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Large lakes — Ecological structure and function
Chemical Geology, 93 ( 1991 ) 363-364 Elsevier Science Publishers B.V., Amsterdam
363
Book Review Large Lakes - - Ecological Structure and Function. Max. M. Tilzer and Colette Serruya
(Editors). Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg, 1990, xviii+691 pp., DM 298.00, ISBN 3540-52103-8 (hardcover). This is a large book on large lakes - - almost 700 pages; it represents the current findings of brave and hardy individuals and teams that strive to understand the workings of large, complex aquatic bodies. Many of these bodies can be properly considered inland (freshwater) oceans, and the number of participants from oceanographic organizations demonstrates that there are no conceptual differences between salty and sweet aquatic environments. The book is the product of a symposium of similar name, held in Konstanz, F.R.G., in September 1987. The results are still timely, as there appear to have been no major breakthrough on the structural and functional peculiarities of large lakes since that meeting. The 36 chapters are organized into 6 sections: ( 1 ) an introduction on the inventories of large lakes of the world, stressing their geographical distribution and morphometry and the specific characteristics of large lakes that are the consequences of the peculiarities of their morphology and hydrography; (2) several chapters relating physical features to the biological processes of plankton and fish; (3) several chapters relating particle transport and chemical fluxes, including the study of sediments as archives of lake condition, and the Chernobyl and other fallout events; (4) chapters displaying the production, periodicity and distribution of plankton; (5) food-web structures and trophic interactions; and (6) an overview of ecological structure and function. The book is not just a c o m p e n d i u m of the
current status, but strives to identify new research needs. As pointed out in the overview by Colette Serruya, eutrophication is no longer the major theme of research. The patterns and magnitudes of water movements were shown to play important role in biological adaptations. The dynamics of sediments and their role as internal sources of nutrients as sinks and potential sources of long-lasting pollutants were critically examined. Trophic interactions are no longer limited to nutrient-algal-zooplankton-fish chains, but include the "microbial loop" which can shorten or lengthen nutrient transfers. The major findings were concisely summarized in this final chapter. The future challenges include the need to consider spatial heterogeneity among organisms, such as patchiness, which can not be studied at single "representative" stations. Such studies are needed not only to provide sampling patterns, but to explain phenomena of feeding success and adaptation to changing conditions. The book ends with a plea for a more oceanographic approach, including integration of physical and biological processes, to the study of large lakes. The book contains significant material on two themes that are areas of exciting new research approaches. The importance of microbial processes and the associated microbial feeding loop is covered in several chapters. Also, the book demonstrates the increasing integration of information on fishes within the context of other taxonomic levels and physical-chemical properties. For too long, the smallest and largest aquatic organisms have tended to be studied only by their own specialists, and in isolation of the larger system. This book will be a required component of any significant limnological reference set, and
364
will provide thoughtful insights to new and established researchers. It will serve as a reference not only to those who study large water bodies, but for those of us that study more
BOOK REVIEW
modest-sized, but not necessarily simpler systems. F R I E D A B. T A U B (Seattle, W a s h .
363
Book Review Large Lakes - - Ecological Structure and Function. Max. M. Tilzer and Colette Serruya
(Editors). Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg, 1990, xviii+691 pp., DM 298.00, ISBN 3540-52103-8 (hardcover). This is a large book on large lakes - - almost 700 pages; it represents the current findings of brave and hardy individuals and teams that strive to understand the workings of large, complex aquatic bodies. Many of these bodies can be properly considered inland (freshwater) oceans, and the number of participants from oceanographic organizations demonstrates that there are no conceptual differences between salty and sweet aquatic environments. The book is the product of a symposium of similar name, held in Konstanz, F.R.G., in September 1987. The results are still timely, as there appear to have been no major breakthrough on the structural and functional peculiarities of large lakes since that meeting. The 36 chapters are organized into 6 sections: ( 1 ) an introduction on the inventories of large lakes of the world, stressing their geographical distribution and morphometry and the specific characteristics of large lakes that are the consequences of the peculiarities of their morphology and hydrography; (2) several chapters relating physical features to the biological processes of plankton and fish; (3) several chapters relating particle transport and chemical fluxes, including the study of sediments as archives of lake condition, and the Chernobyl and other fallout events; (4) chapters displaying the production, periodicity and distribution of plankton; (5) food-web structures and trophic interactions; and (6) an overview of ecological structure and function. The book is not just a c o m p e n d i u m of the
current status, but strives to identify new research needs. As pointed out in the overview by Colette Serruya, eutrophication is no longer the major theme of research. The patterns and magnitudes of water movements were shown to play important role in biological adaptations. The dynamics of sediments and their role as internal sources of nutrients as sinks and potential sources of long-lasting pollutants were critically examined. Trophic interactions are no longer limited to nutrient-algal-zooplankton-fish chains, but include the "microbial loop" which can shorten or lengthen nutrient transfers. The major findings were concisely summarized in this final chapter. The future challenges include the need to consider spatial heterogeneity among organisms, such as patchiness, which can not be studied at single "representative" stations. Such studies are needed not only to provide sampling patterns, but to explain phenomena of feeding success and adaptation to changing conditions. The book ends with a plea for a more oceanographic approach, including integration of physical and biological processes, to the study of large lakes. The book contains significant material on two themes that are areas of exciting new research approaches. The importance of microbial processes and the associated microbial feeding loop is covered in several chapters. Also, the book demonstrates the increasing integration of information on fishes within the context of other taxonomic levels and physical-chemical properties. For too long, the smallest and largest aquatic organisms have tended to be studied only by their own specialists, and in isolation of the larger system. This book will be a required component of any significant limnological reference set, and
364
will provide thoughtful insights to new and established researchers. It will serve as a reference not only to those who study large water bodies, but for those of us that study more
BOOK REVIEW
modest-sized, but not necessarily simpler systems. F R I E D A B. T A U B (Seattle, W a s h .