Stream Ecology: Structure and function of running waters [Paperback]

J. David Allan (Author), María M. Castillo (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 14, 2007

A hugely important text for advanced undergraduates as well as graduates with an interest in stream and river ecology, this second, updated edition is designed to serve as a textbook as well as a working reference for specialists in stream ecology and related fields. The book presents vital new findings on human impacts, and new work in pollution control, flow management, restoration and conservation planning that point to practical solutions. All told, the book is expanded in length by some twenty-five percent, and includes hundreds of figures, most of them new.

Editorial Reviews

Review

From the reviews of the second edition: "There is a continual need for current introductory material in key ecological areas. … This is an interesting text. It has a wealth of detail … that means it is for the more ‘advanced’ beginner. … However, it does provide both teachers and field study centres with a much-needed overview of stream ecology. … Overall, a must for the field centre and a good starter text in stream ecology." (TEN News, October, 2007) "Allan and Castillo offer this superb compilation of both the latest and time-honored concepts of the ecology of fluvial systems at scales ranging from small mountain brooks to large, continental- sized river basins. Richly illustrated and with more than 1,500 reference citations, the book is divided into 14 chapters … . Best of all, the book is written in a lively, engaging manner and with remarkable clarity, given the technical nature of the material. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty." (P. R. Pinet, CHOICE, Vol. 45 (7), 2008) "The second edition of the book ‘Stream Ecology’ covers the key ecological factors and processes in a very variable ecosystem … . I recommend ‘Stream Ecology’ to people with knowledge of the basics of ecology, e.g., graduates and advanced undergraduates … . To my knowledge, there is no other book available, which gives such a good overview of the issue. One gets a very good, fluidly readable book which contains the latest key scientific knowledge of the ecology of running waters." (Daniel Graeber, International Review of Hydrobiology, Vol. 94 (2), 2009)

From the Back Cover

Stream Ecology: Structure and Function of Running Waters is designed to serve as a textbook for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, and as a reference source for specialists in stream ecology and related fields. The Second Edition is thoroughly updated and expanded to incorporate significant advances in our understanding of environmental factors, biological interactions, and ecosystem processes, and how these vary with hydrological, geomorphological, and landscape setting. The broad diversity of running waters – from torrential mountain brooks, to large, lowland rivers, to great river systems whose basins occupy sub-continents – makes river ecosystems appear overwhelming complex. A central theme of this book is that although the settings are often unique, the processes at work in running waters are general and increasingly well understood. Even as our scientific understanding of stream ecosystems rapidly advances, the pressures arising from diverse human activities continue to threaten the health of rivers worldwide. This book presents vital new findings concerning human impacts, and the advances in pollution control, flow management, restoration, and conservation planning that point to practical solutions. Reviews of the first edition: ".. an unusually lucid and judicious reassessment of the state of stream ecology" Science Magazine "..provides an excellent introduction to the area for advanced undergraduates and graduate students…" Limnology & Oceanography "… a valuable reference for all those interested in the ecology of running waters." Transactions of the American Fisheries Society

Product Details

• Paperback: 450 pages
• Publisher: Springer; 2nd edition (September 14, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 140205582X
• ISBN-13: 978-1402055829
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 7.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #331,832 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #30 in Books > Science & Math > Nature & Ecology > Lakes & Ponds

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty Good Book, September 23, 2011

By 

Jackie - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Stream Ecology: Structure and function of running waters (Paperback)

I bought this book because my class required it as a textbook. There's a substantial weight to it but it uses regular printing paper, not the smooth shiny stuff that is impossible to read under a light.

There are 14 chapters in this book that all talk about a different aspect of streams such as : human impact, streamflow, abiotic environment and trophic relationships. The double-column formatting is broken every once in a while to include a graph or image that helps explain what the textbook is saying. Each chapter also has a one page summary that helps you recall all that you read.

4/5 stars: good book chock full of information in text and pictorial form. Just wish it wasn't such a slow read. But then again, which textbook isn't?

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Accessible to Scientists - Not Fishermen, October 25, 2008

By 

Lightman (New York) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Stream Ecology: Structure and function of running waters (Paperback)

My interest in this book followed from a desire to obtain information that might help me outwit wild and wily trout by any and every means possible. And sure enough, this book contains a wealth of information. The only problem is that much of it is incomprehensible to the lay reader as opposed to the scientific community.

For instance, here's what I encountered as I researched what and how fish eat (feeding ecology of riverine fishes): "Herbivorous fishes with scraping mouthparts such as the stoneroller Campostoma anomalum clearly have little in common with ooze feeders such as the blunt-nose minnow Pimephales notatus. Some benthic invertebrate feeders utilize prey primarily from soft bottoms (the suckermouth minnow Phenacobius mirabilis), others from stony bottoms (the greenside darter Etheostoma blennioides)."

OK...

On the other hand, for biologists and advanced students of ecology the book presents a comprehensive exposition of technical information. And the rest of us, who may not be equipped to cut through the scientific jargon, will still take away a sense of the intricacy and complexity of the living systems of streams and rivers.

7 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, November 16, 2007

By 

Bryan T. Hamilton (Baker, Nv United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Stream Ecology: Structure and function of running waters (Paperback)

since this is the best text on the subject. Cluttered and difficult, reads more like a literature review than a textbook. There is no glossary and the index isn't very good. The figures are hard to interpret without reading the text. The drawings are poor quality. On the other hand, it is packed with information. Anything you want to know about stream ecology is in here, its just difficult to access.