Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis in Phytoplankton Ecology


Book Description

This volume gives an insight into what a group of contemporary plankton biologists think about the utility, virtues, strengths and theoretical and practical weaknesses of J.H. Connell's Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis within the context of phytoplankton ecology. The sequence of papers in this volume moves from particular case studies to more general and finally theoretical approaches.




Competition and Coexistence


Book Description

The question "Why are there so many species?" has puzzled ecologist for a long time. Initially, an academic question, it has gained practical interest by the recent awareness of global biodiversity loss. Species diversity in local ecosystems has always been discussed in relation to the problem of competi tive exclusion and the apparent contradiction between the competitive exclu sion principle and the overwhelming richness of species found in nature. Competition as a mechanism structuring ecological communities has never been uncontroversial. Not only its importance but even its existence have been debated. On the one extreme, some ecologists have taken competi tion for granted and have used it as an explanation by default if the distribu tion of a species was more restricted than could be explained by physiology and dispersal history. For decades, competition has been a core mechanism behind popular concepts like ecological niche, succession, limiting similarity, and character displacement, among others. For some, competition has almost become synonymous with the Darwinian "struggle for existence", although simple plausibility should tell us that organisms have to struggle against much more than competitors, e.g. predators, parasites, pathogens, and envi ronmental harshness.




Phytoplankton and Equilibrium Concept: The Ecology of Steady-State Assemblages


Book Description

This volume summarises the outcome of the 13th Workshop of the International Association of Phytoplankton Taxonomy and Ecology (IAP) on if, and if so under what conditions phytoplankton assemblages reach equilibrium in natural environments. Quite a number of ecological concepts use terms such as: ecological equilibrium, stability, steady-state, climax, stable state, etc. However, these ecological concepts often have been "translations" of scientific theories developed in physics or chemistry but they almost always lack scientific corroboration, the problem being that often these concepts remain vague and they are not formally defined. Here an attempt to formally recognize what "equilibrium" is in phytoplankton ecology is traced. The book also contains papers by leading scientists on the taxonomy of two selected key groups: cryptomonads and filamentous cyanoprokaryotes. This volume is addressed to all those involved in phytoplankton taxonomy and ecology and in ecology itself.




The Ecology of Phytoplankton


Book Description

This important new book by Colin Reynolds covers the adaptations, physiology and population dynamics of phytoplankton communities. It provides basic information on composition, morphology and physiology of the main phyletic groups represented in marine and freshwater systems and in addition reviews recent advances in community ecology.




The Lakes Handbook


Book Description

Continuing concern about water supply and quality, ecosystem sustainability and restoration demands that the modern approach to the management of lakes and reservoirs should be based on a sound understanding of the application of the scientific and ecological principles that underlie freshwater processes. The Lakes Handbook provides an up-to-date overview of the application of ecologically sound approaches, methods and tools using experience gained around the world for an understanding of lakes and their management. Volume one of the Handbook addresses the physical and biological aspects of lakes pertinent to lake management, emphasising those aspects particularly relevant to large, still bodies of water. Volume two then considers lake management, with particular emphasis on sustainability, restoration and rehabilitation. This handbook will be invaluable to ecologists, environmental scientists, physical geographers and hydrologists involved in limnological research, as well as advanced undergraduate and graduate students looking for authoritative reviews of the key areas of limnological study. Brings together basic science and management issues. International coverage and international authors. Reviews management issues at a level suitable for the non-expert.




Freshwater Ecology


Book Description

Freshwater Ecology, Third Edition, covers everything from the basic chemical and physical properties of water, to the advanced and unifying concepts of community ecology and ecosystem relationships found in continental waters. Giving students a solid foundation for both courses and future fieldwork, and updated to include key issues, including how to balance ecological and human health needs, GMOs, molecular tools, fracking, and a host of other environmental issues, this book is an ideal resource for both students and practitioners in ecology and related fields. - Winner of a 2020 Textbook Excellence Award (College) (Texty) from the Textbook and Academic Authors Association - Provides an updated revision of this classic text, covering both basic scientific concepts and environmental applications - Includes additional biography boxes with greater cultural diversity of the featured scientists - Covers expanded content on developing nations, ecosystem goods and services, properties of water, global change, impacts of fracking, molecular tools for classification and identification of aquatic organisms, a discussion of emergent diseases and aquatic habitats, and more




Phytoplankton Productivity


Book Description

This landmark publication takes the 50th anniversary of the publication of the seminal paper by the Danish scientist, Einer Steemann Nielsen, as an occasion to assess the development, present state and future of the major aspects in freshwater and marine plankton productivity. Each chapter of this important work has been written by internationally-acknowledged experts in the subject, and the whole has been carefully drawn together and edited to provide a book that is an essential tool and reference for all aquatic scientists. The book takes ascending temporal and spatial size scale as its framework - covering molecular to geological scales. Chapters include reviews of physiology and biochemistry, measurement of phytoplankton productivity, the supply and uptake of nutrients, variability in processes and production, the evolution of the carbon cycle, and ecosystems. The subject is set in context with a chapter covering the work of Steemann Nielsen, whose work inspired the last 50 years of aquatic productivity studies. Historical aspects are discussed together with thought-provoking assessments of modern technological approaches and where future research emphasis should be focussed. Phytoplankton Productivity provides, in one book, cutting edge reviews and key facts on the subject, making it a vital information source for marine and freshwater biologists, oceanographers, ecologists, environmental scientists and plant scientists. Copies should also be available in libraries of any research establishment and university as a reference for students, wherever these subjects are studied and taught. Also available from Blackwell Publishing Aquatic Photosynthesis P. Falkowski & J. Raven 0-86542-387-3 Fisheries Oceanography Edited by P. Harrison & T. Parsons 0-632-05566-9 Marine Ecology (Journal) Published quarterly ISSN 0173-9565 Fisheries Oceanography (Journal) Published 6 times per year ISSN 1054-6006 Freshwater Biology (Journal) Published monthly ISSN 0046-5070 Internationally recognised editors and contributors. A landmark publication in marine and freshwater biology. All major aspects covered in a clear and consise reader-friendly manner. Invaluable for all those working in aquatic sciences. Book will be launched to coincide with major international conference. For details see www.plankton-productivity.org




Biodiversity


Book Description

Despite acknowledgment that loss of living diversity is an international biological crisis, the ecological causes and consequences of extinction have not yet been widely addressed. In honor of Edward O. Wilson, winner of the 1993 International Prize for Biology, an international group of distinguished biologists bring ecological, evolutionary, and management perspectives to the issue of biodiversity. The roles of ecosystem processes, community structure and population dynamics are considered in this book. The goal, as Wilson writes in his introduction, is "to assemble concepts that unite the disciplines of systematics and ecology, and in so doing to create a sound scientific basis for the future management of biodiversity."




Phytoplankton responses to human impacts at different scales


Book Description

Phytoplankton responses to human impact at different scales provides a state-of-the-art review of changes in the phytoplankton assemblages determined by human alterations of lakes and rivers. A wide spectrum of case studies describe the effects due to eutrophication and climate change, as well as other impacts connected with watershed management, hydrological alterations and introduction of non-indigenous species. The volume also includes two wide reviews on planktonic coccoid green algae and planktic heterocytous cyanobacteria. This book is addressed to ecologists and scientists involved in phytoplankton ecology and taxonomy. Many case studies provide a sound scientific basis of knowledge for a wise management of water bodies. Previously published in Hydrobiologia, vol. 698, 2012