Aquatic Biodiversity,

Edition 1 Theories, Approaches, and Future Directions

Editors: Edited by Bryan L Brown and Christopher M Swan

Publication Date: 01 Oct 2026

0 Reviews

Conformance

PDF/UA-1
The publication contains a conformance statement that it meets the EPUB Accessibility 1.1, WCAG 2.1, Level AA standard. Please see https://bornaccessible.benetech.org/certified-publishers/ for further details of our compatibility testing.
The publication was certified on 20250728
Accessibility addendum
The certifier's credential is https://bornaccessible.benetech.org/certified-publishers/
For detailed accessibility information, see Elsevier’s website at https://www-elsevier-com.ucc.idm.oclc.org/about/accessibility
Compatibility tested
For queries regarding accessibility information, contact [email protected]

Ways Of Reading

This e-publication is accessible to the full extent that the file format and types of content allow, on a specific reading device, by default, without necessarily including any additions such as textual descriptions of images or enhanced navigation.
All contents of the digital publication necessary to use and understanding, including any text, images (via alternative descriptions), video (via audio description) is fully accessible via suitable audio reproduction.

Navigation

The contents of the PDF have been tagged to permit access by assistive technologies as per PDF-UA-1 standard.
Page breaks included from the original print source

Additional Accessibility Information

All (or substantially all) textual matter is arranged in a single logical reading order (including text that is visually presented as separate from the main text flow, e.g., in boxouts, captions, tables, footnotes, endnotes, citations, etc.). Non-textual content is also linked from within this logical reading order. (Purely decorative non-text content can be ignored).
The language of the text has been specified (e.g., via the HTML or XML lang attribute) to optimise text-to-speech (and other alternative renderings), both at the whole document level and, where appropriate, for individual words, phrases or passages in a different language.
For readers with color vision deficiency, use of color (e.g., in diagrams, graphics and charts, in prompts, or on buttons inviting a response) is not the sole means of graphical distinction or of conveying information
Content is enhanced with ARIA roles to optimize organization and facilitate navigation
Where interactive content is included in the product, controls are provided (e.g., for speed, pause and resume, reset) and labelled to make their use clear.

WCAG v2.2

Note

This product relies on 3rd party tooling which may impact the accessibility features visible in inspection copies. All accessibility features mentioned would be present in the purchased version of the title.

Aquatic Biodiversity: Theories, Approaches, and Future Directions reviews the development of metacommunity ecology theory in aquatic systems. The book explores aquatic dispersal as a driver of community biodiversity, patterns, and processes. Considered a relatively new field, metacommunity ecology created a paradigm shift in the field of aquatic ecology by developing a novel, network-based theory that differences in connectivity throughout aquatic systems lead to predictable variations in the mechanisms of assembly for lentic and lotic communities. This book collates the cutting edge conceptual, theoretical, and empirical advancements of the field and its contributions to invasive species management, biomonitoring, and stream restoration.

Written and edited by many of the key researchers contributing to the development of the field, this book is systematically structured for easy accessibility by diverse audiences. Introductory sections discuss the importance of spatial structure, dispersal dynamics in aquatic systems, the effects of disturbances, and eco-evolutionary dynamics. Latter chapters apply these theories by describing field experiments in lentic and lotic systems and highlighting the field's applications to stream restoration, invasive species monitoring, urban ecosystem management, and biomonitoring at varying spatial scales.

As advancements and refinements to the field of metacommunity ecology develop, Aquatic Biodiversity presents the first compendium establishing its foundational theories and their applications in aquatic ecology. For this reason, it is an indispensable resource for students, researchers, community ecologists, and aquatic resource managers.

Key Features

Examines the factors driving aquatic biodiversity in a spatial context
Summarizes the latest developments in the field of aquatic biodiversity
Provides a contemporary resource to students and researchers applying metacommunity ecology to aquatic ecosystems

About the author

Edited by Bryan L Brown, Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, USA and Christopher M Swan, Professor, Geography and Environmental Systems, University of Maryland, Baltimore, USA

1. Metacommunity ecology in aquatic systems
2. The importance of spatial structure in lotic systems
3. Streams as dendritic systems
4. Using network modeling to quantify population and community dynamics in dendritic stream networks
5. Importance of dispersal in lotic systems
6. The physical study of dispersal: fish
7. Microbial biodiversity in river networks
8. Experiments using microcosm systems
9. Field experiments in lotic systems
10. A network approach to stream drying
11. Metacommunity approaches to invasive species in aquatic systems
12. Metacommunity approaches to urban aquatic ecosystems
13. Applying metacommunity-based biomonitoring metrics on large spatial scales
14. Effects of spatial structure on functioning in streams
15. Summary and future directions

ISBN: 9780443288128

Page Count: 300

Retail Price :

Advanced undergraduate and graduate students studying eco-evolutionary sciences. Academic researchers, population and community ecologists, aquatic conservationists, natural resource agency employees