Biology of Freshwater Pollution by C. F. MasonReview by: Alexander MilnerJournal of the North American Benthological Society, Vol. 16, No. 4 (Dec., 1997), pp. 861-862Published by: Society for Freshwater ScienceStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1468177 .

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J. N. Am. Benthol. Soc., 1997, 16(4):861-865 ? 1997 by The North American Benthological Society

BOOK REVIEWS

Biology of freshwater.pollution. 3rd edition. C. E Mason. ISBN 0-582-24732-2. Addison-Wes-

ley Longman, 1 Jacob Way, Reading, Massa- chusetts 01867. 1996. 356 pp. $35.45 (paper). (Addison-Wesley Longman Ltd., Edinburgh Gate, Harlow, Essex CM20 2JE UK).

This edition is an update and is revised from the 2nd edition published in 1991 with 300 new references and new sections on biomarkers, neo-

plasms, and the effects of global warming on freshwaters. However, there are only 4 extra

pages in book length and the additional mate- rial has been achieved through a reduction in

type size from 12 pt to 10 pt. Although some

integration of the new material has occurred, overall the book has not been extensively re- vised and in many instances the update simply involves a sentence added to the same para- graph from the 2nd edition, and inclusion of a new reference or 2.

The introduction contains 4 case studies of water pollution (3 involve river recovery from

pollutants) that have been updated to examine

changes since 1991. Chapter 2 introduces im-

portant terms and concepts in the field of aquat- ic toxicology. Chapters 3-5 are of particular strength, covering organic pollution, eutrophi- cation, and acidification. They form -1/3 of the book. A classic mathematical model to predict chlorophyll a values from the total loading of

phosphorus and lake morphology has been re- instated from the 1st edition into the eutrophi- cation chapter. The acidification chapter would have benefited from a discussion of land-use

changes on acidity through afforestation of up- land areas of Europe, and the use of critical

loading models to limit the effects of acidifica- tion.

Chapters 6-9 cover heavy metals and organ- ochlorines, thermal pollution, radioactivity, and oil. The new section on global warming in the thermal pollution chapter runs to 2 pages and covers mainly physical effects on fresh waters with negligible coverage of potential biotic im-

pacts. Papers from Firth and Fisher (1992) are not referenced.

Chapter 10 covers the application of biological surveillance to monitor water quality. The intro- duction to this chapter has been rewritten to

highlight the advantages of biological surveil-

lance over chemical sampling, and includes in- formation on the potential use of diatoms, mac-

rophytes, and fish in addition to macroinverte- brates in the bioassessment of water quality. However, the data analysis section focuses

mainly on the British RIVPACS (River In- Vertebrate Prediction And Classification Sys- tem) approach which, although of interest to North American readers, would have been of more value if extensive developments during the past 5 y in bioassessment from the USA and other regions had been included for compari- son, including the EPA rapid bioassessment pro- tocols.

The subject of Chapter 11 is the use of intru- sive microorganisms (e.g., faecal coliform bac-

teria) and bioassays to monitor freshwater con- tamination. This comprehensive overview in- cludes the use of biomarkers to assess the health of an organism in its environment, and auto- mated biomonitors of water quality. The final

chapter has been extensively revised; it exam- ines the management of water resources, includ-

ing water quality standards, and overviews ap- proaches both in the UK and the USA. The im-

plications of water quality directives by the Eu-

ropean Community are discussed as are inter-river transfers, introduced species, and the value of wetlands in maintaining water quality. This chapter provides a strong conclusion to the book.

For some reason in this edition, Mason decid- ed to use drawings in the middle of many graphs, presumably to highlight the taxa under consideration. For example, there is a drawing of an eel on a graph of eel weights, and an os-

prey appears on a graph of accumulation of

mercury from fish eaten by osprey nestlings. There are even smiley or sad faces on the rela-

tionship between exposure to a pollutant and

physiological impairment. In my opinion, these

drawings annoyingly distract from the content of the figure and do not enhance the graphical presentation. On the other hand, a number of the photographs in the book have been replaced and the overall clarity of the plates has been

significantly improved. An exception is the fig- ure of Lake 226 in the Experimental Lakes Area of Ontario; fertilization effects are hard to dis-

tinguish. The index is comprehensive and is di-

861

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BOOK REVIEWS BOOK REVIEWS

vided into a general section and genera and spe- cies names.

As a potential text for students studying pol- lutant effects on fresh waters, this book bears

comparison with the 2nd edition of Laws (1993). Laws' book covers both marine and freshwater pollution and contains more substantial sections on groundwater contamination (not covered by Mason), pesticides, pathogens, and toxicology. Mason's book is stronger on the biotic effects of

organic pollutants, eutrophication, and acidifi- cation, and contains subjects not covered by Laws, including water quality bioassessment, bioassays, and management of water resources.

As a potential text then, Mason's 3rd edition does present a clear and comprehensive over- view of the major types of freshwater pollution, with the areas of strength as noted, and adeptly includes case histories and experimental work to illustrate the consequences to freshwater communities. Overall, however, it is disappoint- ing that the 3rd edition was not updated more, and therefore I cannot recommend that readers of J-NABS who have the 2nd edition on their shelves put the 3rd edition on their book pur- chase list.

Alexander Milner

University of Birmingham Birmingham, UK

Literature Cited

FIRTH, P., AND S. G. FISHER. 1992. Global climate

change and freshwater ecosystems. Springer-Ver- lag.

LAWS, E. A. 1993. Aquatic pollution: an introductory text. 2nd edition. John Wiley and Sons.

Long-term studies of vertebrate communities. M. L. Cody and J. A. Smallwood (editors). ISBN 0-12-178075-9. Academic Press, 525 B Street, Suite 1900, San Diego, California 92101-4495. 1996. 597 pp. $69.95 (cloth).

Few ecologists would dispute that a valuable role exists for long-term ecological studies. Long-term research is necessary for understand- ing the variability of natural systems, observing ecological phenomena such as succession that play out over long periods, detecting sporadic but important events, and unraveling both sub- tle and complex ecological processes. Several

vided into a general section and genera and spe- cies names.

As a potential text for students studying pol- lutant effects on fresh waters, this book bears

comparison with the 2nd edition of Laws (1993). Laws' book covers both marine and freshwater pollution and contains more substantial sections on groundwater contamination (not covered by Mason), pesticides, pathogens, and toxicology. Mason's book is stronger on the biotic effects of

organic pollutants, eutrophication, and acidifi- cation, and contains subjects not covered by Laws, including water quality bioassessment, bioassays, and management of water resources.

As a potential text then, Mason's 3rd edition does present a clear and comprehensive over- view of the major types of freshwater pollution, with the areas of strength as noted, and adeptly includes case histories and experimental work to illustrate the consequences to freshwater communities. Overall, however, it is disappoint- ing that the 3rd edition was not updated more, and therefore I cannot recommend that readers of J-NABS who have the 2nd edition on their shelves put the 3rd edition on their book pur- chase list.

Alexander Milner

University of Birmingham Birmingham, UK

Literature Cited

FIRTH, P., AND S. G. FISHER. 1992. Global climate

change and freshwater ecosystems. Springer-Ver- lag.

LAWS, E. A. 1993. Aquatic pollution: an introductory text. 2nd edition. John Wiley and Sons.

Long-term studies of vertebrate communities. M. L. Cody and J. A. Smallwood (editors). ISBN 0-12-178075-9. Academic Press, 525 B Street, Suite 1900, San Diego, California 92101-4495. 1996. 597 pp. $69.95 (cloth).

Few ecologists would dispute that a valuable role exists for long-term ecological studies. Long-term research is necessary for understand- ing the variability of natural systems, observing ecological phenomena such as succession that play out over long periods, detecting sporadic but important events, and unraveling both sub- tle and complex ecological processes. Several

symposium volumes have been produced in re- cent years focusing on the general importance of long-term ecological research, policy strate- gies, and methods for conducting such investi-

gations (e.g., Likens 1989 and Risser 1991). This book draws together examples of long-term studies from one particular group of organisms, creatures with backbones.

This volume contains 17 chapters by 27 au- thors who have worked extensively on the ecol-

ogy of vertebrate assemblages. Interestingly, none of the contributions come from research conducted at formally established LTER (Long Term Ecological Research) sites. The book has its roots in a similarly titled symposium held at the 1993 annual meeting of the Ecological So- ciety of America in Madison, Wisconsin. Most of the original participants contributed to this volume; however, 11 contributions were added to substantially increase the depth of the book. A variety of organisms, habitats, geographical regions, and approaches are represented; the common thread is a focus on the structure of vertebrate assemblages. What qualifies as long- term varies, but most chapters cover research over at least 20 y and in some cases considerably longer periods (e.g., Nelson Hairston Sr.'s nearly half a century of salamander study).

Following an introductory overview by Mar- tin Cody, the book is divided into 4 sections based on vertebrate taxonomic groupings, i.e., fishes, herps, birds, and mammals. An attempt was made to achieve a semblance of organismal parity, and 4 long-term investigations are pre- sented for each of these vertebrate groups. Al-

though >1/2 of the contributions describe work from temperate North America, a reasonable number of chapters involve research from other

geographical regions (South and Central Amer- ica, Africa, Australia) and tropical latitudes (4 chapters). Further, a diversity of habitats is rep- resented, including streams and ponds, marine reefs, and terrestrial systems (deserts, grass- lands, scrub, and forests).

Eight chapters examine aquatic vertebrate as-

semblages. Of particular interest to J-NABS readers are the 2 chapters on freshwater fish. Keast (Chapter 3) summarizes major features of northern temperate freshwater fish assemblages based on >20 y of research in Ontario lakes and streams. Winemiller (Chapter 5) furnishes an in- teresting comparison of seasonal and long-term patterns of fish assemblages from tropical rivers

symposium volumes have been produced in re- cent years focusing on the general importance of long-term ecological research, policy strate- gies, and methods for conducting such investi-

gations (e.g., Likens 1989 and Risser 1991). This book draws together examples of long-term studies from one particular group of organisms, creatures with backbones.

This volume contains 17 chapters by 27 au- thors who have worked extensively on the ecol-

ogy of vertebrate assemblages. Interestingly, none of the contributions come from research conducted at formally established LTER (Long Term Ecological Research) sites. The book has its roots in a similarly titled symposium held at the 1993 annual meeting of the Ecological So- ciety of America in Madison, Wisconsin. Most of the original participants contributed to this volume; however, 11 contributions were added to substantially increase the depth of the book. A variety of organisms, habitats, geographical regions, and approaches are represented; the common thread is a focus on the structure of vertebrate assemblages. What qualifies as long- term varies, but most chapters cover research over at least 20 y and in some cases considerably longer periods (e.g., Nelson Hairston Sr.'s nearly half a century of salamander study).

Following an introductory overview by Mar- tin Cody, the book is divided into 4 sections based on vertebrate taxonomic groupings, i.e., fishes, herps, birds, and mammals. An attempt was made to achieve a semblance of organismal parity, and 4 long-term investigations are pre- sented for each of these vertebrate groups. Al-

though >1/2 of the contributions describe work from temperate North America, a reasonable number of chapters involve research from other

geographical regions (South and Central Amer- ica, Africa, Australia) and tropical latitudes (4 chapters). Further, a diversity of habitats is rep- resented, including streams and ponds, marine reefs, and terrestrial systems (deserts, grass- lands, scrub, and forests).

Eight chapters examine aquatic vertebrate as-

semblages. Of particular interest to J-NABS readers are the 2 chapters on freshwater fish. Keast (Chapter 3) summarizes major features of northern temperate freshwater fish assemblages based on >20 y of research in Ontario lakes and streams. Winemiller (Chapter 5) furnishes an in- teresting comparison of seasonal and long-term patterns of fish assemblages from tropical rivers

862 862 [Volume 16 [Volume 16

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