The Biology of Streams and Rivers

by Giller, Paul S.; Malmqvist, Björn

• ISBN13: 9780198549789
• ISBN10: 0198549784
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1999-02-18
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

An easy-to-read, beautifully illustrated undergraduate-level introduction to fresh- and running-water biology. Each chapter includes practical information on simple studies and experiments for students to try. The text begins with the physical features that define running water (lotic) habitats then continues with organisms that inhabit these habitats, and concludes with a discussion of applied issues surrounding water use, including pollution, species diversity, and conservation. The authors outline the range of living organisms in lotic habitats, and the environmental adaptations they exhibit. They discuss population, community, and ecosystem patterns and processes, such as energy flow, nutrient cycling, migration, food webs, and community structure. Particular consideration is given to links between stream and river channels and their surrounding landscapes, to short-term and seasonal changes, and to historical and biogeographical factors. The text concludes with a section of additional practical field work activities and a list for further reading.

Table of Contents

Running waters: a unique habitat	1	(13)
Water resources, stores, and fluxes	2	(2)
The catchment	4	(2)
Scale	6	(4)
The lotic biota	10	(2)
A unique habitat	12	(2)
Running water habitats	14	(16)
Patterns in drainage basins	14	(5)
Types of lotic habitats	19	(9)
Regional similarities and differences	28	(2)
The habitat templet	30	(41)
Physical factors	31	(13)
Water chemistry and the catchment	44	(11)
Flow and hydraulics	55	(13)
Biological interactions	68	(2)
Summary	70	(1)
Life in running waters	71	(33)
Microorganisms	72	(2)
Plants	74	(3)
Invertebrates	77	(20)
Vertebrates	97	(7)
Adaptations of life in running waters	104	(43)
Flow refuges	104	(3)
Physiological adaptations	107	(3)
Body form, size, and other features	110	(12)
Behaviour	122	(11)
Trophic adaptations	133	(6)
Life history patterns	139	(8)
Energy and nutrients	147	(23)
Food sources and energy flow	147	(8)
Secondary production	155	(2)
Community metabolism and energy budgets	157	(1)
Leaf litter breakdown and detrital processing	158	(4)
Nutrient--producer relationships and nutrient spiralling	162	(3)
Longitudinal patterns	165	(5)
Movement and interaction	170	(23)
Movement, drift, and colonization	170	(12)
Species interactions	182	(11)
Community patterns, diversity, and biogeography	193	(22)
Community patterns and processes	193	(12)
Species diversity	205	(6)
Biogeographic patterns in running water biota	211	(4)
The use, abuse, and conservation of running waters	215	(30)
Water as a resource	216	(6)
The consequence of water regulation	222	(9)
Water pollution	231	(7)
The effects of tourism and sport fishing	238	(1)
The introduction of exotic species	239	(2)
The protection of species and habitats	241	(4)
Studies in running waters	245	(5)
Further reading	250	(3)
References	253	(34)
Index	287