Research Catalog

Title

Stream ecology : structure and function of running waters / J. David Allan.

Author

Allan, J. David.

Publication

London ; New York : Chapman & Hall, 1995.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Holdings

Details

Description

xii, 388 p. : ill.; 25 cm.

Summary

• Running waters are enormously diverse, ranging from torrential mountain brooks, to large lowland rivers, to great river systems whose basins occupy subcontinents. While this diversity makes river ecosystems seem overwhelmingly complex, a central theme of this volume is that the processes acting in running waters are general, although the settings are often unique. The past two decades have seen major advances in our knowledge of the ecology of streams and rivers. New paradigms have emerged, such as the river continuum and nutrient spiraling. Community ecologists have made impressive advances in documenting the occurrence of species interactions. The importance of physical processes in rivers has attracted increased attention, particularly the areas of hydrology and geomorphology, and the inter-relationships between physical and biological factors have become better understood. And as is true for every area of ecology during the closing years of the twentieth century it has become apparent that the study of streams and rivers cannot be carried out by excluding the role of human activities, nor can we ignore the urgency of the need for conservation. These developments are brought together in Stream Ecology: Structure and function of running waters, designed to serve as a text for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, and as a reference book for specialists in stream ecology and related fields. Published: May 2014.
• Allan and Castillo offer this superb compilation of both the latest and time-honored concepts of the ecology of fluvial systems at scales ranging from small mountain brooks to large, continental-sized river basins. Richly illustrated and with more than 1,500 reference citations, the book is divided into 14 chapters that examine in detail stream flow, geomorphology, chemistry, biology (primary producers, detrital energy sources, trophic relationships, species interactions, nutrient dynamics, lotic communities, stream ecosystem metabolism), and human impacts that affect the "structure and function of running waters." Chapter 1 provides the broad patterns of fluvial systems, which serve as a framework for developing the intricate details of the following chapters. The last chapter, "The Foundations of Stream Ecology," describes models that view the spatial framework of river systems within a landscape perspective, examining the ecological perspectives of transport mechanisms, community assemblies, food webs, and environmental factors. Best of all, the book is written in a lively, engaging manner and with remarkable clarity, given the technical nature of the material. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. P. R. Pinet Colgate University--Choice Review.

Subject

• Stream ecology
• Freshwater ecology
• Ecology
• Fresh Water

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references (p. 343-377) and indexes.

Processing Action (note)

• committed to retain

Contents

1. Channels and flow -- 2. Streamwater ecology -- 3. Physical factors of importance to the biota -- 4. Autotrophs -- 5. Heterotrophic energy sources -- 6. Trophic relationships -- 7. Predation and its consequences -- 8. Herbivory -- 9. Competitive interactions -- 10. Drift -- 11. Lotic communities -- 12. Organic matter in lotic ecosystems -- 13. Nutrient dynamics -- 14. Modification of running waters by humankind.

ISBN

• 0412294303
• 0412355302 (pbk.)

LCCN

gb^95072957^

OCLC

31855675

Owning Institutions

Harvard Library