Ecology of Desert Rivers

Summarises current understanding of desert river ecology and its dependence on unpredictable river flows.

Richard Kingsford (Edited by)

9780521818254, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 1 June 2006

368 pages, 88 b/w illus. 20 tables
23.5 x 15.9 x 2.2 cm, 0.706 kg

"I enjoyed reading this book and it has opened my eyes to what is clearly an important freshwater topic that I had previously tended to ignore.... I shall use some of the examples in my teaching and the insights that I gained will be useful even in my own work on rivers..."
Mark Young, Bulletin of the British Ecological Society

Almost half the world is comprised of desert or dryland regions. Life in these harsh environments depends upon spectacular rivers that are constantly changing between states of flood and drought, but compared to the other rivers of the world, our knowledge of their ecology is limited. Ecology of Desert Rivers provides a comprehensive account of the variable ecology of these areas and how they determine the behaviour and composition of the organisms that survive in this 'boom and bust' environment. It also covers how human interventions such as the creation of dams affect desert rivers and the animals and plants that depend on them for survival. This book provides an up-to-date synthesis of all aspects of desert river ecology and will appeal to researchers and students in ecology, hydrology and geomorphology as well as conservation managers and policy-makers.

Part I. Natural Disturbance in Desert River Systems: 1. Desert or dryland rivers of the world - an introduction R. T. Kingsford and J. Thompson
2. Flow variability in large unregulated dryland rivers W. J. Young and R. T. Kingsford
3. Variability, complexity and diversity - the geomorphology of river ecosystems in dryland regions M. C. Thoms, P. H. Beyer and K. H. Rogers
4. Aquatic productivity and food webs of desert river ecosystems S. E. Bunn, S. R. Balcombe, P. M. Davies, C. S. Fellows and F. J. McKenzie-Smith
5. Disturbance of plant communities dependent on desert rivers M. A. Brock, S. J. Capon and J. L. Porter
6. Natural disturbance and aquatic invertebrates in desert rivers A. J. Boulton, F. Sheldon and K. M. Jenkins
7. Vertebrates of desert rivers - meeting the challenges of temporal and spatial unpredictability R. T. Kingsford, A. Georges and P. J. Unmack
Part II. Human Disturbance in Desert River Systems: 8. Impacts of dams, river management and diversions on desert rivers R. T. Kingsford, A. D. Lemly and J. R. Thompson
9. Serial weirs, cumulative effects: the Lower River Murray, Australia K. F. Walker
10. Salinisation as an ecological perturbation to rivers, streams and wetlands of arid and semi-arid zones P. C. E. Bailey, P. I. Boon, D. W. Blinn and W. D. Williams
11. Water scarcity: politics, populations and the ecology of desert rivers M. Wishart
12. Changing desert rivers R. T. Kingsford
Index.

Subject Areas: Environmental science, engineering & technology [TQ], Arid zones, deserts [RGBA], Limnology [freshwater RBKF], Ecological science, the Biosphere [PSAF]