Limnology
Limnology ( gr λίμνη limne "See" and -logy ) is the science of inland waters as ecosystems, their structure, material and energy balance and biological- ecological structure and function is explored them, and their abiotic and biotic processes it seeks to quantify. Inland waters include standing water, such as ponds, pools and lakes with no connection to the oceans, rivers and groundwater bodies. Except freshwater ecosystems include saltwater inland water systems (eg, the Dead Sea ) the subject of limnology.
The position of limnology in the field of natural sciences
Limnology is traditionally a branch of ecology, in addition to the Oceanology, with marine ecosystems, and the Epeirologie, which deals with terrestrial habitats (The terms Oceanology and Epeirologie nowadays are, however, very uncommon) itself. The demarcation between limnology and oceanography is not unique, since the estuary areas, both are part of the lacustrine waters and maritime systems. Limnology is sometimes regarded as a branch of hydrology and thus belongs to the Earth Sciences ( Schwoerbel, 1993):
Sciences
Limnology has historically been divided into two directions in which
As such, they were on behalf of the " International Association of Theoretical and Applied Limnology " (IVL / SIL; Today International Society of Limnology ) by its founder Einar Naumann ( 1891-1934 ) and August Thienemann anchored. Both directions are, however, closely interrelated, so that a clear separation of the two directions is not always possible. Generally leaves the task of theoretical limnology described as those which explores the system properties of the waters and represents. This in turn is the basis of all applied limnology. The theoretical limnology is divided into General and Special Limnology. The General Limnology deals with the aquatic ecology. These are
- The ecologically relevant properties of water,
- The physiological ecology of freshwater organisms,
- The lacustrine population ecology,
- The principles of mass balance and the production Biology,
- Fabric degradation and biogeochemical cycles of inland waters,
- The characterization of the loading conditions and
- Trophic and saprobic ( Schönborn, 2003).
The Special Limnology explores the freshwater habitats using the findings of the General Limnology. These include:
- Groundwater
- Swell
- Watercourses
- Still waters
Among the most important topics in applied limnology include wastewater treatment, water treatment, water pollution, water protection and water management. Other applications of limnology are fisheries biology and regulation of organic production in natural and artificial waters.
The Emergence
According to Elster (1974) and Steleanu (1989 ), the history dates back about 100 years of limnology. Although numerous studies have been conducted on aquatic organisms in the 17th and 18th centuries, the relationship with the water was completely absent. For this hydrobiological Beforehand, Limnology developed only slowly. The crucial step of the Hydrobiology Limnology did for the Swiss physician and scientist François- Alphonse Forel in Lausanne. Forel examined the Lake Geneva not only biologically, but also physically and chemically. He also expressed the first thoughts about types of lakes.
He called His field of limnology. His research appeared as a three-volume work " Le Léman. Monograph limnologique " 1892-1904. 1901 his " Handbook of Limnology. General Limnology " published.
As a co-founder of limnology applies the Americans Stephen Alfred Forbes, which in 1887 a work entitled " The lake as a microcosm " published. In this work already biogeochemical cycles and biological justifications are described.
Apart from the official founders, there is an unknown Vorbegründer: Friedrich boy, a village schoolteacher from Kiel in 1885 published a pamphlet entitled " The village pond as a community ."
Inspired by Forel's work, the Limnology established rapidly and led to the formation of the first limnological stations. Among the most important limnological stations included:
- The first station in Plon, founded in 1891, from which, after 115 years, emerged the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology
- Station on Lake Mendota in Wisconsin
- Station at Lake Lunz Lunz am See
Published in 1911, Edward Asahel Birge and Chancey Juday their results, which they had gained in North American lakes. Based on their studies on the oxygen distribution in the depth of the lakes they could make out two types of lakes:
In Germany it was August Thienemann, which was noticed that the lakes were different in the various regions of Germany in the fish fauna, the composition of the plankton and deep fauna. In 1915 he was also out as Birge and Juday, that the differences mainly from the ecologically effective factor oxygen content of the deep water resulted.
In Sweden Einar Naumann investigated in 1918 percentage of plant plankton content ( phytoplankton) of the surface water of the lakes. Naumann concluded from his observations that plankton- rich lakes must have many plant nutrients, however, the phytoplanktonarmen few. Thus, there is nutrient-poor and nutrient-rich lakes. A nutrient-poor lake he described as oligotrophic and nutrient- rich lake as eutrophic.
As another classic Franz Ruttner (Station Lunz ) and Wilhelm Halbfass apply. Focus of the studies were Ruttners the conductivity of the water of the lakes, the carbon assimilation of aquatic plants, the carbon dioxide cycle and the nature of tropical lakes. His major work " floor plan of limnology " (1940 ) is still regarded as a standard work. Halbfass dealt with the geographical, morphological and hydrographical characteristics and the chemical ingredients of the lakes ( Müller- Navarra, 2005). Halbfass published his major work "Principles of comparative Limnology " 1923 ( Schoenborn, 2003).
In addition to the Lakes Limnology a river research, which was particularly encouraged by the Swiss Friedrich Zschokke, Paul Steinmann, Robert Lauterborn and August Thienemann developed. The focus of the questions were about the existence of a river plankton, the search for Glazialrelikten in the flora and fauna of the mountain streams and the pollution of rivers. Running waters have long been used as receiving waters for effluents. Due to increasing pollution watercourses research was intensified. In 1900 Richard Kolkwitz and Maximilian Marsson developed the saprobic system to assess sewage polluted rivers. At the beginning of the second half of the 20th century evolved from the riverine biology wastewater biology. Hans Liebmann revised the saprobic system in 1951 and 1962.
Important technical societies
Major international professional societies of limnology, the 1922 in Europe, founded the International Society of Limnology and founded in North America in 1947 and the American Society of Limnology Oceanography. Especially in the German- speaking territory and also a strong practical focus is founded in 1984, German Society of Limnology.