Freshwater Ecology: A Scientific Introduction

Year 2003

ISBN No. 9780632052660

No.of pages 240

Subject Science and Technology, Ecological science, the Biosphere, Freshwater biology, Limnology

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Freshwater ecosystems are under increasing pressure as human populations grow and the need for clean water intensifies. The demand for ecologists and environmental managers who are trained in basic freshwater ecology has never been greater. Students and practitioners new to the field of freshwater ecology and management need a text that provides them with an accessible introduction to the key questions while still providing sufficient background on basic scientific methods. Gerry Closs, Barbara Downes and Andrew Boulton have written a text that meets the requirements of these students. Following an introduction to scientific methodology and its application to the study of ecology, several key concepts in freshwater ecology are reviewed using a wide range of scientific studies into fundamental and applied ecological questions.Key ecological questions that are explored in a freshwater context include the role of animal dispersal and predators on freshwater community structure and the impact of pollutants and introduced species on freshwater ecosystems. This book represents the only freshwater ecology textbook that is specifically aimed at an introductory level. It will also be a useful primer for students who have not previously taken a specialized freshwater course but who require an accessible overview of the subject. It presents general reviews on the methods of science, influence of scale, and the main features of freshwater systems. The book features coverage of several fundamental and applied ecological questions, and a logical structure in each chapter that builds from a general observation of an ecological pattern, to an exploration of the various scientific approaches that can be used to investigate such patterns. Further reading lists for each chapter is suggested.

Table of contents

Preface.Part I: The Tools Of Freshwater Ecological Science.1. What Is Ecological Science?.2. How Does Scale Of Measurement Affect What We See?.3. Wonderful Water: Linkages From The Atom To The Biosphere.4. What's In A Lake?.5. What's In Rivers And Streams?.Part II: Fundamental Ecological Questions.6. How Are Population Numbers And Structure Affected By Dispersal?.7. Why Do Organisms Occupy Particular Habitats?.8. How Do Freshwater Communities Recover From Disturbance?.9. What Is The Impact Of Predators In Freshwater Systems?.Part III: Applied Freshwater Ecology.10. What Are The Ecological Effects Of Changing A Water Regime?.11. How Do We Assess The Impact Of Pollution?.12. Can We Fix Smelly, Green Lakes?.13. What Is The Impact Of Introduced Species?.Concluding Remarks.Index.