Table of Contents

1. Limnology, definition and objective 2. Water as a medium 3. The origin of lakes 4. Physical processes and circulation in lakes 5. The chemical composition of water 6. Organisms and communities in inland aquatic ecosystems and estuaries 7. The dynamic ecology of aquatic plant populations and communities 8. The dynamic ecology of aquatic animal populations and communities 9. The flow of energy in aquatic ecosystems 10. Biogeochemical cycles 11. Lakes as ecosystems 12. Man-made reservoirs 13. Rivers 14. Estuaries and coastal lagoons 15. Wetlands, temporary waters and saline lakes 16. Regional limnology in Central and South America 17. Regional limnology in Africa and in temperate regions 18. Impacts on aquatic ecosystems 19. Planning and managing of water resources 20. Study approaches and methods: the present and future of limnology

About the Author

Dr. Jose Galizia Tundisi obtained his PhD (Estuaries Ecology, 1969) at the University of Sao Paulo/University of Southampton and his DSc (Ecology, 1977) at the University of Sao Paulo. He is President of the International Institute of Ecology in Sao Carlos, Brazil. He was previously a Full Professor of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Sao Carlos, 1972-84; Full Professor of Environmental Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, 1984-94; and President, Brazilian of the National Research Council, 1995-99. His awards include the Gold Medal "Augusto Ruschi", Brazilian Academy of Sciences, 1986; the Moinho Santista Prize in Ecology, 1992; the Highest Brazilian Award for scientific achievement; the Boutros Ghali Prize for Environment and Development, UN, 1995; and the Commendador, Brazilian Government. He is a Member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, the Sao Paulo Academy of Sciences, and the Ecology Institute, "Excellence in Biology", in Germany. Dr. Tundisi is the founder and director of the International Institute of Ecology in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Dr. Takako Matsumura Tundisi graduated in Natural History and received her Ph.D. in Biological Sciences (Zoology) from the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. She was a lecturer and researcher in Aquatic Ecology at the Federal University of Sao Carlos for over two decades. Today, she is a director of the International Institute of Ecology (IIE) and of the International Association of Ecology and Environmental Management (IIEGA) in Brazil, both research and consulting organizations that have developed numerous research projects in water resources management and water quality through mathematical modeling.

Reviews

"An expansive and detailed account of limnology from a tropical viewpoint. Although it draws extensively upon the international literature, and is richly illustrated with examples, it gives special emphasis to tropical conditions. Here both Amazonia and the authors' distinguished record and enterprises are prominent. It is primarily not a descriptive text, but a generalised classification of examples and a dynamic and functional approach. Issues of applied limnology -- especially with reservoirs -- are treated extensively., as well as past trends and future prospects in the science. These features, with the combination of length and exceptionally rich illustration, mark a unique contribution to the environmental literature, and especially apt for developing countries." Dr. Jack Talling, Freshwater Biological Association, Cumbria, UK