This book focuses on the ecological impacts of the Great East Japan Earthquake and resulting
tsunamis a rare and extremely large disturbance event on various coastal ecosystems in
Japan's Tohoku area including sub-tidal and tidal animal communities sand dune plant
communities and coastal forests. The studies presented here describe not only how species and
populations in these ecosystems were disturbed by the earthquake and tsunamis but also how the
communities have responded to the event and what types of anthropogenic activities will hamper
their recovery processes. In the ecological sciences it is often argued that large
disturbances are critical to shaping community structures and biodiversity in local and
regional habitats. However our understanding of these roles remains limited simply because
there have been few opportunities to examine and address the ecological impacts of large
disturbance events. The scale of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake makes it one of the
largest hazards in the past 1000 years. Thus this book provides a unique opportunity to
advance our understanding of the ecological impacts of large and rare disturbances and the
implications of these events in the conservation and management of coastal ecosystems.
Following an outline of the Great East Japan Earthquake the book's content is divided into two
major parts. Part I reports on studies examining the ecological impacts of the tsunamis on
sub-tidal and tidal animal communities while Part II focuses on terrestrial plant communities
in Japan's coastal Tohoku area. This book will benefit all scientists interested in the
ecological impacts of large disturbances on aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems in general and
especially those who are interested in the ecological management of coastal ecosystems and
Ecosystem based Disaster Risk Reduction (EcoDRR).
