Ecology of Freshwaters 4e.
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Brian Moss seems synonymous with freshwater ecology as this citation notes. Having used the first edition of this book way back in 1980 when it was first published it is pleasing to be able to report on the latest incarnation. However, it’s more than just meeting a new version; freshwaters are becoming a key part of the environmental debate in the 21st century and anything that improves understanding is to be welcomed.
In this regard, the author does not disappoint. The introduction, though brief, sets a powerful scene. Moss has taken the opportunity of completely re-drafting the book partly to update but mainly to take a different set of perspectives. He acknowledges that the list of publications is vast and takes only a selection to illustrate the chapters. He accepts that people are major influences on river systems and therefore studies but pristine and degraded sites. He provides, in a short poem, a marvellous antidote to current pedagogical themes of micromanagement when responding to the need to add aims and objectives to a course. From this point, many writers would start to describe ecosystems but in this regard, the book starts from the basic principles. The first five chapters focus on water rather than its location. We are taken through the basic principles of the physics and chemistry of water (and the importance thereof), nutrient chemistry and the impact of light. Into these abiotic settings we can add evolution of organisms and the ways in which species adapt to the freshwater environment. Thus armed with the basics of ecology we can move these principles into a range of freshwater environments. The first case deals with headwater streams and rivers. This starts with the basic principles and models and then illustrates these ideas with reference to a set of examples from tropics to the poles. Interestingly, there’s a “companion” chapter which looks at the human impact on such headwaters. Here we see both the damage caused and some of the regulatory framework to deal with it. The next two chapters follow a similar pattern but looking at the middle and lower stages of rivers (and the human impacts thereon). As with the previous examination of impacts the author looks both at the issues and the ways these can be avoided/ameliorated. From here, the focus turns to lakes and standing waters. Two chapters deal with the ecology of lakes and mires/littoral areas respectively. Given the size and importance of these areas, the next part of the work examines plankton and the deeper water (profundal zones). This is followed by a detailed examination of the uses and abuses of standing waters. An ecosystem services approach is taken at the beginning which both ties the work together and also provides ways in which this work can be linked with other studies e.g. Millennium Development Goals. There are examples of use (fishing) and abuse (pollution) and, as one expects, ways of treating degraded waters. A final chapter on climate change highlights the issues being faced by freshwater systems in the years to come. A set of problem exercises and a comprehensive list of references complete the text.
This is a remarkable book on many levels. As a clear, structured introduction to the topic its choice of chapter order is significant. It takes the reader in a logical sequence through the key aspects of the topic. The abiotic environment is crucial and so is understanding how it works. The idea of then dividing waters according to a sort of Davisian organisation is fair and the idea of placing the chapter on human impact after the ecology is inspired because it reinforces the issues associated with specific areas and highlights the considerable human impact on freshwaters. The use of a final chapter for problem questions provides excellent ideas to check learning but also demonstrate something of the real problems of freshwater ecology data analysis. Overall, a tour-de-force for both subject matter and the quality of writing. It should be a key part of any ecological library.
