The Biology and Ecology of Streams and Rivers

The challenges that the world's running water systems now face have never been more numerous or acute; at the same time, these complex habitats remain absolutely crucial to human wellbeing and future survival. If rivers can ever be anything like sustainable, ecology needs to take its place as an equal among the physical sciences such as hydrology and geomorphology. A real understanding of the natural history and ecology of running waters must now be brought even more prominently into river management. The primary purpose of this textbook is to provide the up-to-date overview that students and practitioners will require to achieve this aim.

The book's unifying focus is on rivers and streams as ecosystems in which the particular identity of organisms is not the main emphasis but rather the processes in which they are involved - specifically energy flow and the cycling of materials. It builds on the physicochemical foundations of the habitat templet and explores the diversity and adaptations of the biota, progressing from the population and community ecology of organisms and linking them to ecosystem processes and services in the wider biosphere via the complexities of species interactions and food webs. These include water quality and patterns of river discharge, as well as aesthetics, waste disposal, and environmental health. While the book is not primarily focused on application per se, each chapter addresses how humans affect rivers and, in turn, are affected by them. A final, future-oriented chapter identifies key strategic areas and sets a roadmap for integrating knowledge of natural history and ecology into policy and management.

The Biology and Ecology of Streams and Rivers is an accessible text suitable for both senior undergraduate and graduate students taking courses in both lotic and general ecology as well as more established researchers, practitioners, managers, and conservationists requiring a concise and contemporary overview of running waters.


About the Author
Alan Hildrew, Professor of Ecology, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, UK, Paul Giller, Professor of Zoology and Ecology, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Republic of Ireland

Alan Hildrew is Professor Emeritus of Ecology at Queen Mary London and Honorary Research Fellow of the Freshwater Biological Association. He was Chairman of the Council of the Freshwater Biological Association from 1999 to 2010, and its President 2010-2011. He was Editor in Chief of the journal Freshwater Biology for 32 years (1982-2014). His research focusses on the ecology of stream organisms, ecosystem processes, and related fields. His approach is based on natural history, having published taxonomic keys and life-history of invertebrates, but his long-term observations have been used to test general ecological theory and application.

Paul Giller is Professor Emeritus of Zoology and Ecology at University College Cork, Republic of Ireland. His research specialises in community ecology, freshwater biology, and biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in freshwater and terrestrial habitats. He was admitted to the Royal Irish Academy in 2018.