E-Books →Rock Pools (Naturalist's Handbooks)

The snails found living on rocky sea shores are among the most rewarding invertebrate animals to study. Species such as dog-whelks, topshells and winkles are easy to find, capture, identify, measure and mark. This book provides a key to common species, background ecology, an overview of rocky shore habitats and the techniques required for anyone to study this fascinating and accessible fauna.
Contents
Introduction Living in sand Sandy shore animals Distribution and zonation Populations, competition and predation Identification Keys I Sea anemones II Polychaetes III Cumaceans IV Mysids V Isoods VI Amphipods VII Shrimps, crabs and allies VIII Bivalves
About the author
John Crothers was educated at Solihull School and at St Catharine's College, Cambridge. After graduating BA in 1962, he gained a post-graduate Certificate in Education a year later. In July 1963, he joined the staff of the Field Studies Council as Assistant Warden of Dale Fort Field Centre under the redoutable John Barrett. In 1967, John was appointed Warden of the Leonard Wills Field Centre at Nettlecombe Court in Somerset and remained in post until he retired at the end of 1999. Academic staff at Field Centres have endless opportunities for research and John published more than 75 scientific papers; those relating to the geographical patterns of shell shape variation in dog-whelks earning him a PhD degree from Cambridge University under the Special Regulations in 1985.
In 1977, he succeeded John Barrett as the Editor of Field Studies, the Journal of the Field Studies Council and continued in that role until 2003 when the journal ceased publication. Since 1991, he has edited The Synopses of the British Fauna for the Linnean Society of London.
He reached the rank of Major (Royal Signals) in the Territotial Army, served ten years as an Appointed Member of the Exmoor National Park Committee and sat on the Councils of the British Ecological Society, The Linnean Society and the Malacological Society.
He met his wife, Marilyn, whilst at Cambridge and they married in 1964; they have a son and a daughter.