
Wetzel's Limnology
Lake and River Ecosystems
- 4th Edition - February 1, 2023
- Editors: Ian D. Jones, John P. Smol
- Language: English
- Paperback ISBN:9 7 8 - 0 - 1 2 - 8 2 2 7 0 1 - 5
- eBook ISBN:9 7 8 - 0 - 1 2 - 8 2 2 7 1 0 - 7
Wetzel’s Limnology: Lake and River Ecosystems, Fourth Edition, presents a fully updated revision of the classic textbook Limnology: Lake and River Ecosystems - last publis… Read more

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Request a sales quoteChapters from the third edition have been updated by an international team of experts, incorporating developments from the past two decades
Several new chapters have been added, reflecting exciting developments in the field of limnology
New color illustrations and images throughout
Detailed summaries at the end of each chapter
- Cover image
- Title page
- Table of Contents
- Copyright
- Tributes to Robert Wetzel
- The Editors
- Contributors
- Chapter 1. Prologue
- I. Limnology in the 21st century
- II. Robert G. Wetzel (1936–2005)
- III. The fourth edition
- Chapter 2. The Importance of Inland Waters
- I. Our freshwater resources
- II. Drivers of global change
- III. Human impact on freshwater ecosystems
- IV. Ecosystem condition and ecosystem services
- V. Summary
- Chapter 3. Water as a Substance
- I. The characteristics of water
- II. Summary
- Chapter 4. Rivers and Lakes—Their Distribution, Origins, and Forms
- I. Distribution of inland surface waters
- II. River and stream characteristics
- III. Origin of lakes
- IV. Succession of lakes
- V. Morphology of lakes
- VI. Reservoirs
- VII. Climatic and anthropogenic effects
- VIII. Summary
- Chapter 5. Hydrological Systems
- I. The hydrological cycle and relevant processes
- II. Catchment structure and runoff generation
- III. Water balance in catchments with lakes
- IV. Management implications
- V. Summary
- Chapter 6. Light in Inland Waters
- I. Light as an entity
- II. At the water surface
- III. Light attenuation in the water column
- IV. Ecological role of solar radiation
- V. Summary
- Chapter 7. Fate of Heat
- I. Distribution of heat in lakes
- II. Stratification
- III. Changes in seasonal and annual stratification with climate change
- IV. Summary
- Chapter 8. Water Movements
- I. Hydrodynamics and physical limnology
- II. Water movement in rivers and streams
- III. Water movement in lakes
- IV. Modeling water movements
- V. Summary
- Chapter 9. Structure and Productivity of Aquatic Ecosystems
- I. The ecosystem concept
- II. Catchment concept
- III. Streams and rivers
- IV. Lakes
- V. Spatial structure and terminology in lakes and rivers
- VI. Subsidies and productivity in lakes and rivers
- VII. Evaluation of biomass and production
- VIII. Aquatic food webs
- IX. Population structure, growth, and regulation
- X. Communities
- XI. Diversity and diversity metrics
- XII. Summary
- Chapter 10. Water as a Chemical Environment
- I. Water as a solvent
- II. Chemical reactions in freshwater
- III. Factors regulating concentrations of nongaseous solutes
- IV. Factors regulating concentrations of dissolved gases in water
- V. Summary
- Chapter 11. Oxygen
- I. The oxygen content of inland waters
- II. Processes determining dissolved oxygen concentration
- III. Distribution of dissolved oxygen in running waters
- IV. Distribution of dissolved oxygen in lakes
- V. Metrics for assessing anoxia and hypoxia in inland waters
- VI. Summary
- Chapter 12. Salinity and Ionic Composition of Inland Waters
- I. Salinities and ionic composition of inland waters
- II. Sources of ions
- III. Saline lakes
- IV. Distribution of major ions in freshwaters
- V. Salinity, osmoregulation, and distribution of biota
- VI. Summary
- Chapter 13. The Inorganic Carbon Complex
- I. The occurrence of inorganic carbon in freshwater systems
- II. Spatial and temporal distribution of total inorganic carbon and pH in rivers and lakes
- III. Hypolimnetic CO2 accumulation in relation to lake metabolism
- IV. Utilization of carbon by photoautotrophs and chemolithotrophs
- V. Summary
- Chapter 14. The Nitrogen Cycle
- I. Introduction
- II. Nitrogen sources, transformations, and fate in lakes and reservoirs
- III. Nitrogen sources, transformations, and fate in streams and rivers
- IV. Effect of human activities
- V. Summary
- Chapter 15. The Phosphorus Cycle
- I. Phosphorus in fresh waters
- II. The distribution of organic and inorganic phosphorus in lakes and streams
- III. Phosphorus cycling in running waters
- IV. External natural and anthropogenic sources of phosphorus
- V. Phosphorus and the sediments: internal loading
- VI. Phosphorus cycling within the epilimnion
- VII. Phytoplankton requirements for phosphorus
- VIII. Phosphorus and eutrophication
- IX. Modeling relationships between nutrient loading and phytoplankton productivity
- X. Climate change and the phosphorus cycle
- XI. Summary
- Chapter 16. Other Important Elements
- I. Biogeochemical cycling of micronutrients and minor elements
- II. Oxidation–reduction potentials in freshwater systems
- III. The iron and manganese cycle
- IV. The sulfur cycle
- V. Minor elements
- VI. The silica cycle
- VII. Summary
- Chapter 17. Algae and Cyanobacteria Communities
- I. Diversity and composition of algae in inland waters
- II. Major groups of algae
- III. Algal habitats in inland waters
- IV. Types of algal associations in inland waters
- V. Summary
- Chapter 18. Ecology of Algae and Cyanobacteria (Phytoplankton)
- I. Introduction
- II. Phytoplankton growth: resources and environmental factors
- III. Phytoplankton in food webs
- IV. Temporal variation in phytoplankton communities
- V. Spatial heterogeneity in phytoplankton
- VI. Phytoplankton and global environmental change
- VII. Summary
- Chapter 19. Zooplankton Communities: Diversity in Time and Space
- I. Introducing the zooplankton
- II. The microzooplankton
- III. Rotifers, Cladocera, and copepods
- IV. Food, feeding, and food selectivity
- V. Reproduction and life histories
- VI. Trait-based approaches to zooplankton communities
- VII. Seasonal change and succession in zooplankton communities
- VIII. Within water body heterogeneity in zooplankton communities
- IX. Among water body heterogeneity in zooplankton communities
- X. Zooplankton communities and environmental change
- XI. Summary
- Chapter 20. Ecology and Functioning of Zooplankton Communities
- I. Zooplankton community interactions
- II. Zooplankton food web functioning
- III. Zooplankton productivity
- IV. Zooplankton metacommunity ecology
- V. Global changes and zooplankton community functioning
- VI. Summary
- Chapter 21. Benthic Animals
- I. Benthic animal groups
- II. Hexapoda
- III. Benthic communities in lakes, wetlands, and ponds
- IV. Benthic communities of rivers and streams
- V. Metacommunities of benthic animals
- VI. Benthic animals and global change
- VII. Summary
- Chapter 22. Fish
- I. Introduction
- II. Fish communities in natural lakes and streams
- III. Size-selective and size-efficiency hypotheses
- IV. Importance of visibility in predation
- V. Trophic cascades (pelagic and benthic food webs)
- VI. Specific roles of fish in food webs
- VII. Fish production and harvesting
- VIII. Effects of physical modification
- IX. Invasive species and ecosystem consequences
- X. Restoring lakes by biomanipulation
- XI. Climate change impact
- XII. Summary
- Chapter 23. Pelagic Bacteria, Archaea, and Viruses
- I. Overview
- II. Basic ecology
- III. Microbes and the carbon cycle
- IV. Drivers of biogeochemistry
- V. Predators and viruses
- VI. New discoveries from the era of DNA sequencing
- VII. Summary
- Chapter 24. Freshwater Plants
- I. Characteristics of freshwater plants
- II. Resource acquisition and physiological responses to environmental conditions
- III. Growth and distribution
- IV. Consequences of environmental change
- V. Management
- VI. Summary
- Acknowledgments
- Chapter 25. Benthic Algae and Cyanobacteria of the Littoral Zone
- I. Littoral benthic algae and Cyanobacteria
- II. Metabolic interactions in littoral communities
- III. Functional roles of periphyton in lakes
- IV. Littoral benthic algae in a changing world
- V. Summary
- Chapter 26. Shallow Lakes and Ponds
- I. Origins and distribution
- II. Characteristics
- III. Alternative states theory revisited
- IV. Biodiversity
- V. Variations in the theme: temporary and urban ponds
- VI. Restoration
- VII. Climate change, land-use change, and the biodiversity crisis
- VIII. Summary
- Chapter 27. Sediments and Microbiomes
- I. Sediment characterization
- II. Resuspension and redeposition of sediments
- III. Benthic boundary layer
- IV. Sediment microbiomes
- V. Microbiome processes
- VI. Implications of environmental change
- VII. Summary
- Chapter 28. Organic Carbon Cycling and Ecosystem Metabolism
- I. Overview
- II. Organic matter composition
- III. Organic matter (OM) sources
- IV. Organic matter (OM) cycling
- V. Anthropogenic changes to organic matter (OM) dynamics
- VI. Summary
- Chapter 29. Wetlands
- I. Wetlands and their global distribution
- II. Wetland functions
- III. Wetland destruction
- IV. Climate change
- V. Protection and restoration
- VI. Examples of restoration and protection projects
- VII. Summary
- Chapter 30. Paleolimnology: Approaches and Applications
- I. Stratigraphy and geochemistry
- II. Biological indicators
- III. Case studies
- IV. Summary
- Chapter 31. Inland Waters: The Future of Limnology is Interdisciplinary, Collaborative, Inclusive, and Global
- I. Access to clean freshwater is a human right
- II. Integrated approaches to water quality management and science
- III. Restoration of aquatic ecosystems
- IV. Broadening our global perspectives and voices
- V. Summary
- Index
- No. of pages: 1104
- Language: English
- Edition: 4
- Published: February 1, 2023
- Imprint: Academic Press
- Paperback ISBN: 9780128227015
- eBook ISBN: 9780128227107
IJ
Ian D. Jones
IAN JONES, PhD is a physical limnologist in the Biological and Environmental Sciences Division at the University of Stirling (UK), having previously worked for many years at the UK’s Centre for Ecology & Hydrology in Lancaster and, before that, the School of the Environment at the University of Leeds (UK). As well as physical limnology studies, his research has focussed on the interaction between lake physics and the biology and chemistry in lakes, studying interactions with phosphorus, carbon, oxygen, bacteria, charophytes, phytoplankton, zooplankton, and fish. Jones has been working with in situ high-resolution lake data for more than 20 years as well as a variety of physical and biological numerical models.
JS
John P. Smol
JOHN P. SMOL, OC, PhD, FRSC, FRS is a Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Biology at Queen’s University (Canada). Smol founded and co-directs the Paleoecological Environmental Assessment and Research Lab (PEARL), a group of ~40 students and other scientists dedicated to the study of long-term global environmental change, and especially as it relates to lake ecosystems. John has authored >660 journal publications and chapters, as well as completed 22 books. Smol was the founding Editor of the J. Paleolimnology (1987-2007) and is current Editor of Environmental Reviews (2004 – present). Since 1990 he has received six honorary doctorates and has been awarded >70 research and teaching awards and fellowships, including the International Society of Limnology Naumann-Thienemann Medal, both the Hutchinson Award and the Margalef Award from the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography, the International Ecology Institute Prize, and the NSERC Herzberg Gold Medal as Canada’s top scientist or engineer. He was named an Officer of the Order of Canada for his environmental work, a Fellow of the Royal Society (London), and was elected President of the Academy of Science, Royal Society of Canada (2019-2022).