Overview

Simplistic thinking would have us believe that by eliminating the loading of a given pollutant, an aquatic system will revert to its previous pristine state. This premise is without scientific verification. Besides the fact that typically very little documentation exists defining what exactly that previous pristine state was, it should be noted that biological processes are non-linear. They reflect adaptations by populations and corresponding responses of trophic organization that are not predictable by linear models of recovery. Restoration of Aquatic Systems makes a clear delineation between genuine restoration and public perception of restoration efforts. Written by Robert Livingston, one of the foremost international authorities on ecosystem studies of freshwater, estuarine, and marine environments, this work is the final volume of a trilogy derived from 70 field-years of data garnered from 10 different coastal systems on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. The text provides a synthetic look at the restoration of aquatic systems, emphasizing the functional basis that supports such activities, followed by a review of the evidence of recovery. Livingston considers numerous cases of scientific restoration; however, while the first two volumes could be considered pure science, this volume brings into play the impact of political as well as economic interests and where appropriate, media leverage. This work is thus concerned with just how effective the restoration process becomes as a product of a complex mixture of competing interests. From this effort, an interdisciplinary comparative database has been created that is currently being published in a series of books and peer-reviewed scientific journals. This work is used to evaluate system-level processes that determine the effects of nutrient loading and nutrient dynamics on phytoplankton/benthic macrophyte productivity and associated food web responses.

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9780849319662

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""The strength of the book is in its emphasis on interdisciplinary science as an essential approach to ecosystem research…valuable reading to researchers and regulators…the principles and mechanisms of eutrophication demonstrated here may be applicable to other regions. It serves as an instructional treatise on what is required to adequately evaluate the eutrophication process."" -COPEIA, February 2002 ""I would recommend this book to researchers, resource managers, and students interested in ecosystem restoration efforts … This volume presents some of the most detailed case histories in existence and it would be a great addition to the library of ecologists interested in restoration efforts… the excellent long-term data sets combined with the author’s experience in ecosystem restoration make this a valuable publication that should be read by researchers working on ecosystem restoration efforts."" —The Quarterly Review of Biology, September 2008, vol. 83, no. 3 ""I would recommend this book…The author has much experience and has compiled extensive long-term data sets, and the associated case histories proved an excellent reference for researchers and managers working on restoration problems. This volume present some of the most detailed case histories in existence and it would be a great addition to the library of ecologists interested in restoration efforts. … excellent long-term data sets combined with the author’s experience in ecosystem restoration make this a valuable publication."" — Micheal S. Allen, Fisheries & Aquatic Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville in The Quarterly Review of Biology 83(3) 2008

The strength of the book is in its emphasis on interdisciplinary science as an essential approach to ecosystem researchvaluable reading to researchers and regulatorsthe principles and mechanisms of eutrophication demonstrated here may be applicable to other regions. It serves as an instructional treatise on what is required to adequately evaluate the eutrophication process. -COPEIA, February 2002

Author Information

Robert J. Livingston

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