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This publication stands out from many others on fish conservation in that it deals exclusively with freshwater fish of European waters. 34 contributions offer up-to-date reviews on the conservation status of freshwater fish in 10 European countries and research results in genetics, systematics and ecology of more that 20 endangered European fish taxa. Selected examples show the changes in the fish communities of whole catchment areas under human influence in the past decades.Not only scientists in fish biology, but also fishery managers and hydraulic engineers will find new insights into the biology of endangered fish species and basic data in order to elaborate specific conservation measures for the local survival of these taxa

Global climate change is a certainty. The Earth's climate has never remained static for long and the prospect for human-accelerated climate change in the near future appears likely. Freshwater systems are intimately connected to climate in several ways: they may influence global atmospheric processes affecting climate; they may be sensitive early indicators of climate change because they integrate the atmospheric and terrestrial events occurring in their catchments; and, of course, they will be affected by climate change. An improved predictive understanding of environmental effects on pattern and process in freshwater ecosystems will be invaluable as a baseline upon which to build sound protection and management policies for fresh waters. This book represents an early step towards this improved understanding. The contributors accepted the challenge to assume global warming of 2-5oC in the next century. They then explored the implications of this scenario on various freshwater ecosystems and processes. To provide a broader perspective, Firth and Fisher included several chapters which do not deal expressly with freshwater ecosystems, but rather discuss climate change in terms of causes and mechanisms, implications for water resources, and the use of remote sensing as a tool for expanding studies from local to global scale

Since the limnological research on the man-made Brokopondo Reservoir in the 'sixties, numerous data have been collected on the ecology of Surinam rivers and swamps. This book is a compilation of these data: it is the first comprehensive survey of the aquatic ecology of one of the peripheral areas of Amazonia. The geomorphology of the country, situated on the Guyana Shield, is the main factor determining the limnological properties of rivers and creeks. This results in an overall picture that is quite different from Amazonia. The emphasis of The Ecosystems of Suriname is on the living aquatic resources, including aquatic and swamp vegetation, phyto and zooplankton, macroinvertebrates, fish, amphibians, reptiles and mammals. Although most of Suriname is still in a pristine state, the human impact on fresh waters is considerable in those areas of rapid economic development, emphasizing the necessity of conservation measures, specially tailored for aquatic ecosystems. The Ecosystems of Suriname is a valuable acquisition for all scientists, environmental managers and others interested in tropical aquatic ecology

This indispensable guide provides a comprehensive treatment of the construction and analysis of models for age- and stage-classified populations. It covers methods based on projection matrices, delay-differential equations, and partial-differential equations. The book addresses both field and laboratory studies on a wide range of specific ecosystems and taxa, as well as problems in evolution, genetics, conservation biology and epidemiology

AbstractThis research note describes an integrated regional model of the interactions between water resources and society. It examines the relations between rural and urban sectors of society and the effect on resource use of changes in supply and demand due to climate change, population movements, and other natural and social processes. This modeling effort is part of a larger project conducted at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research to study the regional evolution of water resources in three different geographical areas. This larger project is in turn linked to the research focus on global water resources within the international Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change Programme.

Ecotones are interface zones between different ecosystems. Their ecological role and significance with regard to ecological management and conservation has become increasingly appreciated. For the management of freshwater resources, for example, an improved understanding of the role of land/inland water interfaces, will be essential for reducing negative human impacts by engineering, nutrient loading, siltation, etc. The management of ecotones, on the other hand, offers the possibility to control aquatic system processes via stock control of fish populations. Fish apparently are both excellent indicators of ecotone quality as well as determiners of its structure and function

The nutrient dynamics and biological structure of shallow non-stratified lakes differ markedly from that of deep and stratified lakes: for example, the return of nutrients lost through sedimentation is faster and the potential importance of fish and submerged macrophytes as food-web regulators is greater. In addition shallow lakes are more easily influenced by fluctuations in the physical environment caused by wind disturbance, temperature change, etc. Although shallow lakes are often the most common lake type in lowland countries, less attention has been paid to them than to deep stratified lakes and few comparisons have been made between shallow freshwater and brackish lakes. The volume is divided into five main themes, each introduced by an invited speaker: Nutrient dynamics with special emphasis on sediment water interactions and changes in loading (Professor Lambertus Lyklema); Biological structure and trophic interaction (Professor Stephen T. Threlkeld); Submerged macrophytes: dynamics and role in the lake ecosystems (Ass. Professor Kaj Sand Jensen); Comparison of freshwater and brackish lake ecosystems (Professor Brian Moss); Modelling the impact of nutrients, the biological structure and the recovery process (Dr Marten Scheffer)

This book is based on a workshop on biogeography of freshwater algae held during the Fifth International Phycological Congress in China 1994. A group of outstanding specialists covering widely different approaches to the subject have been brought together, and this collection of their contributions forms a unique volume: there is no other book on the subject. It thus fills an evident gap in the phycological literature, and will be of major interest to researchers and teachers within phycology, limnology, and evolutionary biology. However, it may also be useful in courses for advanced students

Shallow lakes differ from deep ones in many aspects of nutrient dynamics, biotic structure and interactions of various trophic levels. Though very common in European lowlands, shallow lakes attract inadequate attention from research teams. This book aims at filling gaps in our knowledge of the processes which take place in non-stratified lakes. It contains proceedings from the international conference `Shallow Lakes *95' held in Mikolajki, Poland, on 20-26 August 1995. In more than 50 original papers up-to-date views on eutrophication, degradation and recovery of shallow lakes are presented. The first four sections of the book (Nutrient fluxes, Biotic structure, Trophic interactions and Whole lake studies) deal with theoretical aspects of lake functioning while the fifth (Biomanipulation, restoration and management) is devoted to practical measures undertaken to improve water quality in shallow lakes. The book is therefore addressed to university biologists and ecologists and PhD students, as well as to managers involved in restoration of shallow lakes

A major concern among ecologists in and outside the ASEAN region is the degradation of the environment, and the overexploitation of freshwater and marine resources. There is as yet no indication that freshwater and marine resources are being managed on a sustainable basis, and loss of wetlands, whether freshwater swamps or mangrove swamps, is a major problem in the ASEAN region. Reclamation of mangrove swamps for aquaculture and agriculture seems to be a continuous activity here and the status of marine parks should also be examined in the light of recent resort development acitivities on small islands. This volume contains numerous recommendations for the promotion of ecological studies and regional cooperation in marine, freshwater ecology and conservation, with special emphasis on the common water masses like the Strait of Malacca, Gulf of Thailand and the South China Sea

The Chernobyl accident drew attention to the difficulties of understanding the dynamics of radionuclide transport through the environment using older methods developed after the pseudo steady state pollution resulting after the weapons testing fallout. More recent approaches, which are reported in this book, have incorporated both the dynamic aspects highlighted by the pulse Chernobyl input and the importance of improvement in models that can be brought about by constraining parameters on the basis of a knowledge of the fundamental physics, chemistry, biology and ecology of the ecosystems involved. The papers within this volume include hydrodynamic models of suspended solids transport, ion exchange interpretation of radionuclide sorption: approaches applying a knowledge of membrane transport kinetics to the uptake of radionuclides by biota; the effects of different ecological niches on the relative uptake of radionuclides by different species; kinetic models of radionuclide uptake through trophic chains and the success and failure of different countermeasures attempted after the Chernobyl accident

Birds are an integral part of most freshwater ecosystems (lakes, rivers, wetlands) but their role in the trophic dynamics of these water bodies has often been overlooked. As a conspicuous part of the biota of water bodies, aquatic birds are indicators of their trophic state both in terms of species composition (quality) as well as occupancy and breeding (quantity). Birds may also influence the trophic state of a water body by importing nutrients (.e.g. resident or migrating birds feeding on adjacent watersheds or the sea). Because of anthropogenic activities, predation or their mobility, birds may not utilize otherwise suitable aquatic habitat. These factors complicate the relationship between aquatic bird production and the trophic status of habitats. As a consequence, the role of aquatic birds in freshwater ecosystems has usually been ignored. This volume contains a wide range of papers selected from those presented at the symposium and reviewed