Stream Biomes of the World...

Stream ecosystems represent a small portion of the Earth's surface yet harbor a disproportionate amount of the world's biodiversity and support many competing human societal services, predisposing them to considerable ecosystem alteration. Given their rarity and propensity for disturbance, understanding stream structure and function, and how to conserve those properties, is extremely important. This chapter introduces the basic form and function of streams, their physical properties, the types of organisms they support, and major ecological paradigms. Additionally, an overview of the commercial importance of streams, major trends in anthropogenic disturbance, and strategies to conserve and manage these systems is provided.