Ecology and management of aquatic vegetation in the Indian subcontinent

Life originated and evolved in water. Later the The tropical countries where the need to under­ plants moved out of water, conquered the land and stand the natural ecosystems is far greater because became dominant over it. The evolution through they are under intensive pressure from develop­ the millennia resulted in enormous complexity of ment from a rapidly growing human population, form, tissue organisation, reproductive mechan­ have generally devoted much less attention to the isms and specialisation of taxa in different niches. studies of aquatic ecosystems. The Indian subconti­ At some stage during evolution, some plants devel­ nent is a well-recognised biogeographic region with oped appropriate morphological and physiological a distinct geological history, climate, soils and adaptations and reverted back to the aquatic and/ biota. It is also distinct in the history of human civilisation and cultures which have a profound bear­ or semi-aquatic habitat. These plants, perhaps with the exception of a few ing on the natural ecosystems. This book is in­ with beautiful flowers, have attracted little atten­ tended to provide the state of our knowledge of the tion from mankind. The fact that humans evolved aquatic and semi-aquatic vegetation in the inland in a tropical forest or savanna environment appears freshwaters of the subcontinent. The book covers responsible for a permanent bias in human atti­ only the herbaceous vegetation, since there is al­ tudes towards land and its biota. Front Matter....Pages i-xiii Introduction....Pages 1-3 Front Matter....Pages 5-5 Indian subcontinent and the aquatic habitats....Pages 7-28 Aquatic vegetation of the Indian subcontinent....Pages 29-76 Front Matter....Pages 77-77 Ecology of plant populations I: Growth....Pages 79-106 Ecology of plant populations II. Reproduction....Pages 107-125 Structure and dynamics of plant communities....Pages 127-146 Front Matter....Pages 147-147 Primary production and energetics....Pages 149-175 Nutrient dynamics of aquatic plant communities....Pages 177-197 Front Matter....Pages 199-199 Traditional uses and problem of noxious growth....Pages 201-218 Strategies for controlling noxious growth of aquatic vegetation....Pages 219-236 Conservation of aquatic plants....Pages 237-241 Conclusions and needs for future research....Pages 243-246 Back Matter....Pages 247-257 Old and New Fields of Old-Field Ecology In ecology, succession occupies a place similar to that of evolution in general biology. it is an eclectic reflection of recent developments in ecology and in old-field ecology in particular.