Springer’s Ecological Studies series provides an invaluable database and synthesis in ecology that students and researchers alike should be aware of. The series provides very useful insights into ecosystems, providing background and up-to-date information on whole ecosystems and how they function in relation to their environment. This book is no exception. However, while it stands alone, it should be seen as a complement to the book in the Man and the Biosphere series (Wielgolaski 2001). The editors of the current book must be congratulated for providing a second volume that in no way replicates the first, but rather adds a whole new dimension to it. It is rare to find so much information gathered together for one, albeit a very crucial, ecosystem. In applauding this volume we should also recall the significance of the International Biological Program (IBP) that facilitated the early work. The foresight of this programme is probably more relevant today than ever, especially for those involved in research on the effects of pollution.
