...This chapter follows the size-structure of the entire marine ecosystem. It shows how the Sheldon spectrum emerges from predator–prey interactions and the limitations that physics and physiology place on individual organisms. How predator–prey interactions and physiological limitations scale...

... the story of coral as an essential element of the marine ecosystem, a cherished personal ornament, a global commodity, and a powerful political metaphor. The book shows how coral once helped Americans to recognize both the potential and the limits of interdependence—to imagine that their society could grow...