Biological Monitoring of Aquatic Systems

Book excerpt: With regional, national, and global processes affecting both the structure and function of lakes and rivers, assessment methodology must encompass many attributes to evaluate the impact of these processes on water quality. Many of the changes in biological communities correlate to resource exploitation, nonpoint pollutant interactions, and habitat alteration - factors that can be missed by routine chemical sampling. This creates the need for ecologically-based approaches to this problem. Biological monitoring is a fundamental part of an ecologically-based approach. Biological Monitoring of Aquatic Systems brings together contributions by authors recognized as leaders in the development and utilization of biological monitoring techniques for freshwater ecosystems. It provides a conceptual framework for the use of biological monitoring to assess the environmental health of freshwater resources. Biological monitoring is an important part of any water quality assessment program. Biological Monitoring of Aquatic Systems provides you with an understanding of water resources. It includes discussions concerning historical development, ecological basis, experimental design characteristics, case studies, and future concerns. As efforts to maintain and restore the world's water resources intensify, the need to develop accurate methods to assess the health of these resources becomes critical.