This book brings together the latest information on the rapid advances and developments in the field of aquatic ecology. India is very rich in terms of biological diversity due to its wide range of habitats and climatic conditions. It is home to as much as 7 per cent of the world’s animal species, although it only accounts for about 2 per cent of the total landmass. The present work on biodiversity, ecology and conservation of aquatic resources represents original research in the field of aquatic biodiversity, wetland ecology and its applications with reference to the country’s aquatic resources. There are 19 chapters, each contributed by an expert in his/her particular field and offering novel approaches to various topics in the area of aquatic ecosystems.

Freshwater Biodiversity is a much underestimated component of global biodiversity, both in its diversity and in its potential to act as models for fundamental research in evolutionary biology and ecosystem studies. Freshwater organisms also reflect quality of water bodies and can thus be used to monitor changes in ecosystem health. The present book comprises a unique collection of primary research papers spanning a wide range of topics in aquatic biodiversity studies, and including a first global assessment of specific diversity of freshwater animals. The book also presents a section on the interaction between scientists and science policy managers. A target opinion paper lists priorities in aquatic biodiversity research for the next decade and several reactions from distinguished scientists discuss the relevance of these items from different points of view: fundamental ecology, taxonomy and systematics, needs of developing countries, present-day biodiversity policy at European and at global scales. It is believed that such a platform for the interaction between science and science policy is an absolute necessity for the efficient use of research budgets in the future.

This volume examines the topic of local biodiversity conservation in the Asia-Pacific region, one of the most rapidly changing areas in the world. With a focus on aquatic systems, this book offers insight on the state of local biodiversity, challenges in management and conservation of biodiversity, and newly developed methods for monitoring biodiversity. In addition, because the service provided by an ecosystem for humans is interlinked with conservation, the final part is dedicated to evaluating the socioeconomic aspect of ecosystem services, with special reference to local biodiversity. In effect, all contributions provide information that is invaluable for effective conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. This work will interest all stakeholders in biodiversity conservation, including policy makers, NPOs, NGOs, environment-related industries, and biodiversity researchers, not only in the Asia-Pacific region, but also across the entire globe.

The ‘Aquatic Habitat Conservation in South America’ Symposium occurred during the XXI Brazilian Society of Ichthyology Meeting. The proceedings were published as a special issue in the Journal of Fish Biology (vol. 89, Number 1, June 2016). In this special issue, authors provided an analytical overview of problems faced by the conservation of fishes and aquatic habitats of South America. Habitat loss emerged as the greatest concern for all South American aquatic ecosystems, with a long list of causes related to unsustainable development models. Based on this finding, we would like to extend this topic to other continents, different climates, fauna and flora around the world. Our goal is to provide a comprehensive and multidisciplinary overview of variables that influence flora and fauna distributions and shape their ecological interactions within aquatic ecosystems

Papers presented at the Lake 2002 International Symposium on Conservation, Restoration and Management of Aquatic Ecosystems, held at Bangalore during 9-13 December 2002.

Aquatic ecosystems are rich in biodiversity and home to a diverse array of species and habitats, providing a wide variety of benefits to human beings. Many of these valuable ecosystems are at risk of being irreversibly damaged by human activities and pressures, including pollution, contamination, invasive species, overfishing and climate change. Such pressures threaten the sustainability of these ecosystems, their provision of ecosystem services and ultimately human well-being. Ecosystem-based management (EBM) is now widely considered the most promising paradigm for balancing sustainable development and biodiversity protection, and various international strategies and conventions have championed the EBM cause and the inclusion of ecosystem services in decision-making. This open access book introduces the essential concepts and principles required to implement ecosystem-based management, detailing tools and techniques, and describing the application of these concepts and tools to a broad range of aquatic ecosystems, from the shores of Lough Erne in Northern Ireland to the estuaries of the US Pacific Northwest and the tropical Mekong Delta.

Aquatic Functional Biodiversity: An Ecological and Evolutionary Perspective provides a general conceptual framework by some of the most prominent investigators in the field for how to link eco-evolutionary approaches with functional diversity to understand and conserve the provisioning of ecosystem services in aquatic systems. Rather than producing another methodological book, the editors and authors primarily concentrate on defining common grounds, connecting conceptual frameworks and providing examples by a more detailed discussion of a few empirical studies and projects, which illustrate key ideas and an outline of potential future directions and challenges that are expected in this interdisciplinary research field. Recent years have seen an explosion of interest in using network approaches to disentangle the relationship between biodiversity, community structure and functioning. Novel methods for model construction are being developed constantly, and modern methods allow for the inclusion of almost any type of explanatory variable that can be correlated either with biodiversity or ecosystem functioning. As a result these models have been widely used in ecology, conservation and eco-evolutionary biology. Nevertheless, there remains a considerable gap on how well these approaches are feasible to understand the mechanisms on how biodiversity constrains the provisioning of ecosystem services. - Defines common theoretical grounds in terms of terminology and conceptual issues - Connects theory and practice in ecology and eco-evolutionary sciences - Provides examples for successful biodiversity conservation and ecosystem service management

The extension use of illustrations is intended to increase the understanding the concepts and show modern facilities also. The book includes chapters contributed by outstanding experts and scientists from Egypt, Nigeria and different parts of India.

Marine, coastal and wetland habitats are threatened, through exploitation, and also by climate change, as ocean currents change course, sea levels rise, and rainfall patterns change. This book gathers papers on the biodiversity conservation of these increasingly threatened habitats. The papers provide a snapshot of the problems they face, and offer numerous examples which render this volume valuable to educators in marine, freshwater and wetlands ecology, conservation and ecological restoration.

The global concepts of sustainable development demand for scientific progress to be integrated with the realities of environmental management, legislation, and policy making. Aquatic ecosystem management is a key element in this endeavour for sustainability, since water quality is an important prerequisite for human health and development. The health and integrity of aquatic ecosystems should therefore, not only be regarded as important in its own right, but Water is Life. Freshwater is one of the most valuable commodities on our planet, and this resource should be managed in a sustainable way. Yet, we are less than careful in the way we use water and many of our non-marine, aquatic habitats are threatened by anthropogenic impacts. Eutrophication, for example, could well turn into one of the major social as well as economic problems of the 21st century. Reduction of water quality also has a profound effect on the biota that depend on these water bodies, such as micro-organisms, plants and animals. Freshwater Biodiversity is a much underestimated component of global biodiversity, both in its diversity and in its potential to act as models for fundamental research in evolutionary biology and ecosystem studies. Freshwater organisms also reflect quality of water bodies and can thus be used to monitor changes in ecosystem health. The present book deals with all of these aspects of Aquatic Biodiversity. It comprises a unique collection of primary research papers spanning a wide range of topics in aquatic biodiversity studies, and including a first global assessment of specific diversity of freshwater animals. The book also presents a section on the interaction between scientists and science policy managers. A target opinion paper lists priorities in aquatic biodiversity research for the next decade and several reactions from distinguished scientists discuss the relevance of these items from different points of view: fundamental ecology, taxonomy and systematics, needs of developing countries, present-day biodiversity policy at European and at global scales. It is believed that such a platform for the interaction between science and science policy is an absolute necessity for the efficient use of research budgets in the future.