About this book
This is the first book to describe the ecology of high latitude lakes, rivers and glacial environments in both the North and South polar regions. From the lake-rich floodplains of the Arctic to the deep, enigmatic waters of Lake Vostok, Antarctica, these regions contain some of the most extraordinary aquatic ecosystems on Earth. They provide a fascinating diversity of habitats for plant, animal and microbial communities, and are proving to be valuable model systems for exploring many ecological themes including landscape-lake interactions, adaptation of life to environmental extremes, and controls on the structure and functioning of aquatic ecosystems. Some of these waters also have direct global implications, including permafrost thaw lakes as sources of greenhouse gases, subglacial aquatic environments as a storehouse of ancient microbes, and Arctic rivers as major inputs of freshwater and organic carbon to the World Ocean. Given that many polar areas are experiencing greater climate warming than at lower latitudes, these ecosystems can also be viewed as sentinels of global change.
This timely volume brings together many of the world's leading researchers in polar limnology to describe these diverse aquatic environments and their ecology. It introduces each major ecosystem type, examines the similarities and differences between Arctic and Antarctic systems as well as their responses to environmental change, and describes new frontiers for future research. A glossary of terms is provided for non-specialists, and a set of colour plates introduces the ecosystems and their biota.
Contents
Chapter 1 Introduction to the limnology of high latitude lake and river ecosystems by Warwick F. Vincent, John E. Hobbie & Johanna Laybourn-Parry
Chapter 2 Origin and geomorphology of lakes in the Polar Regions by Reinhard Pienitz, Peter T. Doran & Scott F. Lamoureux
Chapter 3 High latitude palaeolimnology by Dominic A. Hodgson & John P. Smol
Chapter 4 The physical limnology of high latitude lakes by Warwick F. Vincent, Sally MacIntyre, Robert H. Spigel & Isabelle Laurion
Chapter 5 High latitude rivers and streams by Diane M. McKnight, Michael N. Gooseff, Warwick F. Vincent & Bruce J. Peterson
Chapter 6 Ice-based freshwater ecosystems by Ian Hawes, Clive Howard-Williams & Andrew G. Fountain
Chapter 7 Antarctic subglacial water: origin, evolution and ecology by John C. Priscu, Slawek Tulaczyk, Michael Studinger, Mahlon C. Kennicutt II, Brent C. Christner & Christine M. Foreman
Chapter 8 Biogeochemical processes in high latitude lakes and river by W. Berry Lyons & Jacques C. Finlay
Chapter 9 Phytoplankton and primary production by Michael P. Lizotte
Chapter 10 Benthic primary production in polar lakes and rivers by Antonio Quesada, Eduardo Fernndez-Valiente, Ian Hawes & Clive Howard-Williams
Chapter 11 Heterotrophic microbial processes in polar lakes by John E. Hobbie & Johanna Laybourn-Parry
Chapter 12 Microbial biodiversity and biogeography by David A. Pearce & Pierre E. Galand
Chapter 13 Zooplankton and zoobenthos in high-latitude water bodies by Milla Rautio, Ian A.E. Bayly, John A.E. Gibson & Marjut Nyman
Chapter 14 Fish in high latitude Arctic lakes by Michael Power, Jim D. Reist & J. Brian Dempson
Chapter 15 Food web relationships and community structures in high latitude lakes by Kirsten S. Christoffersen, Erik Jeppesen, Daryl L. Moorhead & Lars J. Tranvik
Chapter 16 Direct human impacts on high latitude lakes and rivers by Martin J. Riddle & Derek C.G. Muir
Chapter 17 Future directions in polar limnology by Johanna Laybourn-Parry & Warwick F. Vincent
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