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Aquatic plants for water treatment and resource recovery
Aquatic Botany, 33 (1989) 161-168 Elsevier Science Publishers B.V., Amsterdam -- Printed in The Netherlands
161
Book Reviews
BROWN ALGAE OF SOUTHERN AUSTRALIA The Marine Benthic Flora of Southern Australia, Part II, by H.B.S. Womersley. South Australian Government Printing Division, Adelaide, Australia, 1987, 484 pp., I.S.B.N. 0-7243-6501-X.
In 1984 Part I of this flora, dealing with the marine angiosperms and the Chlorophyta, was published (see review in Aquatic Botany 22, 1985, pp. 9193). Only three years later Part II, dealing with the Phaeophyta and Chrysophyta, became available. This is a quite remarkable performance, when compared with the advance made with a flora project, such as that of Seaweeds of the British Isles. The bulk of this volume is made up by the Phaeophyta; the Chrysophyta seem to be represented by 5 species only, all belonging to the genus Vaucheria. The volume is structured according to the same set-up, as applied in Part I, and is characterized by clear descriptions and fine illustrations, including 8 colour plates. It contains a considerable number of new taxa. In the first place the family Notheiaceae has been raised to the level of a separate order Notheiales, stressing even more the isolated taxonomic position of the queer Notheia anomala. Furthermore, 2 new families, 6 new genera and 22 new species are described. Finally, the taxonomic t r e a t m e n t leads to 2 new combinations. As stated by the author, this volume also shows the current state of knowledge of the Southern Australian Phaeophyta and Chrysophyta. New additions may be expected, particularly among the smaller forms. The logical arrangement of the existing knowledge on these algae in one volume certainly will be an impetus to further research. In fact the new generation of phycologists gets handed on a plate the results of a life time of persevering research by Professor Womersley and his students. For this we must be grateful. C. DEN HARTOG Laboratorium voorAquatische Oecologie Katholieke Universiteit Nijmegen, The Netherlands
USES OF WETLANDS Aquatic plants for water treatment and resource recovery, by K.R. Reddy and W.H. Smith (Editors). Magnolia Publishing Inc. Orlando, FL, U.S.A., 1987, xxiv + 1032 pp., ISBN: 0-941463-00-1.
162
This volume contains the proceedings of the conference on research and applications of aquatic plants fo'r water t r e a t m e n t and resource recovery, held 20-24 July 1986 in Orlando, Florida. It contains 82 papers printed in extenso, and 65 abstracts of papers also presented during this meeting. This large number of papers makes it impossible to deal with them separately in this review. T h e y can be evaluated in quality as ranging from excellent to acceptable. The inclusion of the abstracts lightly disturbs the balance of the work; some of the abstracts seem more interesting than some of the accepted papers printed in full. It is obvious that the selection committee had a difficult task. The papers are arranged into five groups. Part I consists of five introductory papers, which give a general overview of the global issues. Subjects, such as the use of wetlands and aquatic plants for the t r e a t m e n t of waste water, and the use of biomass extracted from the aquatic environment for all kinds of purposes, are described in detail. In Part II so-called model systems are discussed in 18 papers; these deal with experimental systems on various levels, ranging from studies in the laboratory via small scale pilot studies in experimental ponds to large scale experiments, in which whole lake systems are involved. The important problem of the up-scaling of results obtained in small-scale experiments gets full attention. Part III gives a survey of "critical process dynamics". In 21 papers ecological processes are described on the species as well as the community level. Most papers could be classified under ecophysiology a n d / o r ecotoxicology. Part IV contains 22 papers, united under the heading "aquatic plant management". Several of these papers deal with biomass production, and can be classified as ecological, but there are also a number of papers which only describe what can be done with the biomass, or how the growth can be manipulated. Part V unites a set of 15 papers dealing with "systems evaluation". In most of these papers the consequences of various applications of wetlands are outlined and advantages and disadvantages pointed out. In general these proceedings form an interesting and also educative book, because engineers, managers, biologists and environmentalists present their views about the degree to which wetlands can be made "useful" for human society. Some of the authors have a broad view, and apart from certain advantages which manipulations of wetlands can bring about, they point also to the less favourable features. Similarly, the editors point out that there is a functional role for wetlands in the achievement of water quality improvement, but they refer also to the damage this can do to the biotic communities of the wetlands. T h e y point also to the possibility of culturing plants for biomass production, which can be used for fibre products or fodder, or can be converted into gas or manure. The question still remains whether this is economically feasible, when the unfavourable factors are also taken into consideration. Other authors do not seem to have interest beyond their subject, and seem fully blind for values other than their own or those of their sponsors. Some of them, for
163 example, are fully convinced of the general practical applicability of the use of wetlands for stripping nutrients from waste water, and they consider it an advantage when under these circumstances biomass increases. Reading this I can not help thinking of the enormous loss of biological diversity of wetlands in my own country, solely caused because these wetlands border on agricultural areas and are subjected to influx of polluted water. This degradation was reached without intentionally using these wetlands for nutrient stripping; on the contrary, most of these wetlands even had a protected status. From this it may be very clear that the wetlands are evaluated according to quite different standards. Further I noticed in various papers that generalizations were made under the motto "a marsh is a marsh", denying the large variation in types of wetland. In a marsh in an area of low nutrient content some influx of nutrient rich water may increase biological diversity. The practical trouble of such a finding is that a slight influx allowed to-day, with the best intentions, will increase to heavy pollution within a decade. In eutrophic marshes further input leads generally to reduction in species richness. In m a n y areas in Europe reed belts are now declining, and submerged aquatic plant communities become replaced by dense blooms of phytoplankton, owing to ever increasing nutrient loads. At least the ecologists have learnt by now that the short term benefits of ecological manipulations are usually followed by a breakdown of the system in the longer term. Many published proceedings of conferences form a potpourri of papers, showing little coherence. In this case the coherence between the papers is very reasonable, which may be expected from the fact that 25 of the 82 papers were prepared by invited speakers. W h a t in fact makes these proceedings a true book is the last section entitled "research needs". In this short section the papers are reviewed from various points of view in the light of existing knowledge and practical intentions, e.g. the engineering status, plant-water-sedim e n t processes, resource recovery, ecological considerations and the environmental issues that are at stake. These reviews are very critical and are good reading, in some ways they can be also considered to be a synthesis of the more t h a n 1000 pages of text. I recommend this book to every one who has to do with wetlands and other aquatic systems, as it seems almost impossible not to find a number of papers of particular personal interest, but also because wetlands are discussed in a broad context of interests. C. DEN HARTOG Laboratorium voor Aquatische Oecologie Katholieke Universiteit Nijmegen, The Netherlands
161
Book Reviews
BROWN ALGAE OF SOUTHERN AUSTRALIA The Marine Benthic Flora of Southern Australia, Part II, by H.B.S. Womersley. South Australian Government Printing Division, Adelaide, Australia, 1987, 484 pp., I.S.B.N. 0-7243-6501-X.
In 1984 Part I of this flora, dealing with the marine angiosperms and the Chlorophyta, was published (see review in Aquatic Botany 22, 1985, pp. 9193). Only three years later Part II, dealing with the Phaeophyta and Chrysophyta, became available. This is a quite remarkable performance, when compared with the advance made with a flora project, such as that of Seaweeds of the British Isles. The bulk of this volume is made up by the Phaeophyta; the Chrysophyta seem to be represented by 5 species only, all belonging to the genus Vaucheria. The volume is structured according to the same set-up, as applied in Part I, and is characterized by clear descriptions and fine illustrations, including 8 colour plates. It contains a considerable number of new taxa. In the first place the family Notheiaceae has been raised to the level of a separate order Notheiales, stressing even more the isolated taxonomic position of the queer Notheia anomala. Furthermore, 2 new families, 6 new genera and 22 new species are described. Finally, the taxonomic t r e a t m e n t leads to 2 new combinations. As stated by the author, this volume also shows the current state of knowledge of the Southern Australian Phaeophyta and Chrysophyta. New additions may be expected, particularly among the smaller forms. The logical arrangement of the existing knowledge on these algae in one volume certainly will be an impetus to further research. In fact the new generation of phycologists gets handed on a plate the results of a life time of persevering research by Professor Womersley and his students. For this we must be grateful. C. DEN HARTOG Laboratorium voorAquatische Oecologie Katholieke Universiteit Nijmegen, The Netherlands
USES OF WETLANDS Aquatic plants for water treatment and resource recovery, by K.R. Reddy and W.H. Smith (Editors). Magnolia Publishing Inc. Orlando, FL, U.S.A., 1987, xxiv + 1032 pp., ISBN: 0-941463-00-1.
162
This volume contains the proceedings of the conference on research and applications of aquatic plants fo'r water t r e a t m e n t and resource recovery, held 20-24 July 1986 in Orlando, Florida. It contains 82 papers printed in extenso, and 65 abstracts of papers also presented during this meeting. This large number of papers makes it impossible to deal with them separately in this review. T h e y can be evaluated in quality as ranging from excellent to acceptable. The inclusion of the abstracts lightly disturbs the balance of the work; some of the abstracts seem more interesting than some of the accepted papers printed in full. It is obvious that the selection committee had a difficult task. The papers are arranged into five groups. Part I consists of five introductory papers, which give a general overview of the global issues. Subjects, such as the use of wetlands and aquatic plants for the t r e a t m e n t of waste water, and the use of biomass extracted from the aquatic environment for all kinds of purposes, are described in detail. In Part II so-called model systems are discussed in 18 papers; these deal with experimental systems on various levels, ranging from studies in the laboratory via small scale pilot studies in experimental ponds to large scale experiments, in which whole lake systems are involved. The important problem of the up-scaling of results obtained in small-scale experiments gets full attention. Part III gives a survey of "critical process dynamics". In 21 papers ecological processes are described on the species as well as the community level. Most papers could be classified under ecophysiology a n d / o r ecotoxicology. Part IV contains 22 papers, united under the heading "aquatic plant management". Several of these papers deal with biomass production, and can be classified as ecological, but there are also a number of papers which only describe what can be done with the biomass, or how the growth can be manipulated. Part V unites a set of 15 papers dealing with "systems evaluation". In most of these papers the consequences of various applications of wetlands are outlined and advantages and disadvantages pointed out. In general these proceedings form an interesting and also educative book, because engineers, managers, biologists and environmentalists present their views about the degree to which wetlands can be made "useful" for human society. Some of the authors have a broad view, and apart from certain advantages which manipulations of wetlands can bring about, they point also to the less favourable features. Similarly, the editors point out that there is a functional role for wetlands in the achievement of water quality improvement, but they refer also to the damage this can do to the biotic communities of the wetlands. T h e y point also to the possibility of culturing plants for biomass production, which can be used for fibre products or fodder, or can be converted into gas or manure. The question still remains whether this is economically feasible, when the unfavourable factors are also taken into consideration. Other authors do not seem to have interest beyond their subject, and seem fully blind for values other than their own or those of their sponsors. Some of them, for
163 example, are fully convinced of the general practical applicability of the use of wetlands for stripping nutrients from waste water, and they consider it an advantage when under these circumstances biomass increases. Reading this I can not help thinking of the enormous loss of biological diversity of wetlands in my own country, solely caused because these wetlands border on agricultural areas and are subjected to influx of polluted water. This degradation was reached without intentionally using these wetlands for nutrient stripping; on the contrary, most of these wetlands even had a protected status. From this it may be very clear that the wetlands are evaluated according to quite different standards. Further I noticed in various papers that generalizations were made under the motto "a marsh is a marsh", denying the large variation in types of wetland. In a marsh in an area of low nutrient content some influx of nutrient rich water may increase biological diversity. The practical trouble of such a finding is that a slight influx allowed to-day, with the best intentions, will increase to heavy pollution within a decade. In eutrophic marshes further input leads generally to reduction in species richness. In m a n y areas in Europe reed belts are now declining, and submerged aquatic plant communities become replaced by dense blooms of phytoplankton, owing to ever increasing nutrient loads. At least the ecologists have learnt by now that the short term benefits of ecological manipulations are usually followed by a breakdown of the system in the longer term. Many published proceedings of conferences form a potpourri of papers, showing little coherence. In this case the coherence between the papers is very reasonable, which may be expected from the fact that 25 of the 82 papers were prepared by invited speakers. W h a t in fact makes these proceedings a true book is the last section entitled "research needs". In this short section the papers are reviewed from various points of view in the light of existing knowledge and practical intentions, e.g. the engineering status, plant-water-sedim e n t processes, resource recovery, ecological considerations and the environmental issues that are at stake. These reviews are very critical and are good reading, in some ways they can be also considered to be a synthesis of the more t h a n 1000 pages of text. I recommend this book to every one who has to do with wetlands and other aquatic systems, as it seems almost impossible not to find a number of papers of particular personal interest, but also because wetlands are discussed in a broad context of interests. C. DEN HARTOG Laboratorium voor Aquatische Oecologie Katholieke Universiteit Nijmegen, The Netherlands