Ecology of Australian Freshwater Fishes

About this book

This edited volume reviews our past and present understanding of the ecology of Australian freshwater fishes. It compares patterns and processes in Australia with those on other continents, discusses the local relevance of ecological models from the northern hemisphere and considers how best to manage our species and their habitats in the face of current and future threats. In view of these challenges, the need for redress is urgent.

The chapters are written by some of our foremost researchers and managers, developing themes that underpin our knowledge of the ecology, conservation and management of fish and fish habitats. For each theme, the authors formulate a synthesis of what is known, consider the need for new perspectives and identify gaps and opportunities for research, monitoring and management. The themes have an Australian context but draw upon ideas and principles developed by fish biologists in other parts of the world.

The science of freshwater fish ecology in Australia has grown rapidly from its roots in natural history and taxonomy. Ecology of Australian Freshwater Fishes offers an introduction for students, researchers and managers, one that the authors hope will carry Australian fish biology and resource management to new levels of understanding.

Contents

Foreword
Contributors
Preface

1 The ecology of Australian freshwater fishes: an introduction
2 Biogeography
3 Evolutionary processes and biodiversity
4 Habitats
5 Movements and migration
6 Trophic ecology
7 Reproduction and early life history
8 Age and growth
9 Dynamics of populations
10 Assemblages
11 Fishes from elsewhere
12 Conservation and management
13 Looking ahead

Appendix – Species list of Australian freshwater fishes
References
Index to species
Index to subjects

Customer Reviews

Biography

Paul Humphries is a fish biologist, river ecologist and lecturer with 25 years’ experience in research in many parts of Australia. Paul has studied myriad aspects of the ecology of freshwater fish, including the early life history of fishes and relationships between fish ecology and river flow, as well as the history of science in Australia and elsewhere. He has published some 40 scientific papers, book chapters, reviews and identification keys relating to fish. He has edited a Special Issue of the journal Freshwater Biology, and is on the Editorial Board of the international journal River Research and Applications.

Keith Walker is a river ecologist with 35 years’ experience, mainly in the Murray-Darling Basin. He was at The University of Adelaide from 1975 to 2007, and is now a consultant. At first a zoologist, his research has included collaborations in botany, hydrology, geomorphology and engineering. Keith edited The Ecology of River Systems with Bryan Davies in 1986, and has published about 230 refereed and non-refereed articles, including work on fish. He was Editor of the journal River Research and Applications from 1986 to 2006. He is a member of the Independent Sustainable Rivers Audit Group, for the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, and the Threatened Species Scientific Committee and Environmental Water Scientific Advisory Committee, for the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.