AQUATIC CONSERVATION: MARINE AND FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS, VOL. I , 189-191 (1991)

BOOK REVIEWS SEAWEEDS: THEIR ENVIRONMENT, BIOGEO- GRAPHY AND ECOPHYSIOLOGY, by Klaus Lun- ing, Wiley Interscience, 1991. xiii + 527 pp. Price: $270.50.

This book is a translation and updated edition of Meeresbotanik, Verbreitung, Okophysiologie und Nutzung der marinen Makroalgen published in 1985. It comprises two main parts: the first deals with distribution and structure of seaweed vegetation, the second with the ecophysiology of seaweeds. The reader is briefly intro- duced to the broad principles of vertical zonation and geographical distribution. Chapters are then devoted to the seaweed floras of respectively the cold and warm temperate regions of the northern hemisphere, the arctic, the tropical regions, and temperate/polar southern hemisphere. The structure and contents of these chapters vary; in most there is an appraisal of the possible evolutionary histories of the respective floras. Each chapter also deals with main physical environmental factors operating in the region, gives distributional information of the principal seaweed species, and considers the floras of smaller areas within the main region. By far the largest chapter is that dealing with the northern hemisphere (exceeding by 50 pages the total pages for all the other regions). The second part of the volume, dealing with ecophysiology, has three chapters entitled Light, Temperature f Salinity f Other Abiotic Factors, and Biotic Factors. The book is concluded by an extensive literature references list (over 100 pages), a brief systematic overview down to genus level, and a well- organized index.

As stated, Seaweeds . . . is a translation and update of ‘Marine botany’ (Meeresbotanik . . .), the latter title probably more accurate as reference is often made to higher plants, fungi, and phytoplankton. That consider- able additional effort has been put into appraising the background literature is clearly seen as each chapter is introduced with a long list of literature sources by topic, much expanded in comparison to the earlier German edition. Modifications have been made to the first chapter; a useful explanation of tides has been excluded. The German edition contained a third section dealing

with the uses of seaweeds; in the present edition this has been much truncated and tacked on to the chapter dealing with biotic factors. This should probably have been left out altogether, except for the small section on decomposition and carbon cycling. Many figures have improved annotations and captions in comparison to the German edition; however, some are difficult to follow and a number of photographs are poor in quality. There is a hand-written printers note remaining by Figure 2.49, otherwise the text is almost free of typographic errors. The book is well illustrated; in fact so many plates, figures, and tables that in places they become out of step with the text. As in the German edition, different sized type faces are used throughout the text, the significance of which is unclear. Also, the tables should have been typeset.

This is a fascinating and enigmatic book, in many ways encyclopaedic, quite different in approach from other key works on seaweeds, but reflecting strongly the ecophysiological and biogeographical research interests of the author. It is crammed with information, makes an interesting read, and is the sort of book one dips into from time to time. It will certainly serve as a significant source of information on seaweeds and is therefore both a key and seminal work. The sections dealing with the history of seaweed floras are interesting but remain highly speculative. Additional small sections dealing with the implications of the increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide, global warming, and sea-level rise on the marine ecosystem and its seaweed component would have been relevant and useful. I personally take issue with the delimitation of biogeographical provinces in the North Atlantic; much work remains to be done before a sound conclusion can be drawn on this matter. Despite these quibbles, this book should be on all library shelves; the main problem is the cost, as at f70 it is expensive, probably beyond the pocket of most individual pur- chasers. Hopefully a cheaper soft-back edition will soon be produced.

IAN TITTLEY The Natural History Museum, London, England, UK

BIOGEOCHEMISTRY OF MAJOR WORLD (SCOPE). It is both edited by, and dedicated to, the well RIVERS, SCOPE 42 edited by E.T. Degens, S. Kempe, known geologist and geochemist Professor Egon Degens and J.E. Richey, John Wiley, Chichester, 1991. 356 pp. who died during its preparation, and the volume is a Price: f85.00. worthy tribute to his enthusiasm and stimulation.

The transport of carbon and minerals by major world rivers is the result of erosion of the continents, which is then contributed to the estuaries and seas. The fluxes

This volume is Number 42 of a series produced by the Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment

1052-7613/ 91 /020189-03$05.00 @ 1991 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd