Most aquatic ecosystems have variable water levels. These water-level
fluctuations (WLF) have multiple effects on the organisms above and
below the waterline. Natural WLF patterns in lakes guarantee both
productivity and biodiversity, while untimely floods and droughts may
have negative effects. Human impacts on WLF have led to a stabilization
of the water levels of many lakes by hydraulic regulation, untimely
drawdown due to water use, or floods due to water release from
hydropower plants in the catchments.
This book provides a first review in this field. It presents selected
papers on the ecological effects of WLF in lakes, resulting from a
workshop at the University of Konstanz in winter 2005. Issues addressed
here include the extent of WLF, and analyses of their effects on
different groups of biota from microorganisms to vertebrates. Applied
issues include recommendations for the hydrological management of
regulated lakes to reduce negative impacts, and a conceptual framework
is delivered by an extension of the floodpulse concept for lakes.
Current impacts on water use, including increasing demands on drinking
and irrigation water, hydropower etc., and climate change effects on WLF
make this book an essential resource for aquatic ecologists, engineers,
and decision-makers dealing with the management of lake ecosystems and
their catchments.
