Focuses, with historical perspective and in an accessible style, on the ecology of the types of lakes, streams and coastal waters which are typical of Denmark. Topics covered include: the long-term development of different lakes and brackish waters in relation to anthropogenic influences, the key role of macrophytes in the ecology of shallow streams and estuaries, the dynamics in the microbial food webs, the regulation of macroinvertebrate communities in lakes and streams, and the ecophysiology of submerged macrophytes and profundal zoobenthos.