Wetland ecology for plant ecologists

Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation;by Paul A. Keddy. Cambridge University Press, 2000.£50.00 (xiv+614 pages).ISBN 0 521 7836 74In the late 1970s, the number of researchers in the USA actively working on freshwater wetlands could fit easily in a moderately sized conference room. Today, the Society of Wetland Scientists boasts over 4500 members and there are two journals devoted exclusively to wetland ecology. Where did all these people come from? Most wetland ecologists were trained as terrestrial ecologists, limnologists or wildlife biologists and the origins of most wetland ecologists are still strongly reflected in their writings. The wetland ecologist, Paul Keddy, was trained as a terrestrial plant ecologist and his new book, Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation, is an excellent plant community ecology textbook with wetland examples.The stated goal of Wetland Ecology is to provide ‘some unity and coherence in the study of wetland ecology’. Or, in more operational terms, the aim is to illustrate what Amazonian floodplains, prairie potholes, boreal peatlands and tidal marshes have in common. Keddy's hope however, is that this book will not just contribute to a better understanding of wetland ecology. It is also intended to illustrate ways to ‘dissect’ ecological communities that can be applied to other vegetation types. The intended audiences are senior undergraduates, wetland managers and any scientists intending to begin working on wetlands.The strong bias of this book towards plant community ecology is both its biggest strength and its major weakness. Keddy is fully aware of the limited coverage of his book and says that it is deliberate. In fact, he recommends Mitsch and Gosselink's Wetlands 1xSee all References1 and other wetland books for information on mineral cycling and other major topics not covered in his own. Because of its limited scope, the coverage of many important topics in Wetland Ecology is poor to nonexistent. For example, wetland soils and how they form is covered in less than three pages with no mention of wetland soil classification systems. Wetlands as sinks for nutrients, a major topic of most wetland ecology courses, is ignored, although the effects of increased nutrient levels on wetland plant communities is covered. In short, Wetlands is a much better source of information on almost any process or functional aspect of wetland ecology. There are, however, some exceptions. For example, Wetland Ecology includes a discussion of the effects of burial by sediment on wetlands, an important but neglected topic in wetland ecology, which is barely mentioned in Wetlands.The orientation of this book will surprise no one familiar with the numerous publications of Keddy and his co-workers. He does an excellent job of synthesizing and interpreting the literature on wetland community ecology, especially on zonation/succession, species diversity, competition, production, herbivory and disturbance. Not only is the wetland literature on these topics well covered, but also the relevant terrestrial ecology literature. His interpretation of the literature is sometimes biased, but to his credit, he always acknowledges this. This book is Keddy's summary statement about the nature of plant communities and how plant ecologists should approach their study. He has been one of the most important thinkers on these topics for the last 20 years and Wetland Ecology provides a wonderful introduction to his always interesting and sometimes provocative views.This book reads like the transcript of a series of well prepared and delivered lectures, complete with asides to the audience. Unlike most texts, it is enjoyable reading. Keddy's stated aim to stress principles, however, is sometimes undermined by the fact that some chapters, for example, the diversity chapter, are little more than engaging case histories strung together with few if any discernible principles tying them together. Because of its narrow scope, Wetlands Ecology is not an ideal text for most undergraduate wetland ecology courses; however, it is suitable for graduate courses and seminars in community or wetland ecology, and it should be on the shelf of anyone working with wetland plant communities. Because of its broader coverage of the field, Wetlands remains the better introductory text. Unfortunately, the new third edition of Wetlands lacks the emphasis on principles and generalities that characterizes Wetland Ecology. What those of us who teach wetland ecology need urgently is an updated and expanded version of John Etherington's now out-of-print textbook, Wetland Ecology 2xSee all References2. In less than 70 pages, Etherington captured the essence of wetland ecology better than either Keddy or Mitsch and Gosselink.