Littoral ecology and biogeography of the southern oceans

• Published in: Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B. Biological Sciences
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: The Royal Society 1960
• Subjects: Antarctic; Cape Horn; New Zealand; Antarc*
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.1960.0068; https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rspb.1960.0068

This contribution is concerned with the littoral ecology and biogeography of the southern oceans, and at the outset I would like to define its scope. I have used the term littoral in a broad sense, to include all those zones (supralittoral, intertidal or true littoral, and sub-littoral) between the lower limit of the land vegetation and the lower limit of algal growth. Attention will be concentrated on the southern cold-temperate zone, which is also broadly defined in view of the varying limits which have been placed on it according to the bases used; oceanographic, faunistic or floristic. Adjoining antarctic and warm temperate zones are discussed where relevant. The following account is based on personal experience of the greater part of the New Zealand coastline, the Chatham Islands and the west coast of South America from Montemar near Valparaiso to Isla Hermite in the Cape Horn group. All these regions have been studied intensively. Brief visits have also been paid to shores in Peru, in New South Wales near Sydney, and in South Australia.