River Biota Diversity and Dynamics

by Calow, Peter P.

• ISBN13: 9780865427167
• ISBN10: 086542716X
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1996-08-06
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Summary

As with all ecosystems, river systems involve a complex interaction of a rich diversity of microorganisms, plants and animals with their physical and chemical environment. Uniquely,the river habitat presents particular problems for organisms exposed to unidirectional currents, seasonal variation in flow, and disturbance due to pollution and other human interference. The book starts with a description of the taxa, their adaptations and their ecologies, followed by chapters describing the ecosystem processes in the terms of trophic interactions and the key production processes related to photosynthesis and decomposition. An important chapter considers the principles, practices and

Author Biography

Peter P. Calow is the editor of River Biota: Diversity and Dynamics, published by Wiley.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Algae

Macrophytes

Heterotrophic microbes

Invertebrates

Riverine fishes

Food webs and species interactions

Detritus processing

Primary production

The sampling problem

Responses of aquatic biota to hydrological change

Prediction of biological responses

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