This book contains 26 contributions dealing with the biology of aquatic oligochaetes and covers a wide range of topics including taxonomy, morphology, ultrastructure, embryology, reproduction, feeding biology, ecotoxicity, community studies, and species distribution. Descriptions of new taxa in tropical areas, including Amazonian forest soils, as well as overviews on the biodiversity of aquatic oligochaetes in Australia and European groundwaters, are presented. New morphological characteristics in both marine and freshwater species are described and interpreted. Laboratory studies contribute...

This volume contains selected papers from the 9th Symposium on Aquatic Oligochaeta, 6 10 October 2003, Wageningen, The Netherlands. 18 contributions deal with the biology of aquatic oligochaetes, and represents a mixture of the fields of taxonomy, anatomy, morphology and physiology, life history, ecology, sludge studies and toxicology. This wide scope is in line with recent trends in oligochaete research, with a special interest in sludge studies.

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The landmass on which we live is an integral part of our water catchment. Any human - tivity will inevitably have some consequences on the availability and composition of fresh waters. These consequences are becoming increasingly important and detectable as the - man population grows. The problem is to be addressed at the global scale, as frequently, decisions made have inter-regional and international impacts, and must therefore be coor- nated. In a number of European Member States, for example, the availability of water - sources depends on the activities of other upstream countries. The...

Integrated assessment of running waters is the focal point of the European Water Framework Directive. This book provides deep insight into principles and methodologies of river assessment, covering the whole range from the definition of reference conditions and river typologies to specific problems such as the most appropriate taxonomic resolution and software applications. It is focused on benthic macroinvertebrates, the taxonomic group most frequently used in bioassessment. The underlying principles are relevant for other taxonomic groups used in bioassessment and other ecosystem types,...

Integrated assessment of running waters is the focal point of the European Water Framework Directive. This book provides deep insight into principles and methodologies of river assessment, covering the whole range from the definition of reference conditions and river typologies to specific problems such as the most appropriate taxonomic resolution and software applications. It is focused on benthic macroinvertebrates, the taxonomic group most frequently used in bioassessment. The underlying principles are relevant for other taxonomic groups used in bioassessment and other ecosystem types,...