Theme 2A: Effects of urban structures and associated activities
Programme 2: Anthropogenic disturbances of coastal habitats
Theme 2A: Effects of urban structures and associated activities
A thriving coastal city needs massive infrastructure in terms of ports, seawalls, outfalls, etc. Building ports and airports, preventing coastal erosion by building sea-walls, creating recreational facilities such as marinas, swimming-pools and moorings for boats all create potential environmental problems. Among the most important are the loss and fragmentation of natural habitats and the creation of very different artificial habitats. The Centre's research on these issues has been at the forefront of national and international efforts to understand how artificial coastal habitats change ecological processes, functions and patterns.
The Centre has many research projects on the effects of urban structures on ecology of estuaries, which we have grouped into three informal groups, to aid your search. Some of our research may be listed in more than one group because it crosses the boundary between them.
Assessing fragmentation of rocky shores by sea-walls in Sydney Harbour
Building seawalls to sustain intertidal biodiversity in altered and urbanized estuaries
Ecology of seawalls in Sydney Harbour
Predators on sea-walls
Sustaining intertidal diversity on artificial habitats in Sydney Harbour
The ecology of Bryozoa on subtidal marine algae: natural vs artificial habitats - Ph.D. Project
For further information, see the following publications
Barnes, P.B. (1999). Influences of marinas on assemblages of fish in Sydney Harbour (Marine Science). Grad. Dip. (Marine Science) thesis, University of Sydney.
Bishop, M.J. (2005). Compensatory effects of boat wake and dredge spoil on sediments and assemblages of macroinvertebrates. Estuaries , Vol. 28, pp. 510-518.
Bishop, M.J. (2004). A posteriori evaluation of strategies of management: the effectiveness of no-wash zones in minimizing the impacts of boat wash on macrobenthic infauna. Environmental Management , Vol. 34(1), pp. 140-149.
Bishop, M.J. (2003). Making waves. The effects of boat-wash on macrobenthic assemblages of estuaries. Ph.D. thesis, University of Sydney.
Bishop, M.J. (2003). Olympics make waves over ferry wakes. Australasian Science (unrefereed journal), Vol. 24, pp. 30-31.
Bishop, M.J. & M.G. Chapman (2004). Managerial decisions as experiments: an opportunity to determine the ecological impact of boat-generated waves on macrobenthic infauna. Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science , Vol. 61, pp. 613-622.
Blockley, D. (2005). The effect of wharves and associated impacts on the ecology of intertidal seawalls. Ph.D. thesis, University of Sydney.
Blockley, D. J. (2007). Effect of wharves on intertidal assemblages on seawalls in Sydney Harbour, Australia. Marine Environmental Research , Vol. 63, pp. 409-427.
Blockley, D. J. & M. G. Chapman (2008) Exposure of seawalls to waves within an urban estuary: effects on intertidal assemblages. Austral Ecology 33, 168-183
Blockley, D. J. & M. G. Chapman (2006). Recruitment determine differences between assemblages on shaded or unshaded seawalls. Marine Ecology Progress Series , Vol. 327, pp. 27-36.
Bulleri, F. (2005). Comment: The introduction of artificial structures on marine soft- and hard-bottoms: ecological implications of epibiota. Environmental Conservation , Vol. 32, pp. 1-3.
Bulleri, F. (2005). The role of recruitment in causing differences in intertidal assemblages between seawalls and rocky shores. Marine Ecology Progress Series , Vol. 287, pp. 53-65.
Bulleri, F. (2003). Effects of artificial structures on intertidal assemblages. Ph.D. thesis, University of Sydney.
Bulleri, F., M.G. Chapman & A.J. Underwood (2005). Intertidal assemblages on seawalls and vertical rocky shores in Sydney Harbour, Australia. Austral Ecology , Vol. 30, pp. 655-667.
Bulleri, F., M.G. Chapman & A.J. Underwood (2004). Patterns of movement of the limpet Cellana tramoserica on rocky shores and retaining seawalls. Marine Ecology Progress Series , Vol. 281, pp. 121-129.
Campbell, N.J. (2005). Patterns and distribution of the mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis and Trichomya hirsuta on urban structures and rocky shores in Sydney Harbour, NSW. B.Sc. Honours thesis, University of Sydney.
Chapman, M. G. (2006). Intertidal seawalls as habitats for molluscs. Journal of Molluscan Studies , Vol. 72, pp. 247-257.
Chapman, M.G. (2004). A preliminary survey of macrofauna adjacent to seawalls in Lake Macquarie, Final Report for Wyong Shire Council.
Chapman, M.G. (2004). A preliminary survey of macrofauna adjacent to seawalls in Lake Macquarie, Final Report for Wyong Shire Council.
Chapman, M.G. (2004). Review of The Port Botany Expansion: Aquatic Ecology, Conservation and Fisheries, Report for Parson Brinkerhoff, Sydney.
Chapman, M.G., J. People & D. Blockley (2005). Intertidal assemblages associated with natural Corallina turf and invasive mussel beds. Biodiversity and Conservation , Vol. 14, pp. 1761-1776.
Chapman, M. G. (2007). Quakers Hat Seawall. Final Report for Mosman Municipal Council.
Chapman, M. G., D. Blockley, J. People & B. Clynick (In press). Effect of urban structures on diversity of marine species. In: Ecology of cities and towns: A comparative approach , edited by M. McDonnell, Cambridge University Press, Melbourne.
Chapman, M.G. & R. Reinfrank (2003). Preliminary survey for vulnerable marine species - Mosman Seawall. Final Report for Mosman Municipal Council.
Clynick, B. G. (2006). Assemblages of fish associated with coastal marinas in North Western Italy. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Vol. 86, pp. 847-852.
Clynick, B. G. (2008). Harbour swimming nets: a novel habitat for seahorses. Aquatic Conservation 17: 1-10
Clynick, B. G. & M. G. Chapman (2008). Characteristics of an urban fish assemblage: distribution of fish associated with coastal marinas. Marine Environmental Research 65: 18-33
Clynick, B. G., M. G. Chapman & A. J. Underwood (2007). Effects of epibiota on assemblages of fish associated with urban structures. Marine Ecology Progress Series , Vol. 323, pp. 201-210.
Clynick, B., M. G. Chapman & A. J. Underwood (2008). Fish assemblages associated with urban structures and natural reefs in Sydney Harbour, Australia. Austral Ecology Vol. 33, pp.140-150
Clynick, B.G. (2005). The ecology of fish associated with artificial structures. Ph.D. thesis, University of Sydney.
Cole, V. (2002). Distributions of epifauna on pontoons and pilings. Honours thesis, University of Sydney.
Cole, V.J., T.M. Glasby & M.G. Holloway (2005). Extending the generality of ecological models to artificial floating habitats. Marine Environmental Research , Vol. 60, pp. 195-210.
Coleman, M.A. (1998). Effects of epibiota on the distribution and abundances of fishes associated with pilings in Middle Harbour. B.Sc. Honours thesis, University of Sydney.
Coleman, M.A. & S.D. Connell (2001). Weak effects of epibiota on the abundances of fishes associated with pier pilings in Sydney Harbour. Environmental Biology of Fishes , Vol. 61, pp. 231-239.
Coleman, R. A. (2006). Subtidal Flora and Fauna at Davis Marina, Report for Davis Marina.
Connell, S.D. (2001). Predatory fish do not always affect the development of epibiotic assemblages. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology , Vol. 260, pp. 1-12.
Connell, S.D. (2001). Urban structures as marine habitats: an experimental comparison of the composition and abundance of subtidal epibiota among pilings, pontoons and rocky reefs. Marine Environmental Research , Vol. 52, pp. 115-125.
Connell, S.D. (1999). Effects of surface orientation on the cover of epibiota. Biofouling , Vol. 14, pp. 219-226.
Connell, S.D. & T.M. Glasby (1999). Do urban structures influence local abundance and diversity of subtidal epibiota? A case study from Sydney Harbour, Australia. Marine Environmental Research , Vol. 47, pp. 373-387.
Crowe, T.P. (1997). Epibiosis and the spatial distribution of molluscs on the pylons of Mandorah Jetty, Darwin Harbour . In: Proceedings of the sixth international marine biological workshop. The marine flora and fauna of Darwin Harbour, Northern Territory, Australia , edited by J.R. Hanley, G. Caswell, D. Megirian & H.K. Larsen, Museum and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory and Australian Marine Sciences Association, Darwin, pp. 411-424.
Day, M. (2005). Patterns of intertidal invertebrates on sandstone and concrete seawalls in Sydney Harbour. B.Sc. Honours thesis, University of Sydney.
Espinoza, T. (2005). Intertidal seawalls: Direct and indirect effects of modification of habitat on assemblages. M. Quant. Mar. Ecol. thesis, University of Sydney.
Glasby T. M. (2001). Development of sessile marine assemblages on fixed versus moving substrata. Marine Ecology Progress Series , Vol. 215, pp. 37-47.
Glasby, T.M. (2000). Surface composition and orientation interact to affect subtidal epibiota. Journal of Experimental Marine Bology and Ecology , Vol. 248, pp. 177-190.
Glasby, T.M. (1999). Differences between subtidal epibiota on pier pilings and rocky reefs at marinas in Sydney, Australia. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science , Vol. 48, pp. 281-290.
Glasby, T.M. (1999). Effects of shading on subtidal epibiotic assemblages. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology , Vol. 234, pp. 275-290.
Glasby, T.M. (1999). Interactive effects of shading and proximity to the seafloor on the development of subtidal epibiotic assemblages. Marine Ecology Progress Series , Vol. 190, pp. 113-124.
Glasby, T.M. (1998). Estimating spatial variability in developing assemblages of epibiota on subtidal hard substrata. Marine and Freshwater Research , Vol. 49, pp. 429-437.
Glasby, T.M. (1997). Influences of marinas on subtidal epibiotic assemblages. Ph.D. thesis, University of Sydney.
Glasby, T.M. & S.D. Connell (2001). Orientation and position of substrata have large effects on epibiotic assemblages. Marine Ecology Progress Series , Vol. 214, pp. 127-135.
Glasby, T.M. & S.D. Connell (1999). Urban structures as marine habitats. Ambio , Vol. 28, pp. 595-598.
Glasby, T.M. & A.J. Underwood (1998). Determining positions for control locations in environmental studies of estuarine marinas. Marine Ecology Progress Series , Vol. 171, pp. Jan-14.
Glasby, T. M., S. D. Connell, M. G. Holloway & C. L. Hewitt (2007). Nonindigenous biota on artificial structures: could habitat creation facilitate biological invasions? Marine Biology , Vol. 151, pp. 887-895.
Goodsell, P. J., M. G. Chapman & A. J. Underwood (2007). Differences between biota in anthropogenically fragmented habitats and in naturally patchy habitats? Marine Ecology Progress Series Vol. 351, pp. 15-23
Holloway, M.G. & S.D. Connell (2002). Why do floating structures create novel habitats for subtidal epibiota? Marine Ecology Progress Series , Vol. 235, pp. 43-52.
Jackson, A. C., M. G. Chapman & A. J. Underwood (2008). Ecological interactions in the provision of habitat by urban development: whelks and engineering by oysters on artificial seawalls. Austral Ecology , Vol.33, pp. 307-316
Kelaher, B.P., M.G. Chapman & A.J. Underwood (1998). Changes in benthic assemblages near boardwalks in temperate urban mangrove forests. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology , Vol. 228, pp. 291-307.
Kelaher, B.P., A.J. Underwood & M.G. Chapman (1998). Effects of boardwalks on the semaphore crab Heloecius cordiformis in temperate urban mangrove forests. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology , Vol. 227, pp. 281-300.
Knott, N. (2001). Epibiota on natural reefs and artificial structures. Ph.D. thesis, University of Sydney.
Knott, N. A., A. J. Underwood, M. G. Chapman & T. M. Glasby (2006). Growth of the encrusting sponge Tedania anhelans (Lieberkuhn) on vertical and on horizontal surfaces of temperate subtidal reefs. Marine and Freshwater Research , Vol. 57, pp. 95-104.
Knott, N.A., A.J. Underwood, M.G. Chapman & T.M. Glasby (2004). Epibiota on vertical and on horizontal surfaces on natural reefs and on artificial structures. Journal of the Marine Biological Association (UK) , Vol. 84, pp. 1117-1130.
Lindegarth, M. (2001). Assemblages of animals around urban structures: testing hypotheses of patterns in sediments under boat-mooring pontoons. Marine Environmental Research , Vol. 51, pp. 289-300.
Moreira, J., M. G. Chapman & A. J. Underwood (2006). Seawalls do not sustain viable populations of limpets. Marine Ecology Progress Series , Vol. 322, pp. 179-188.
Moreira, J. (2006). Patterns of occurrence of grazing molluscs on sandstone and concrete seawalls at Sydney Harbour (Australia). Journal of Molluscan Research , Vol. 26, pp. 51-60.
Moreira, J., M. G. Chapman & A. J. Underwood (2007). Maintenance of chitons on seawalls using crevices on sandstone blocks as habitat in Sydney Harbour, Australia. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology , Vol. 347, pp. 134-143.
Myers, C.A. (1999). A comparison of pontoons and pilings as habitats for the mussel Mytilus edulis . B.Sc. Honours thesis, University of Sydney.
Paget, R. (2002). Seawalls as habitats for intertidal limpets. Honours thesis, University of Sydney.
People, J. (2006). Mussel beds on different types of structures support different macroinvertebrate assemblages. Austral Ecology , Vol. 31, pp. 271-381.
People, J. (1998). The role of mussels on artificial structures in estuarine environments. Grad. Dip. (Environmental Science) thesis, University of Sydney.
Reeson, A. E. (2006). Urban outfalls and the effects of effluent on intertidal taxa on seawalls in Sydney Harbour. Honours thesis, University of Sydney.
Underwood, A.J. & M.J. Anderson (1997). Project Anchor: managing environmental impacts of recreational boating, Final report for the Boating Industry Association.
Underwood, A.J. & P.B. Barnes (1999). Marine flora and fauna in the vicinity of Davis Marina, Sydney Harbour, Final report to Davis Marina.
Underwood, A.J. & J. People (2001). Fouling by mussels in the inlet pipe of the cooling system, Final Report for Star City Casino.
Widmer, W.M. (2003). Recreational boating in Sydney Harbour, Australia: science, perceptions and management. Ph.D. thesis, University of Sydney.
Widmer, W.M., A.J. Underwood & M.G. Chapman (2002). Public perception of potential environmental impacts of recreational boating on Sydney Harbour. Natural Resource Management , Vol. 5, pp. 22-27.
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(1997-2008)
Centre for research on Ecological Impacts of Coastal Cities
University of Sydney
Last modified: January 23, 2008
Comments to: eicc@eicc.bio.usyd.edu.au