Tropical Streams: Diversity and Uniqueness

ISBN-13: 9781466592575 / Angielski / Twarda / 2030 / 300 str.

Alan Paul Covich

Opis

Tropical streams and streams, in general, are sentinels of change and, as such, provide an early warning system for environmental health. In particular, tropical streams are unique because they harbor enormous biodiversity. This book compares and contrasts low latitude vs. higher latitude streams with respect to both abiotic and dynamic biotic factors.

Spis treści

Introduction
Objectives and audiences
Previous studies and overview

Physical template of tropical catchments
Geological history, origins of stream network and geomorphology
Climatic and hydrologic variability
Chemical differences among headwater and lowland streams
Size of catchments: insular and continental catchments
Effect of future climate change, sea-level rise

Biodiversity. endemism, and evolution of new species
Different scales of biodiversity at elevational gradients
Latitudinal gradients in local species diversity in stream networks
Latitudinal gradients in regional species diversity in large networks
Dispersal and adaptations for variable environmental conditions
Endemism in tropical streams

Food-web organization
Energy flow, trophic structure, and species-specific connections
Food-web hierarchical structure and compartmentalization
Processing chains: linked primary producers, grazers and detritivores
Trophic cascades: top-down effects of predators

Productivity, organic matter dynamics
Primary and secondary productivity
Organic matter sources: seasonal inputs and litter retention
Organic matter processing: microbes and macro-invertebrates
Nutrient cycling and co-limitation

Responses to natural disturbances and effects on ecosystem services
Resiliency of species following floods, droughts, hurricanes
Roles of species in providing goods and services
Loss of biodiversity and effects on ecosystem services

Conclusions
Lessons learned from regional comparisons
Adaptive planning for sustaining future stream ecosystems