Algal Ecology: Freshwater Benthic Ecosystem

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Academic Press, Jun 3, 1996 - Science - 753 pages
Algae are an important component of aquatic benthic ecosystems because they reflect the health of their environment through their density, abundance, and diversity. This comprehensive and authoritative text is divided into three sections to offer complete coverage of the discussion in this field. The first section introduces the locations of benthic algae in different ecosystems, like streams, large rivers, lakes, and other aquatic habitats. The second section is devoted to the various factors, both biotic and abiotic, that affect benthic freshwater algae. The final section of the book focuses on the role played by algae in a variety of complex freshwater ecosystems. As concern over environmental health escalates, the keystone and pivotal role played by algae is becoming more apparent. This volume in the Aquatic Ecology Series represents an important compilation of the latest research on the crucial niche occupied by algae in aquatic ecosystems.
  • Presents algae as the important player in relation to environmental health
  • Prepared by leading authorities in the field
  • Includes comprehensive treatment of the functions of benthic algae as well as the factors that affect these important aquatic organisms
  • Acts as an important reference for anyone interested in understanding and managing freshwater ecosystems
 

Contents

FACTORS AFFECTING BENTHIC ALGAE
119
THE NICHE OF BENTHIC ALGAE IN FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS
531
Taxonomic Index
741

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Page 57 - Department of Biological Sciences, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio 43403, USA.
Page 75 - BB (1983). Photosynthesis of benthic microflora measured with high spatial resolution by the oxygen microprofile method: Capabilities and limitations of the method. Limnol. Oceanogr. 28, 749-756.

About the author (1996)

Dr. James H. Thorp is a professor and senior scientist at the University of Kansas (Lawrence, KS, United States). Prior to 2001, he was a distinguished professor and dean at Clarkson University, department chair and professor at the University of Louisville, associate professor and director of the Calder Ecology Center at Fordham University, and research ecologist at Georgia’s Savannah River Ecology Laboratory. He received his Baccalaureate from the University of Kansas and Masters and PhD degrees from North Carolina State. Prof. Thorp has been on the editorial board of three freshwater journals and is a former president of the International Society for River Science. His research interests run the gamut from organismal biology to community, ecosystem, and macrosystem ecology. While his research emphasizes aquatic invertebrates, he also studies fish ecology, especially food webs related. He has published more than 150 research articles and 10 books, including five volumes so far in the fourth edition of Thorp and Covich’s Freshwater Invertebrates.

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