III-A-13 



Hickling, C.F. 1975. Water as a productive environment. St. Martin's 

 Press, New York. 203 pp. 



This book is primarily concerned with the essential character of 

 water movement. It treats the subject from an ecological viewpoint 

 by following water from the hills and mountains down the path of 

 gravity to the torrents and hill streams, thence to the rivers, 

 lakes, artificial lakes and dams which are built to economize and 

 use water, and so on to the estuaries. 



The study of water is usually within the context of two disciplines; 

 limnology, the study of inland waters which are usually fresh; 

 and oceanography. The plan of this book involves both disciplines, 

 showing logically how water supports life in abundance. Kinds of 

 vegetation responsible for primary production, quantities produced, 

 and how the primary production of material fuels the activities of 

 successive levels of animal life, leading finally to the fishes which 

 provide man with food and recreation, are discussed. (H.D.) 



Keywords: estuaries, ecology, water, primary productivity 



III-A-14 



Odum, E.P. 1962. Relationships between structure and function in eco- 

 systems. Japanese Journal of Ecology 12:108-118. 



Ecology is defined as the study of the structure and function of 

 ecosystems. Biological structure influences the pattern of energy 

 flow, particularly the fate of net production and the relative 

 importance of grazers and detritus consumers. The author cites 

 three major aspects of function: (1) the energy flow through the 

 ecosystems beginning with the incoming solar energy and passing 

 through the successive trophic levels, (2) the cycling of nutrients, 

 and (3) community regulation. 



It is suggested that the basic pattern of functional change in 

 ecological succession is the same in all ecosystems, but that the 

 species composition, rate of change and duration of succession is 

 determined by the physical environment and the resultant community 

 structure. (H.D.) 



Keywords: ecosystems, energy flow, productivity, detritus 



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