Ecology Of Shallow Lakes
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Ecology of Shallow Lakes brings together current understanding of the mechanisms that drive the diametrically opposite states of water clarity, shown by the cover paintings, found in many shallow lakes and ponds. It gives an outline of the knowledge gained from field observations, experimental work, and restoration studies, linked by a solid theoretical framework.The book focuses on shallow lakes, but the lucid treatment of plankton dynamics, resuspension, light climate and the role of vegetation is relevant to a much wider range of aquatic systems. The models that are used remain simple and most analyses are graphical rather than algebraic. The text will therefore appeal to students, scientists and policy makers in the field of ecology, fisheries, pollution studies and water management, and also to theoreticans who will benefit from the many real-world examples of topics such as predation and competition theory, bifurcation analysis and catastrophe theory. Perhaps most importantly, the book is a remarkable example of how large field experiments and simple models can catalyze our insight into complex ecosystems.Marten Scheffer wrote this book while at the Institute of Inland Water Management and Waste Treatment, RIZA, Lelystad, The Netherlands. He is currently at the Department of Water Quality Management and Aquatic Ecology of the Wageningen Agricultural University.Reviews`Much rarer are textbooks that so succinctly sum up the state-of-the-art knowledge about a subject that they become instant `bibles'. This book is one of these. It is probably one of the best biological textbooks I have read. Scheffer masterfully pulls all this information together under one cover and presents a coherent account, which will serve as a benchmark for the subject. The reader will not gain any great insight into the breeding biology of pike from this book, nor learn much about dragonflies or newts. They will, however, come to understand the essential nature of shallow lakes or, as the author puts it, `how shallow lakes work'. Overall, this book will be of great interest to practical and theoretical ecologists, students and managers in all fields of biology. All freshwater ecologists should certainly read it.' Simon Harrison in Journal of Ecology, 86 `The book by Scheffer can be seen as a milestone in the recognition of shallow lakes as a research topic in its own right. Scheffer uses three approaches concurrently to unravel the functioning of shallow lakes: 1) statistical analysis of large datasets from a variety of lakes; 2) simple abstract models made up of a few non-linear ordinary differential equations, which he calls `mini-models'; and 3) logical reasoning based on a mixture of results from fieldwork, experiments and models. What is new is that Scheffer links mathematics very nicely with what one feels is a correct description of the functioning of a shallow lake. Employing logical reasoning, Scheffer combines all these sources of knowledge into a general, coherent picture of the functioning of a shallow lake.' Wolf Mooij in Aquatic Ecology, 32
PrefaceSymbolsIntroduction1The story of some shallow lakes11.1Nutrient induced changes11.2Storm effects51.3Water level changes61.4Fish stock management81.5Miscellaneous cases132The abiotic environment202.1Light under water202.2Sedimentation and resuspension312.3Nutrient dynamics493Phytoplankton763.1The regulation of algal biomass763.2Competition between algae and cyanobacteria993.3Multi-species competition and succession1164Trophic cascades1224.1Top-down control of phytoplankton1244.2The effect of planktivorous fish1464.3Seasonal dynamics of plankton and fish1624.4The benthic connection1904.5Piscivores1974.6General patterns2035Vegetation2105.1Implications of vegetation for the animal community2135.2Effect of vegetation on turbidity2255.3The regulation of vegetation abundance2455.4Vegetation and phytoplankton dominance as alternative equilibria2586Managing the ecosystem2896.1Implications of alternative stable states2896.2Nutrient management2946.3Biomanipulation2966.4Hydrological adjustments3006.5Other measures3036.6Selecting restoration measures3067The limits of knowledge308References314Lake index344Subject index346
