Introduction: objectives and outline of the thesis

The thesis focuses on the nursery function of the Westerschelde and Oosterschelde estuaries for demersal fish and macro-invertebrate species. The main aim of the thesis is to provide a baseline about the higher trophic levels for future process studies in the Delta area. More specifically, both structural and functional patterns in several population parameters (density, biomass, growth, biodiversity, Jood and feeding behaviour) are investigated at community and species levels, and at different temporal (short-, mid- and long-term) and spatial (between and within estuaries) scales. This introd... Mehr ...