"An exciting foray into Earth's inland waters, the remarkable species they contain, and the conservation challenges of protecting them.
We call Earth ""the blue planet"" because oceans cover 71 percent of its surface. But this description ignores the diverse inland waters—streams, lakes, wetlands, and ground waters—that are so important to global biodiversity. These crucial ecosystems are home to about ten percent of all known species, many of which are extraordinary, and some of which are critically endangered.
In Beyond the Sea, David Strayer introduces readers to the world's most remarkable and varied inland waters, including volcanic lakes more corrosive than battery acid, catastrophic floods that carried ten times as much water as the Amazon River, ground waters miles beneath our feet that are home to unique microbes, and vast lakes that fill only once a century. These varied ecosystems support a wide array of remarkable and unique species, such as tiny animals that can become ""reversibly dead,"" mussels that seduce fish, and lungfishes that have evolved to meet the myriad challenges posed by inland-water habitats.
Because humans have used—and abused—inland waters so intensively for everything from drinking water to sewage disposal, many species around the world that depend on them are already extinct or in desperate peril. Strayer explains the damage caused by human activities and outlines the solutions that are needed to sustain and restore inland-water ecosystems and their inhabitants. Proving that the sea isn't the only watery realm of mystery and wonder, this book illuminates the secrets, science, and amazing denizens of the overlooked waters in our backyards."
By:
David Strayer
Imprint: Johns Hopkins University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 229mm,
Width: 152mm,
Spine: 19mm
ISBN: 9781421450070
ISBN 10: 1421450070
Pages: 272
Publication Date: 21 January 2025
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming
Preface Chapter 1. Theme and Variations: The Rest of the Blue Planet Chapter 2. Inland Waters: Types, Sizes, and Shapes Chapter 3. Origins: How Inland Waters Are Made Chapter 4. Age: Lifespans of Inland Waters Chapter 5. Disruption: Stability and Disturbance in Inland Waters Chapter 6. Materials: The Chemical Diversity of Inland Waters Chapter 7. Isolation: All Inland Waters Are Islands Chapter 8. Life: Inland-Water Biodiversity Chapter 9. Challenges 1: How Do You Keep from Getting Washed to the Sea? Chapter 10. Challenges 2: What Do You Do When the Water Dries Up? Chapter 11. Challenges 3: How Do You Find Some Lunch? Chapter 12. Challenges 4: And Then There's Sex Chapter 13. Peril: Human Impacts on Inland Waters and Their Biodiversity Chapter 14. Solutions: Protecting and Restoring Inland-Water Ecosystems Chapter 15. Back to the Theme: Closing Remarks Notes Index
David Strayer (ANN ARBOR, MI) is a freshwater ecologist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies. He is a coeditor of Fundamentals of Ecosystem Science and the author of The Hudson Primer: Ecology of an Iconic River.
