This article was downloaded by: [Washburn University]On: 22 October 2014, At: 02:53Publisher: Taylor & FrancisInforma Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK

Journal of the Royal Society of NewZealandPublication details, including instructions for authors andsubscription information:http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tnzr20

Life in inland watersD.J. Forsyth aa Taupo Research Laboratory , Division of Marine andFreshwater Science, DSIR , P.O. Box 415, TaupoPublished online: 12 Jan 2012.

To cite this article: D.J. Forsyth (1984) Life in inland waters, Journal of the Royal Society ofNew Zealand, 14:3, 293-293, DOI: 10.1080/03036758.1984.10426950

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03036758.1984.10426950

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Reviews 293

Life in Inland Waters, by W. D. Williams. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Melbourne;pp. 252, 1983. A$15.95 limp.

In 196 pages of text, this book provides a great deal of information on the nature of Australianinland waters and their plants and animals. There is also a comprehensive list of references tofurther reading, covering 30 more pages, making this section larger than any of the precedingchapters.

The author has aimed for the non-specialist and student readership. However, the informedpublic will also be interested, particularly in the biological chapters. For the scientist the bookprovides a concise account of the special features of the Australian aquatic biota, and an overviewof the relationships between the faunas. of Australia, New Zealand and the rest of the southernhemisphere. The author's comments on conservation and on the impact of man on the environmentalso apply more or less to New Zealand, and will be of interest to all. While many Australiangroups are less diverse than their equivalents in the northern hemisphere, nevertheless theAustralian species are more abundant and diverse than those of New Zealand. This is especiallyevident among the fish, amphibians and reptiles.

The different features of standing and flowing waters are strikingly portrayed for those readersliving in a less arid climate. Most of the special adaptations noted have been evolved in responseto low and often unreliable rainfall, or to the alternation of flood and drought. The Australianfauna is also characterised by high endemicity, an absence of some groups common elsewhere,and high adaptive radiation in some groups not notably diverse elsewhere.

At first sight the chapter on invertebrates seems comparatively brief, considering its scope andthe range of different forms and life cycles involved. However, the author has already coveredthis group more extensively in a previous publication.

Subsequent chapters are allotted 11-23 pages each, and their content has been well researched.The emphasis is on the unique and unusual features of the biota, for example the proportionof endemic to introduced species, their adaptation to the environment, their distribution andmode of dispersal. Practical aspects of importance to economics, medicine, conservation or controlare stressed. In contrast to most limnological texts, the flora is considered after the fauna iscomprehensively treated. The problems of the growth and control of pest plants are outlined.

Some readers may disagree with the author's definition of conservation; more may take issuewith what he views as emotionalism in conservation issues and the part played by 'the sociallyaffluent and elite'; but few will disagree with the values and benefits of conservation as he lists them.

The reason for the long list of references (some noted in the text, most not) soon becomesapparent. The text stimulates the reader to further enquiry, and not only on aquatic subjects.For example, more information on the terrestrial frogs among the Hylidae and Microhylidae,and their adaptation to dryness, would be interesting.

The work is ideally presented for the student in that it constantly refers to gaps in our knowledgeand suggests areas for further research. The material is lucidly written, well laid out, and withno misprints. The line drawings are well chosen and of appropriate size reduction.

My only serious criticism concerns the poor reproduction of the black and white photographs.Most are too small for the detail in them, so that features referred to in the captions are notimmediately obvious; many are of high contrast and over-exposed. The book would have benefittedfrom some larger and coloured photographs to raise the quality of the visual presentation to matchthat of the information in the text. On the other hand, the absence of colour has helped to keepthe price to $15.95, which is extremely good value for the quality of content and production.

D. J. ForsythTaupo Research LaboratoryDivision of Marine and

Freshwater Science, DSIRP.O. Box 415Taupo

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