfaces, have been recognized as important features in landscape ecology. Yet changes in the community structure of soil and sediment biota across aquatic–terrestrial boundaries remain relatively unstudied. We investigated the community structure of the dominant fauna, namely nematodes, rotifers and tardigrades, across lake sediment–soil...