Hydrobiology or aquatic ecology is the science of life processes in water. It is a sub-discipline of ecology. Traditionally it is closely related to limnology and can be divided into lotic system ecology (flowing waters) and lentic system ecology (still waters).

One of the most important subjects of research is eutrophication. Special attention is paid to biotic interactions in plankton assemblage including the microbial loop, the mechanism of influencing water blooms, phosphorus load and lake turnover. Another subject of research is the acidification of mountain lakes. Long-term studies are carried out on changes in the ionic composition of the water of rivers, lakes and reservoirs in connection with acid rain and fertilisation. The main goal of the research is elucidation of the basic environmental functions of the ecosystem in reservoirs, which are important for water quality management.

Field of research interests

• acidification impact on lake and reservoir ecosystems
• paleolimnology of remote mountain lakes
• molecular ecology, phylogeography and taxonomy of Cladocera
• ultramorphology of cladoceran limbs and feeding adaptations
• chemical communication in plankton (prey-predator interaction)
• biomanipulation of water reservoirs
• cyclus of major nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
• self-controlling mechanisms at population and community level

Organizations

• American Society of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO)
• International Association of Theoretical and Applied Limnology (SIL)
• Department of Hydrobiology (Charles University, Prague)
• Dresden University of Technology Institute of Hydrobiology
• Institute of Hydrobiology, ASCR
• Institute of Hydrobiology and Fishery Science
• Water Research Institute T.G.M.
• Hydrobiological Institute, Academy of Science of Czech Republic
• Reseach Institute of Fish Culture and Hydrobiology
• Department of Hydrobiology, Slovak Academy of Science, Bratislava, Slovakia
• Max-Planck-Institut fur Limnologie in Ploen, Germany
• CNR-Istituto Italiano di Idrobiologia
• Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
• Hydrobiology Pty Ltd Brisbane, Australia based private consulting company
• Institute of Zoology and Hydrobiology University of Tartu, Estonia
• Department of Marine Sanitary Hydrobiology Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas, Sevastopol, Crimea, Ukraine
• Department of Hydrobiology Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

Journals

• Archiv für Hydrobiologie
• Hydrobiologia
• International Review of Hydrobiology
• Indian Hydrobiology
• The African Journal of Tropical Hydrobiology and Fisheries Uganda

See also

• The Waterrose Aquatic Ecology Page (many links)
• Developments in Hydrobiology-Springer Book Series Prints proceedings for international conferences on Hydrobiology

References

• E.P.H. Best (Editor), Jan P. Bakker (Editor) Netherlands-Wetlands (Developments in Hydrobiology series) (Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, 1993, 328 pp) ISBN 0792324730
• R.I. Jones (Editor), V. Ilmavirta (Editor) Flagellates in Freshwater Ecosystems (Developments in Hydrobiology series) (Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, 1992, 498pp.) ISBN 9061936519
• Jürgen Schwoerbel Methods of hydrobiology (freshwater biology) (Pergamon Press; English ed. edition, 1970, 200pp.) ISBN 0080066046

Ecology | Aquatic biomes

Hydrobiologia