Aquatic systems exhibit incredible diversity - from mountain streams to deep oceans, from lakes and ponds to the estuaries that link river and sea. Despite their distinct characters, however, these systems share common properties and, at the level of ecology, are not all that different after all. But how can this be? Ecology of Aquatic Systems brings together coverage of freshwater and marine systems to illustrate the principles and properties that unify aquatic systems. Using examples drawn from a wide geographical range, the book presents a broad survey of the field that acts as the ideal foundation for further study. Opening with a review of the different types of aquatic system and their interconnected nature, and the diversity of life within aquatic systems, the book goes on to explore the key types of aquatic habitat, emphasising the ecological themes that pervade each system. Written with students in the centre of the frame, Ecology of Aquatic Systems retains the succinct, lucid style for which the first edition was praised, and includes cross-references throughout, a substantial glossary, and extensive index, to help readers engage with, and fully understand, the material presented. With the global importance of aquatic systems becoming more apparent - and the need for effective management of these systems becoming increasingly clear - there has never been a more important time for students to fully grasp the fundamentals of aquatic systems. Ecology of Aquatic Systems is the ideal course companion to achieve this goal. Online Resource Centre: The Online Resource Centre features: For registered adopters of the text: - Figures from the book in electronic format, ready to download; - A testbank of multiple-choice questions, for use in formative or summative assessment For students: - Hyperlinks to literature articles cited in the text

This concise, readable introduction to limnology (the science of investigating the structure and function of inland waters), places the subject in the context of modern ecology. Unlike most ecological textbooks, which use examples taken almost exclusively from terrestrial systems, this book integrates the fields of limnology and ecology by presenting empirical data drawn entirely from freshwater ecosystems in order to advance ecological theories (limnoecology).
This second edition builds upon the strengths of the first with the structure of the book following the same hierarchical concept of ecology, from habitat properties, individuals, populations, coupled populations and communities to ecosystems. However, it has been thoroughly revised throughout to incorporate findings from new technologies and methods (notably the rapid development of molecular genetic methods and stable isotope techniques) that have allowed a rapid and ongoing development of the field. There is a new emphasis on food webs, species diversity and ecosystem functioning, climate change, and conservation management. Key ecological questions are examined in the light of the latest experimental evidence. Throughout the text evolutionary theory is applied to an understanding of freshwater ecosystems, thereby filling a niche between traditional limnology and evolutionary ecology.
This accessible text is suitable for both undergraduate and graduate students taking courses in limnology, freshwater ecology, and aquatic biology as well as the many professional limnologists, ecologists and conservation biologists requiring a concise but authoritative overview of the topic.

Here is a comprehensive review of the ecology of freshwater bivalves and gastropods worldwide. Robert Dillon discusses the ecology of these species in its broadest sense, including diet, habitat, and reproductive biology to emphasize the tremendous diversity of these freshwater invertebrates. He develops a new life history model that unifies them and reviews their population and community ecology, treating competition, predation, parasitism, and biogeography. Extensively referenced and synthesizing work from the nineteenth century through to the present day, this book includes original analyses that unify previous work into a coherent whole.

This book describes soft sediments in the sea and in estuaries as habitats for a wide range of animals and plants and techniques used to study them. Designed to be accessible to readers at all levels, it discusses organisms and their adaptations on sandy shores, mudflats, seagrass beds, salt marshes, mangrove swamps and below the tide marks. It emphasizes the special characteristics of estuaries, including life in the estuarine water column and estuarine food webs, and considers pollution problems and conservation approaches.

Teleost (bony) fishes represent the most abundant taxonomic group of vertebrates. They are found in all conceivable types of aquatic environment and are extremely diverse behaviourally. Behavioural ecology of teleost fishes reviews the recent advances in knowledge of behavioural strategies and tactics of habitat selection and space use, foraging, predator avoidance and evasion, and reproduction among the teleost fishes. It proposes new directions and approaches for future research. It also considers the impact of individual behaviour on population and community ecology.

Rivers have been vitally important to human populations worldwide for millennia as “highways” for inland travel, and as sources of water for drinking, cooking, cleaning, manufacturing, irrigation, and power generation, as well as repositories for human, animal, and industrial wastes. This accessible textbook takes a broad approach to river ecology, covering the basics but going beyond by including topics that are often overlooked such as blackwater streams and rivers, tidal creek ecosystems, and reservoir limnology. Since most running water (lotic) systems have been altered or impacted by human activities, there is significant emphasis on anthropogenic impacts, including sedimentation, nutrient pollution and related eutrophication issues as well as the effects of dams and river fragmentation, power plant operations, chemical contamination, wastewater treatment discharges, industrial scale livestock production, invasive species, and rural and urban storm water runoff on river ecosystems. Advances in stream and river restoration are also discussed.

Riparian Landscapes examines the ecological systems of streamside and floodplain areas from the perspective of landscape ecology. The specific spatial pattern of riparian vegetation is seen as a result of, and a control on, the ecological, geomorphological, and hydrological processes that operate along rivers. Riparian structures are controlled by the spatial dynamics of channels, flooding and soil moisture. These dynamics are part of integrated cascades of water, sediment, nutrients and carbon, to which animal and plant species respond in ways that illuminate community structure and competition. The role of the riparian zone in controlling species distribution and abundance is discussed. Intelligent management of these valuable ecological resources is highlighted. The potential for linking hydrological, geomorphological and ecological simulation models is also explored. This book will be of interest to graduate and professional research workers in environmental science, ecology and physical geography.

The challenges that the world's running water systems now face have never been more numerous or acute; at the same time, these complex habitats remain absolutely crucial to human wellbeing and future survival. If rivers can ever be anything like sustainable, ecology needs to take its place as an equal among the physical sciences such as hydrology and geomorphology. A real understanding of the natural history and ecology of running waters must now be brought even more prominently into river management. The primary purpose of this textbook is to provide the up-to-date overview that students and practitioners will require to achieve this aim. The book's unifying focus is on rivers and streams as ecosystems in which the particular identity of organisms is not the main emphasis but rather the processes in which they are involved - specifically energy flow and the cycling of materials. It builds on the physicochemical foundations of the habitat templet and explores the diversity and adaptations of the biota, progressing from the population and community ecology of organisms and linking them to ecosystem processes and services in the wider biosphere via the complexities of species interactions and food webs. These include water quality and patterns of river discharge, as well as aesthetics, waste disposal, and environmental health. While the book is not primarily focused on application per se, each chapter addresses how humans affect rivers and, in turn, are affected by them. A final, future-oriented chapter identifies key strategic areas and sets a roadmap for integrating knowledge of natural history and ecology into policy and management. The Biology and Ecology of Streams and Rivers is an accessible text suitable for both senior undergraduate and graduate students taking courses in both lotic and general ecology as well as more established researchers, practitioners, managers, and conservationists requiring a concise and contemporary overview of running waters.

This book deals with the lifestyles of phytoplankton, the microscopic plant life living in the open waters of lakes, ponds and rivers and makes frequent references to the phytoplankton of the sea. It reviews adaptations required of organisms to live their lives independently of solid surfaces and the different ways that these have been achieved. Chapters dealing with particular topics are arranged in approximately the order in which they become a problem to the organism: How can it stay up in the water? Can it gain sufficient light and nutrients? How fast can it grow under different conditions? And what are the results of sinking out, feeding by animals, attacks by parasitic fungi and bacteria? The final chapter assembles this information to show ways in which plankton changes with season and through much longer periods of time, contrasting the behaviours in different types of lakes. This book is important for two reasons: it is the first major book on the subject for some years and projects many recent research findings; and the approach departs from previous volumes in concentrating on needs and adaptive responses to them.

Aquatic insects are the dominant invertebrate fauna in most freshwater ecosystems, and figure prominently in the work of a diverse range of researchers, students, and environmental managers. Often employed as indicators of ecosystem health, aquatic insects are also commonly used as model systems to test hypotheses in ecological topics including metapopulation and metacommunity dynamics, recruitment limitation, trophic interactions, and trophic networks. Due to their complex life cycles, aquatic insects must master both terrestrial and aquatic environments, crossing these ecosystem boundaries during different stages of development and reproduction. In this wide-ranging text, life under and on top of the water surface are covered in unusual detail, including the biomechanics of life in water, locomotion underwater and on surface films, gas exchange, physico-chemical stressors, feeding, sensory perception and communication, reproduction, egg-laying and development, and the evolution of aquatic habits. The threatened status of freshwaters around the world, coupled with an expanding population of researchers and managers charged with their well-being, signals the importance of such a book as many individuals seek to understand how insects function in these often challenging physical environments. Interest in freshwaters may never have been higher with ever-increasing conflict between water allocation for human (agricultural) use and conservation. Aquatic Entomology is suitable for graduate students, researchers, and managers interested in the subject from a perspective of either basic or applied ecology. It will also be a valuable supplementary text for courses in limnology or freshwater ecology, entomology, and water resource management.

Marine and freshwater systems are being placed under pressure like never before. A bigger and more demanding human population has meant increased utilisation of aquatic systems and, as such, the need for sustainable solutions to allow the development and conservation of these systems has become an international priority. In order to understand the limits of exploitation, an understanding is needed of the ecological principles that constrain levels of productivity and the systems' responses to exploitation pressure. This timely book explores current exploitation practices, and the ecological basis and consequences of that exploitation. From a consideration of the ecological effects of the extraction of non-living resources, including energy and water itself, it progresses to the biology and ecology of aquatic organisms, and how these underpin the harvesting for aquatic resources. A discussion of the ecological consequences for the system of its use as a means of transport and as a repository for wastes follows, along with the increasing importance of aquatic systems for human recreational pursuits. Finally, effective management strategies for natural hazards, the provision of ecological goods and services, and restoration of aquatic systems are considered, as well as the importance of ecological science in exploitation management. The role of science in providing an understanding of the effects of human intervention in aquatic systems is emphasised throughout, along with a consideration of the role of ecology in the sustainable management of the consequences of human activity. Online Resource Centre The Online Resource Centre to accompany Ecology of Aquatic Management features: For students: * Library of web links, giving students quick access to a range of additional resources * Topical updates - surveys of key developments in the field For lecturers: * Figures

Inducible defenses--those often dramatic phenotypic shifts in prey activated by biological agents ranging from predators to pathogens--are widespread in the natural world. Yet research on the inducible defenses used by vertebrates, invertebrates, and plants in terrestrial, marine, and freshwater habitats has largely developed along independent lines. Ralph Tollrian and Drew Harvell seek to change that here. By bringing together leading researchers from all fields to review common themes and explore emerging ideas, this book represents the most current and comprehensive survey of knowledge about the ecology and evolution of inducible defenses.

Contributors examine organisms as different as unicellular algae and higher vertebrates, and consider defenses ranging from immune systems to protective changes in morphology, behavior, chemistry, and life history. The authors of the review chapters, case studies, and theoretical studies pinpoint unifying factors favoring the evolution of inducible defenses. Throughout, the volume emphasizes a multidisciplinary approach, integrating applied and theoretical ecology, evolution, genetics, and chemistry. In addition, Harvell and Tollrian provide an introduction and a conclusion that review the current state of knowledge in the field and identify areas for future research.

The contributors, in addition to the editors, are May Berenbaum, Arthur Zangerl, Johannes Jaremo, Juha Tuomi, Patric Nilsson, Anurag Agrawal, Richard Karban, Marcel Dicke, Ellen Van Donk, Miquel Lurling, Winfried Lampert, Simon Frost, John Gilbert, Hans-Werner Kuhlmann, Jurgen Kusch, Klaus Heckmann, Luc De Meester, Piotr Dawidowicz, Erik van Gool, Carsten Loose, Stanley Dodson, Christer Bronmark, Lars Pettersson, Anders Nilsson, Bradley Anholt, Earl Werner, Curtis Lively, Frederick Adler, Daniel Grunbaum, and Wilfried Gabriel."

Global wetlands exhibit significant differences in both hydrology and species composition and range from moss-dominated arctic peatlands to seasonally-flooded tropical floodplains. They are increasingly recognized for the important services that they provide to both the environment and human society such as wildlife and fish production, nutrient filtering, and carbon sequestration.
A combination of low oxygen levels and dense plant canopies present particular challenges for organisms living in this aquatic habitat. This concise textbook discusses the universal environmental and biological features of wetland habitats, with an emphasis on wetland plants and animals and their adaptations. It also describes the functional features of wetlands - primary production, litter decomposition, food webs, and nutrient cycling - and their significance locally and globally. The future of wetlands is examined, including the potential threats of global climate change and invasive species, as well as their restoration and creation.
This new edition maintains the structure and style of the first, but is fully updated throughout with new chapters on invasive species, restoration/creation, global climate change, and the value of wetlands.

Snow and ice environments support significant biological activity, yet the biological importance of some of these habitats, such as glaciers, has only recently gained appreciation. Collectively, these ecosystems form a significant part of the cryosphere, most of which is situated at high latitudes. These ice environments are important sentinels of climate change since the polar regions are presently undergoing the highest rates of climate warming, resulting in very marked changes in the extent of ice caps, glaciers, and the sea ice. Glacial systems are also regarded as an analogue for astrobiology, particularly for Mars and the moons of Jupiter (e.g. Europa), and one of the justifications for research in this area is its potential value in astrobiology. This timely and accessible volume draws together the current knowledge on life in snow and ice environments. It describes these often complex and often productive ecosystems, their physical and chemical conditions, and the nature and activity of the organisms that have colonised them. The cryosphere is the domain of extremophiles, organisms able to adapt to the physiological and biochemical challenges of harsh cold conditions where liquid water may only be present for relatively short periods each year. The majority of extremophiles in ice and snow are microorganisms. The Ecology of Snow and Ice Environments is intended for the non-specialist, enabling environmental scientists to understand the biological functioning of extreme cold environments and for biologists to gain knowledge of the nature of the cryosphere.

This practical manual of freshwater ecology and conservation provides a state-of-the-art review of the approaches and techniques used to measure, monitor, and conserve freshwater ecosystems. It offers a single, comprehensive, and accessible synthesis of the vast amount of literature for freshwater ecology and conservation that is currently dispersed in manuals, toolkits, journals, handbooks, 'grey' literature, and websites. Successful conservation outcomes are ultimately built on a sound ecological framework in which every species must be assessed and understood at the individual, community, catchment and landscape level of interaction. For example, freshwater ecologists need to understand hydrochemical storages and fluxes, the physical systems influencing freshwaters at the catchment and landscape scale, and the spatial and temporal processes that maintain species assemblages and their dynamics. A thorough understanding of all these varied processes, and the techniques for studying them, is essential for the effective conservation and management of freshwater ecosystems.

Lakes and rivers of the tropics are rich with variety and human relevance, yet do not figure prominently in surveys of general freshwater biology and limnology. The fruits of their scientific exploration are largely embodied in regional and specialist descriptions and analyses. In this book the authors take a generalized view, on a world-wide scale, that is dynamic and quantitative in outlook. They set out to integrate events and processes under tropical conditions, not only geographically but also within a continuum of physics, chemistry and biology, so providing a foundation that will be of value to all who study and work with tropical inland waters.

Integrating research into freshwater biodiversity and the role of keystone species, this fascinating book presents freshwater crayfish as representatives of human-exacerbated threats to biodiversity and conservation. It uses examples from these and other large decapod invertebrates to explore how communities function and are controlled, alongside the implications of human demands and conflicts over limited resources, notably the severe impacts on biodiversity. The discussion is structured around three key topics – the present situation of crayfish in world freshwater ecosystems, the applications of science to conservation management and knowledge transfer for successful crayfish management. It outlines the historic exploitation of crayfish, addressing the problems caused by invasive alien forms and explaining the importance of correct identification when dealing with conservation issues. Offering a global perspective on freshwater systems, the book ultimately highlights how the conservation of such large and long-lived species will help protect ecosystem quality in the future.

Freshwater is a valuable resource for human populations, and has many uses such as water for drinking, hydroelectric power and recreation. This creates conflict between conservation and exploitation. This book explores various aspects of conservation evaluation, including the selection of important areas for protection, responding to threats from catchment development, and determining the restoration potential of degraded water bodies. Aimed at academic researchers, graduate students and professionals, chapters are written by pairs of UK and US authors, who compare methods used for evaluating rivers and lakes for conservation in these countries who share a long history of freshwater science, but approach nature conservation very differently. Sweden, Australia and South Africa are also examined, and there is a chapter on developing countries, allowing examination of the role of social and economic conditions in conservation ethics.

Freshwater is a valuable resource for human populations, and has many uses such as water for drinking, hydroelectric power and recreation. This creates conflict between conservation and exploitation. This book explores various aspects of conservation evaluation, including the selection of important areas for protection, responding to threats from catchment development, and determining the restoration potential of degraded water bodies. Aimed at academic researchers, graduate students and professionals, chapters are written by pairs of UK and US authors, who compare methods used for evaluating rivers and lakes for conservation in these countries who share a long history of freshwater science, but approach nature conservation very differently. Sweden, Australia and South Africa are also examined, and there is a chapter on developing countries, allowing examination of the role of social and economic conditions in conservation ethics.

There is now an increased awareness of the importance of polar regions in the Earth system, as well as their vulnerability to anthropogenic derived change, including of course global climate change. This new edition offers a concise but comprehensive introduction to polar ecology and has been thoroughly revised and updated throughout, providing expanded coverage of marine ecosystems and the impact of humans. It incorporates a detailed comparison of the Arctic and Antarctic systems, with a particular emphasis on the effects of climate change, and describes marine, freshwater, glacial, and terrestrial habitats. This breadth of coverage is unique in the polar biology literature.
As with other titles in the Biology of Habitats Series, particular emphasis is placed on the organisms that dominate these extreme environments although pollution, conservation and experimental aspects are also considered. This accessible text is suitable for both senior undergraduate and graduate students taking courses in polar ecology, often as part of a wider marine biology degree program. It will also be of value and use to the many professional ecologists and conservation biologists requiring a concise overview of the topic.

In Darwin's Fishes, Daniel Pauly presents an encyclopaedia of ichthyology, ecology and evolution, based upon everything that Charles Darwin ever wrote about fish. Entries are arranged alphabetically and can be about, for example, a particular fish taxon, an anatomical part, a chemical substance, a scientist, a place, or an evolutionary or ecological concept. The reader can start wherever they like and are then led by a series of cross-references on a fascinating voyage of interconnected entries, each indirectly or directly connected with original writings from Darwin himself. Along the way, the reader is offered interpretation of the historical material put in the context of both Darwin's time and that of contemporary biology and ecology. This book is intended for anyone interested in fishes, the work of Charles Darwin, evolutionary biology and ecology, and natural history in general.

Chrysophytes are beautiful and delicate organisms living mostly in freshwater. They are pivotal for studies of protistan evolution, studies of food web dynamics in oligotrophic freshwater ecosystems, and for assessment of environmental degradation resulting from eutrophication and acid rain. They also represent excellent model cellular systems for studying processes inherent in basic metabolism, biomineralization, endo- and exocytosis and macro-assembly of cell surface layers. This book gives a broad overview of chrysophytes and contains chapters by leading experts organized under the themes of phylogeny, systematics and evolution; development, physiology, and nutrition; and ecology, paleoecology, and reproduction. The book contains major contributions towards a reorganization of chrysophyte systematics, plus comprehensive reviews of chrysophyte basic metabolism, biomineralization and siliceous scale deposition, ecology, paleoecology, and a history of chrysophyte research. Contributors present reviews of the literature in their particular area and also present ideas for future research.

Growing human populations and higher demands for water impose increasing impacts and stresses upon freshwater biodiversity. Their combined effects have made these animals more endangered than their terrestrial and marine counterparts. Overuse and contamination of water, overexploitation and overfishing, introduction of alien species, and alteration of natural flow regimes have led to a 'great thinning' and declines in abundance of freshwater animals, a 'great shrinking' in body size with reductions in large species, and a 'great mixing' whereby the spread of introduced species has tended to homogenize previously dissimilar communities in different parts of the world. Climate change and warming temperatures will alter global water availability, and exacerbate the other threat factors. What conservation action is needed to halt or reverse these trends, and preserve freshwater biodiversity in a rapidly changing world? This book offers the tools and approaches that can be deployed to help conserve freshwater biodiversity.

This book provides a detailed overview to the topic of international fisheries governance and the drivers of IUU fishing. Technologies that directly address these challenges reduce costs and improve and expand farm operations both offshore and especially on land are reported in this communication. The book provides information on the following areas to scientists, resource managers and researchers working with big data to advance more sustainable fisheries practices. Modeling in the areas of Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR), Specific Feeding Ratio (SFR), Key Performance Indicators (KPI) that are needed for efficient management of resources for sustainable production from fisheries sector. Note: T&F does not sell or distribute the Hardback in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. This title is co-published with New India Publishing Agency.

The first comprehensive monograph on periphyton, this book contains contributions by scientists from around the globe. Multi-disciplinary in nature, it covers both basic and applied aspects of periphyton, and is applicable worldwide in natural, extensive and intensive managed systems. Periphyton, as described in this book, refers to the entire complex of attached aquatic biota on submerged substrates, including associated non-attached organisms and detritus. Thus the periphyton community comprises bacteria, fungi, protozoa, algae, zooplankton and other invertebrates. Periphyton is important for various reasons: as a major contributor to carbon fixation and nutrient cycling in aquatic ecosystems; as an important source of food in aquatic systems; as an indicator of environmental change. It can also be managed to improve water quality in lakes and reservoirs; it can greatly increase aquaculture production; it can be used in waste water treatment. The book provides an international review of periphyton ecology, exploitation and management. The ecology part focuses on periphyton structure and function in natural systems. The exploitation part covers its nutritive qualities and utilization by organisms, particularly in aquaculture. The final part considers the use of periphyton for increasing aquatic production and its effects on water quality and animal health in culture systems. This book will help scientists and entrepreneurs further understand the ecology and production of aquatic systems and venture into new and promising areas.