Life in Lakes and Rivers
Life in Lakes and Rivers reveals to us not only the fascination of the world of fresh waters, but the excitement and delight of finding out more about it. This edition is exclusive to newnaturalists.comThe study of life in British lakes and rivers is one of that has been unduly neglected in natural history publications. Dr. Macan and Dr. Worthington are particularly well equipped to provide the readers of the New Naturalist series with a work that is both authoritative and of outstanding interest, since for many years they have been connected with the freshwater biological station of Wray Castle at Windermere in the English Lakes.It has long been emphasized by teachers of ecology that the intricacies of the animal and plant community as a whole can be readily studied in a pond or lake. This is made admirably clear by the authors. The solutions to the many problems, which form the observation of life in lakes and rivers, have themselves created other absorbing problems, wider and more fundamental than perhaps ever suspected, and which reach far into the very structure of biology.In spite of its importance, the majority of the public know surprisingly little about the subject. Anglers know only one side of it; holiday makers mostly skim the surface if it. Dr. Macan and Dr. Worthington now reveal to us not only the fascination of the world of fresh waters, but the excitement and delight of finding out more about it.
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Collins New Naturalist Library
15
Life in Lakes and Rivers
T. T. Macan and E. B. Worthington
Margaret Davies D.Sc.
Sir Julian Huxley M.A. D.Sc. F.R.S.
John Gilmour M.A. V.M.H.
Kenneth Mellanby C.B.E. Sc.D.
PHOTOGRAPHIC EDITOR:
Eric Hosking F.R.P.S.
The aim of this series is to interest the general reader in the wild life of Britain by recapturing the inquiring spirit of the old naturalists. The Editors believe that the natural pride of the British public in the native fauna and flora, to which must be added concern for their conservation, is best fostered by maintaining a high standard of accuracy combined with clarity of exposition in presenting the results of modern scientific research.
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1 FIRST PRINCIPLES
CHAPTER 2 A TYPICAL LAKE
CHAPTER 3 APPARATUS FOR STUDYING LAKES
CHAPTER 4 DIFFERENT KINDS OF LAKES
CHAPTER 5 RIVERS
CHAPTER 6 ANIMALS AND PLANTS
CHAPTER 7 THE ORGANISM AND ITS ENVIRONMENT
CHAPTER 8 A CLOSER LOOK AT THE ENVIRONMENT
CHAPTER 9 FOOD-CHAINS AND PRODUCTIVITY
CHAPTER 10 LIFE AROUND THE WATER
CHAPTER 11 ANIMAL TRAVELS
CHAPTER 12 STOCK AND CROP
CHAPTER 13 FISH PONDS AND MANURING
CHAPTER 14 IMPURE WATER
CHAPTER 15 PURE WATER
CHAPTER 16 SUMMARY
Dr Macan and Dr Worthington, the collaborators in this scholarly and interesting book, have been colleagues for many years. Both are connected with the Fresh-water Biological Association’s laboratory on Windermere in the English lakes.
The subject of life in British lakes and rivers occurred to the Editorial Board early in the planning of the New Naturalist series. No sooner had the idea come to us than we invited Dr E. B. Worthington to be the author of the book. Shortly after he had accepted the invitation, however, he left Windermere to take up an important appointment in East Africa. He suggested, when this happened, that the major task of the book should be taken over by his younger colleague, Dr Macan, and that the final work should be a collaboration of the two of them. The happy result of this suggestion is now before the reader, who will agree that Dr Macan and Dr Worthington have written an admirably lucid and vital book on a somewhat neglected subject.
One of the points made by teachers of ecology in the last twenty years to their students is that the animal and plant community can be readily studied in a pond or a lake. That this is so the authors of this book, which is entirely ecological in its outlook, make quite clear. Moreover, in so far as it can be made simple they make it so. Nevertheless the reader, when he has finished the book, will realize that the solutions of many problems of life in lakes and rivers (solutions which have been often arrived at by workers at Windermere) have only served to create more problems – problems wider and more fundamental than perhaps anybody ever suspected, problems that reach far into the very structure of biology.
First appointed in 1935, Dr Macan returned to Windermere in 1946 after five years as specialist entomologist in the Army. Dr Worthington, well known on account of his explorations of the African lakes, came to Wray Castle as Director in 1937, when that post was first created. Since 1946 he has been Scientific Secretary to the East Africa High Commission, in which position he has been surveying all East Africa in order to ascertain how and where the resources of science might be used to promote prosperity and well-being.
THE EDITORS
It is becoming increasingly difficult to write a book which is not out of date in a number of minor, and perhaps a few major, particulars, because advances in every field are continually appearing in print and no-one can hope to keep abreast of all of them. The present authors do not venture to hope that they have not erred, but they have been in what are undoubtedly the most favourable circumstances for writing a book of this kind. Members of the staff of a freshwater biological station, they have been surrounded by colleagues each an expert in one of the fields touched in the following pages. Moreover, these colleagues have been willing to read through chapters on their subjects and draw attention to errors and defects. Mr H. C. Gilson has read chapters 1, 2, and 4; Dr C. H. Mortimer chapters 2, 4, and 9; Dr J. W. G. Lund and Dr Hilda Canter have assisted with the botanical parts of several chapters; Dr W. E. Frost has read chapters 11 and 12; Mr E. D. Le Cren chapters 12 and 13; and Dr C. B. Taylor chapters 14 and 15. Captain C. Diver, C.B.E., Director of the Biological Service, and Mr F. T. K. Pentelow of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries have criticized chapters 8 and 14 respectively. It is appropriate to acknowledge at this point that the editorial board has made many helpful suggestions.
No less important is a lay impression, since it is not for specialists and professional biologists that this book is primarily written. For this we are indebted to Mrs Zaida Macan, who has read through the whole typescript; and to Mr Maurice Illingworth, who has read Chapter 12.
