Table Of ContentLIMNOLOGY IN AUSTRALIA
MONOGRAPHIAE
BIOLOGICAE
VOLUME 61
Series Editor
H.l. Dumont
LIMNOLOGY IN AUSTRALIA
Edited by
P. DE DECKKER and W.D. WILLIAMS
1986 DR W. JUNK PUBLISHERS
a member of the KLUWER ACADEMIC PUBLISHERS GROUP
DORDRECHT / BOSTON / LANCASTER
Distributors
for the United States and Canada: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 190 Old Derby
Street, Hingham, MA 02043, USA
for Australia: CSIRO, 314 Albert Street, East Melbourne, Vic. 3002, Australia
for all other countries: Kluwer Academic Publishers Group, Distribution Center,
P.O. Box 322, 3300 AH Dordrecht, The Netherlands
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Limnology in Australia.
(Monographiae biologicae; 61)
Published in commemoration of the silver jubilee
of the Australian Society for Limnology.
1. Limnology-Australia. 2. Australian Society for
Limnology. I. De Deckker, P. (Patrick) II. Williams,
W. D. (William David) III. Australian Society for
Limnology. IV. Series.
QP1.P37 vol. 61 [QH197] 574 s [574.5'2632] 86--7232
ISBN-13: 978-94-010-8636-3 e-ISBN-13: 978-94-009-4820-4
DOl: 10.1007/978-94-009-4820-4
Book information
Joint edition published by: CSIRO - Australia and Dr W. Junk Publishers,
Dordrecht, The Netherlands.
Copyright
© 1986 by CSIRO - Australia.
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1986
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of
the publishers.
Contents
Foreword vii
Editors' Preface ix
List of Contributors Xl
Physicochemical Studies
Chemical limnology in Australia B. T. Hart and 1. D. McKelvie 3
Optical limnology-a manifesto J. T. O. Kirk 33
Differential mixed-layer deepening in lakes and reservoirs G. J. Parker
and J. Imberger 63
Biological and Ecological Studies
Benthic microbial communities of Australian saline lakes J. Bauld 95
Biological studies of meromictic lakes R. L. Croome 113
Adaptation to fluctuations rather than to extremes of environmental
parameters M. A. Brock 131
Australian Rotifera: ecology and biogeography R. J. Shiel and W. Koste 141
Some quantitative aspects of the life history of aquatic insects in temperate
Australian rivers R. Marchant 151
Chironomidae (Diptera) of Australia D. H. D. Edward 159
The ecological genetics of freshwater zooplankton in Australia
J. A. H. Benzie 175
Salt and water balance in the fauna of Australian athalassic waters
P. Greenaway 193
The biology of Australian lampreys 1. C. Potter, R. W. Hilliard and
F. J. Neira 207
Effects of introduced fish in Australia A. R. Fletcher 231
Introduced cichlid fish in Australian inland waters A. H. Arthington 239
Processes and Ecosystems
Secondary production: shooting a halcyon for its feathers M. J. Kokkinn
and A. R. Davis 251
Stream benthic communities: persistent presumptions and current
speculations P. S. Lake and L. A. Barmuta 263
Origin and fate of organic matter in Australian upland streams S. E. Bunn 277
Boundary layers, flow microenvironments and stream benthos J. A. Davis 293
Ecology of temporary streams-an Australian perspective A. J. Boulton and
P. J. Suter 313
Diversity and abundance of the fauna in Yuccabine Creek, a tropical
rainforest stream R. G. Pearson, L. J. Benson and R. E. W. Smith 329
Some thoughts on the future of running-water research, with particular
reference to Australia H. B. N. Hynes 343
Aspects of die! vertical migration in zooplankton, and its enigma variations
I. A. E. Bayly 349
Contents
Entomostracan zooplankton communities of Australian freshwater lakes
and ponds B. D. Mitchell 369
Understanding zooplankton communities in farm dams: the importance
of predation M. C. Geddes 387
Mound springs of the Great Artesian Basin W. F. Ponder 403
The coastal dune lakes of eastern Australia B. V. Timms 421
Nutrients and plant biomass in Australian estuaries, with particular
reference to south-western Australia A. J. McComb and R. J. Lukatelich 433
Billabongs T. J. Hillman 457
Limnology, the study of inland waters: a comment on perceptions of studies
of salt lakes, past and present W. D. Williams 471
Management
What happened to the Australian aquatic biota 18000 years ago?
P. De Deckker 487
Reservoir sediments R. L. Clark and R. J. Wasson 497
Modern and ancient sediments-data base for management of aquatic
ecosystems and their catchments M. E. Longmore 509
Anthropological limnology in the Land of Moinee P. A. Tyler 523
Managing nutrients in aquatic systems: the eutrophication problem
P. Cullen 539
Design and analysis for assessment of water quality R. H. Norris and
A. Georges 555
Ecotoxicology of lipophilic pollutants in Australian inland waters
D. W. Connell 573
Aquatic macrophytes and man D. S. Mitchell 587
Conservation of Australian aquatic fauna F. B. Michaelis 599
A possible scenario for the future of Australia's freshwater fish fauna
D. A. Pollard and J. J. Burchmore 615
The state of ecological research on the River Murray K. F. Walker 637
Index 649
VI
Foreword
Australia is the world's driest inhabited continent. Water is our limiting resource. It might
therefore be thought that our water resources would be the subject of the most intensive
study. Certain aspects, it must be conceded, have received much attention, notably the
availability of water in terms of actual quantity. The size of the surface water and the
groundwater resource is well understood and indeed receives about as much study as can
reasonably be expected in a country with as sparse a population and level of scientific
manpower as ours.
Although the importance of understanding the water resource in terms of quantity
is widely accepted, what has not been generally appreciated is that for this resource to
be 'available' to human society for all the different uses to which it is put, it is not
sufficient that there exists within easy reach of the end users a certain total volume of
water. For that water to fulfil its functions-for agriculture, industry, the home, recreation,
biological conservation-it must be in a certain state: it must conform to certain chemical,
physical and biological criteria, and what has not been sufficiently appreciated in Australian
society is that the condition a water is in depends very much on the ecology of the
waterbody in which it resides.
There are waterbodies in the world, for example high-altitude glacial lakes, which
are naturally so pristine that their water could be used for any purpose without treatment.
These, however, are the exception rather than the rule. Natural waters in lakes, rivers,
impoundments, irrigation canals, are much more likely, especially on this continent,
to be highly coloured by dissolved humic substances, turbid with erosion-derived soil
particles, green with phytoplankton, which block the water engineer's filters, or clogged
with macrophytes, which impede the irrigation flow, or to have any of a variety of other
characteristics that present problems for some particular type of water use.
Given that the characteristics of a natural water are determined by the nature of the
ecosystem-the lake/riverlcatchment-from which it comes, then if we wish our water
resources to be suitable for our particular purposes, if in short we wish them to be available,
then we must learn to manage these ecosystems in such a way that the water within
them meets our requirements. To manage an ecosystem, whether a field of wheat, a
forest, or a lake, we need to know how it works. We need to know the physical, chemical
and biological processes going on within the ecosystem, and how they interact. The study
of these processes within inland aquatic ecosystems is, of course, limnology.
Given the failure of government and tertiary institutions in the past to recognize the
need to understand the ecology, as opposed merely to the quantity, of our inland waters,
limnology has been, at least in terms of resources, very much a 'Cinderella science'
in this country. There is no institute in Australia devoted to limnological research.
Awareness of the need for ecological study of Australian inland waters did, nevertheless,
exist amongst a number of individual scientists, and isolated pockets of limnological
research did spring up, particularly in certain university departments and colleges of
advanced education, from the late 1950s onwards, and even by 1961, at a very early
stage in the development of freshwater research in this country, the bold step of forming
an Australian Society for Limnology was taken. By the exertions of these individuals
and their students, often working on a shoestring, Australian limnology was brought
Foreword
into being and has been pursued with vigour, to such good effect that we are now at
least beginning to understand the functioning of our inland waters.
After approximately 30 years of research, and 25 years of existence of the Australian
Society for Limnc!ogy, it is opportune to look at the current state of limnology in this
country. This book can be regarded as a snapshot, or perhaps a panoramic view, of
Australian limnology in 1986. With 40 papers from more than 50 contributors, it not
only tells us that limnology in Australia has come a long way since its uncertain beginnings,
but also reveals what are, and are not, the dominant preoccupations of workers in this
field. Examination of thc list of contents suggests, for example, a distinct zoological bias,
reflecting no doubt the historical origins of so much of our limnology in university zoology
departments. Perhaps Australian limnology needs strengthening in the physical, chemical
and botanical areas. This book will therefore engender potentially fruitful reflections
on the most appropriate directions for future research, as well as being a most valuable
collection of interesting and useful information on Australian limnology.
John T. O. Kirk
President, Australian Society for Limnology, 1984-85
Vlll
Editors' Preface
The Australian Society for Limnology was founded in 1961, and 1986 is its silver jubilee:
2S years of uninterrupted activity have intervened. To commemorate the event, one
of us (PDD) suggested at the 1984 Annual Congress of the society that a book be published,
not only to highlight the jubilee of the society and its success but also to draw attention
to the remarkable growth in limnological knowledge of Australian inland waters that
has taken place in the last quarter of a century. The suggestion was agreed to with much
enthusiasm. This volume represents the result.
The nature of the book's contents and who should contribute were discussed at length
during 1984. The discussions were wide and not entirely without heat! With regard
to contents, an original suggestion was that an attempt be made to cover most topics
of limnological interest in comprehensive fashion but with Australian emphasis. In the
event, this proved less acceptable than the final suggestion, which was to produce a
series of essays focused on and reflecting those areas of limnology where Australian
scientists have had most impact, that are regarded as of particular interest to the
internationallimnological community wishing to learn about Australian inland waters,
or that are of sp~cial current interest or concern in a global sense.
The list of potential contributors was more difficult to derive. The Australian community
of limnologists, despite a quite remarkable lack of governmental support (given the
importance of water as a resource in an arid continent), contains a large number of
talented, dedicated and productive young scientists. It has some older limnologists too!
The problem was not a shortage of authors; rather, it was the embarrassingly high number
of them. The question was how to select authors fairly. It was never, and could never
hope to be, satisfactorily resolved. Most of the authors represented in this book are simply
those that the editors (though with some encouraging pats on the head from the Editorial
Committee of the Australian Society for Limnology) thought had something to sayan
topics considered relevant to the finally selected and general scheme of contents. A few
authors are those who responded to a wider invitation and whose offerings were too good
to pass up.
The size of this volume is solid testimony to editorial difficulties in trimming
contributions to reasonable length. The volume could have been twice as bulky without
significant loss in quality. As it is, many authors suffered from our editorial axes. We
are sorry that the latter were often somewhat blunt. Perhaps it is as well then to say
not only a public thanks to authors for their magnificent response to our invitation-in
the face of short and extremely tight deadlines-but also to offer a public apology to
many of them for the editorial strictures suffered. We hope the wound will heal quickly.
If authors should be thanked first, scarcely second we should thank Ms Meredith
Dobbie, Editorial and Publications Section, CSIRO, who edited all copy before submission
to the printers. The clarity of the English, the pleasing format of the text, and the paucity
of typographical and other minor errors are due in no small measure to her immense
effort on our behalf. Australia is well served by editors of Ms Dobbie's calibre. It was
a fortunate day when the book was placed in her hands to see through the press.
We acknowledge that a simple thank you in an editorial preface is an injustice.
Editors' Preface
While Ms Dobbie was most important in a direct and pragmatic way, also most
important at CSIRO were its Editor-in-Chief, Mr Basil Walby, and the Managing Editor
of the Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, Mr Lou Bennett. Both have
long been associated with the society in a professional sense, but both have also long
been supporters in other lllore personal and indirect ways. After some initial skirmishing
with publishers in the private sector, we are most pleased that CSIRO agreed to publish
the book. We believe that its success is assured and will vindicate the early succour provided
by our CSIRO colleagues, and point the way to other avenues by which CSIRO can
support Australian science.
Finally, while acknowledging help received, we record our thanks to Dr Ian Campbell
and other members of the Editorial Committee of the Australian Society for Limnology,
Miss Sandra Lawson, Department of Zoology, University of Adelaide, for secretarial
help, and Mrs Ruth Evans, of the same institution, for artwork. Not least, we thank
the numerous referees who so kindly and promptly responded to our request to examine
manuscripts. In the interests of continued anonymity, we refrain from listing their names.
The International Association of Limnology, founded in 1922, and the Freshwater
Biological Association, founded in 1929, are the two most widely known and earliest
societies catering for the needs of limnologists. The Australian Society for Limnology
can never hope to compete with these or other later societies with respect to number
of members. But what the Australian society lacks in this regard is more than compensated
for by the strength of support offered by its members. There is much indeed that the
society can be proud of in 25 years: annual congresses, the regular production of a
newsletter, and the less regular publication of a bulletin and a series of occasional
publications. In addition, the society can be proud of having acted as a catalyst for many
limnological endeavours in Australia and as a focal point for much limnological debate.
Not least, the society can pride itself on the enthusiasm of its young members, and the
significant role they continue to play in the day-to-day affairs of the society. Indeed,
therein lies the strength of the society.
We have every hope that the society will continue to prosper in the next 25 years
as it has during the past 25, and hope that this book, which we have had the honour
and privilege to edit, will be found a fitting tribute to mark the silver jubilee of the society.
Patrick De Deckker
W. D. Williams
January 1986
x
