Freshwater Ecology A Scientific Introduction

by Closs, Gerry; Downes, Barbara; Boulton, Andrew

• ISBN13: 9780632052660
• ISBN10: 063205266X
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-12-19
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Summary

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. General reviews on the methods of science, influence of scale, and the main features of freshwater systems. Coverage of several fundamental and applied ecological questions. 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. Suggested further reading lists for each chapter.

Author Biography

Gerry Closs is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Otago. His research interests include ecology of freshwater fish and the structure and dynamics of food webs in streams and lakes.

Barbara Downes is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Melbourne with research experience in both freshwater and marine environments. She conducts research on questions in basic ecology as well as examining the effects of human impacts on the environment. Andrew Boulton is an Associate Professor in Aquatic Ecology at the University of New England. His research interests lie in river ecology and management, temporary waters, surface water/groundwater interactions, and tertiary science

Table of Contents

Preface	xiii
Part 1 The Tools of Freshwater Ecological Science	1	(74)
Chapter 1 What is ecological science?	3	(15)
1.1 Introduction	3	(1)
1.2 What is science?	4	(1)
1.3 Scientific methods	5	(4)
1.3.1 Forms of reasoning: induction and deduction	5	(2)
1.3.2 'Strong inference'	7	(1)
1.3.3 Where do hypotheses come from?	8	(1)
1.3.4 Biases in science	9	(1)
1.4 The nature of the science of ecology	9	(2)
1.4.1 What is ecology?	9	(1)
1.4.2 Research traditions in ecology	10	(1)
1.5 Types of studies in ecology	11	(2)
1.5.1 Natural history	12	(1)
1.5.2 Empirical surveys	12	(1)
1.5.3 Modelling	12	(1)
1.5.4 Experiments	13	(1)
1.6 Scientific method in ecology	13	(3)
1.6.1 The falsificationist approach in ecology	13	(3)
1.6.2 Induction in ecology	16	(1)
1.7 Ecology - where to in the future?	16	(1)
1.8 Further reading	17	(1)
Chapter How does scale of measurement affect what we see?	18	(13)
2.1 Introduction	18	(2)
2.2 A quick discussion of variables	20	(2)
2.3 What is scale?	22	(2)
2.4 How does the scale of measurement affect what we see?	24	(4)
2.4.1 Effects of sample resolution	24	(3)
2.4.2 Effects of sample range	27	(1)
2.5 A big problem: scaling up and down	28	(2)
2.6 Further reading	30	(1)
Chapter 3 Wonderful water: linkages from the atom to the biosphere	31	(10)
3.1 A day in the life of a water molecule	31	(1)
3.2 Water, water, everywhere ...	32	(1)
3.3 Why is water such a remarkable molecule?	33	(1)
3.4 Ecologically relevant properties of water	34	(2)
3.5 How does water circulate at a global scale?	36	(2)
3.6 Human impacts on the hydrological cycle	38	(2)
3.7 Further reading	40	(1)
Chapter 4 What is in lakes?	41	(15)
4.1 A year in the life of a temperate lake in Wisconsin	41	(1)
4.2 Seeking patterns in the diversity of standing waters: describing and categorizing lakes	42	(2)
4.3 What are the physical and chemical consequences of stratification?	44	(1)
4.4 Where to live? Habitats in standing waters	45	(2)
4.5 What lives in lakes?	47	(5)
4.5.1 Plants	47	(2)
4.5.2 Microbial organisms 48
4.5.3 Invertebrates	49	(2)
4.5.4 Vertebrates	51	(1)
4.6 Lake food webs	52	(2)
4.7 What to study in lakes?	54	(1)
4.8 Further reading	55	(1)
Chapter 5 What is in rivers and streams?	56	(19)
5.1 Contrasts among running waters	56	(1)
5.2 Does the typical river exist?	57	(1)
5.3 Describing key features of river systems	58	(1)
5.4 How can flow organize processes in running waters?	59	(2)
5.5 Flow, sediments and transport	61	(1)
5.6 Chemical features of running waters	62	(1)
5.7 Where to live? Habitats in running waters	63	(2)
5.8 What lives in running waters?	65	(4)
5.8.1 Plants	65	(1)
5.8.2 Microbial organisms	65	(2)
5.8.3 Invertebrates	67	(1)
5.8.4 Vertebrates	68	(1)
5.9 Food webs in streams and rivers	69	(3)
5.10 What to study in streams and rivers?	72	(1)
5.11 Further reading	72	(3)
Part 2 Fundamental Ecological Questions	75	(62)
Chapter 6 How are population numbers and structure affected by dispersal?	77	(15)
6.1 It rains - and previously dry beds gradually boil with life	77	(1)
6.2 Some basic population ecology	78	(3)
6.2.1 A big question	81	(1)
6.3 Can dispersal limit sizes and occurrences of freshwater populations?	81	(2)
6.3.1 Dispersal methods in freshwater organisms	82	(1)
6.4 Two models of how dispersal might affect population numbers	83	(1)
6.5 Dispersal and colonization by lotic organisms	84	(4)
6.5.1 Dispersal by the mayfly Baetis in an Arctic river	86	(2)
6.5.2 Dispersal and the shrimp Paratva and the mayfly Baetis in tropical streams	88	(1)
6.6 Dispersal and colonization in lentic organisms	88	(2)
6.7 Conclusion	90	(1)
6.8 Further reading	90	(2)
Chapter 7 Why do organisms occupy particular habitats?	92	(14)
7.1 Finding a place to live	92	(1)
7.2 What are habitats?	93	(1)
7.3 How do organisms end up in particular habitats?	93	(4)
7.3.1 A simple model of habitat selection	95	(2)
7.3.2 Other models that explain species distributions	97	(1)
7.4 Blackfly larvae in streams	97	(2)
7.5 Blackflies and simple habitat selection	99	(1)
7.6 Blackfly larvae and other models of distribution	100	(4)
7.7 Conclusion	104	(1)
7.8 Further reading	105	(1)
Chapter 8 How do freshwater communities recover from disturbance?	106	(18)
8.1 A storm in Fiordland, New Zealand	106	(2)
8.2 How do communities recover from disturbance?	108	(1)
8.3 Flash floods in desert streams	109	(7)
8.3.1 Describing patterns of succession in Sycamore Creek	109	(2)
8.3.2 Are all floods the same?	111	(2)
8.3.3 Are patterns of recovery following floods predictable?	113	(3)
8.4 Models of community recovery in desert streams	116	(1)
8.5 Testing the flood disturbance model	116	(3)
8.5.1 Does the spatial and temporal extent of a disturbance influence community recovery?	117	(2)
8.6 Does disturbance influence freshwater communities?	119	(3)
8.7 Further reading	122	(2)
Chapter 9 What is the impact of predators in freshwater systems?	124	(13)
9.1 Observing predation	124	(1)
9.2 Does fish predation structure aquatic communities?	125	(1)
9.3 Does land use or predation determine the distribution of galaxiid fish?	126	(7)
9.3.1 Describing the pattern	126	(3)
9.3.2 Interpreting patterns of trout and galaxiid distribution	129	(1)
9.3.3 Testing hypotheses: have trout had a wider impact on New Zealand stream communities?	130	(3)
9.4 Conclusion: does predation structure freshwater communities?	133	(1)
9.5 Further reading	134	(3)
Part 3 Applied Freshwater Ecology	137	(67)
Chapter 10 What are the ecological effects of changing a water regime?	139	(18)
10.1 The Aral Sea disaster - the result of changes in water regime	139	(1)
10.2 Introduction	140	(1)
10.3 Determining the impacts of an altered water regime in rivers	141	(10)
10.3.1 What is the impact of water regime on riparian vegetation?	142	(4)
10.3.2 Can we use spatial comparisons to determine the impact of altering water regime?	146	(5)
10.4 Can we predict the impact of an altered water regime?	151	(3)
10.4.1 How does an altered water regime change a community?	151	(3)
10.5 Altering the water regime can have complex effects	154	(1)
10.6 Further reading	155	(2)
Chapter 11 How do we assess the impact of pollution?	157	(13)
11.1 The smell of failure and success: the history of pollution in the River Thames	157	(1)
11.2 Some background information on water pollution	158	(3)
11.2.1 What is water pollution?	158	(1)
11.2.2 Sources and pathways of water pollution	159	(1)
11.2.3 Detecting water pollution: chemical vs. biological methods	160	(1)
11.3 PCBs in the Great Lakes	161	(7)
11.3.1 Typical microcosms of global aquatic pollution issues: the Great Lakes	161	(2)
11.3.2 The tragic effects of the cocktail of contaminants	163	(1)
11.3.3 The pathway of the pollutant	164	(1)
11.3.4 PCBs in fish - management of the Great Lakes fishery	164	(3)
11.3.5 Persistence of PCBs in the Great Lakes	167	(1)
11.4 Conclusion	168	(1)
11.5 Further reading	168	(2)
Chapter 12 Can we fix smelly, green lakes?	170	(18)
12.1 A lake turns green and smelly	170	(1)
12.2 Using ecological theory to understand lake eutrophication	171	(1)
12.3 Putting theory into practice: food webs, trophic cascades and biomanipulation	171	(2)
12.4 Do trophic cascades occur in lentic systems?	173	(1)
12.5 A classic correlative study: fish and zooplankton relationships in space and time	174	(2)
12.6 Meta-analysis: testing the trophic cascade model across systems	176	(1)
12.7 Experimental studies: controlled manipulation of pelagic food webs	177	(6)
12.7.1 Experimental mesocosms: pelagic dynamics in plastic bags	177	(2)
12.7.2 Manipulating whole lakes	179	(4)
12.8 Reviewing the results of fish manipulation experiments	183	(1)
12.9 Does biomanipulation work?	184	(2)
12.10 Further reading	186	(2)
Chapter 13 What is the impact of introduced species?	188	(16)
13.1 Finding the same fish wherever we go!	188	(1)
13.2 What are the effects of introduced species?	189	(1)
13.3 The invasion of the zebra mussel	190	(11)
13.3.1 Zebra mussels invade North America	191	(1)
13.3.2 How widespread are zebra mussels, and are they reproducing?	191	(3)
13.3.3 How far will zebra mussels spread?	194	(1)
13.3.4 How do zebra mussels spread?	195	(3)
13.3.5 What do zebra mussels do to freshwater ecosystems?	198	(1)
13.3.6 Comparing an ecosystem before and after a zebra mussel invasion	199	(2)
13.3.7 Experimental studies of zebra mussel impact	201	(1)
13.4 Science and the management of invasive species	201	(2)
13.5 Further reading	203	(1)
Concluding remarks	204	(3)
Index	207