Preface
The dangerous trend in destabilization and degradation of the aquatic environment under pressure of various human activities is drastically increasing
the responsibility of the scientific community to provide the scientific background for its monitoring and management for the benefit of mankind. This
background is provided by hydro biology - the branch of science whose goal
is to investigate the structure and functioning of aquatic ecosystems, their
interrelations with physical and chemical features of water bodies, and their
response to anthropogenic stress. The increasing responsibility of this branch
of science demands its better methodological organization. Being an important part of ecological monitoring and environmental expertise of marine and
freshwater basins, the scope of hydrobiological investigations is expanding
more and more and the methodologies used are becoming more and more
variable. At present, every hydrobiological laboratory or institution, or even
each research group, has its own preferences in the selection of methods.
Therefore the choice of them becomes more and more difficult for newly organized research groups, especially in developing countries. To a greater degree
it concerns the radioisotopic methods, which are commonly used in hydrobiological studies for the quantification of functional activity of aquatic organisms and their communities; and just the functional activity of aquatic biota,
its metabolism, and productivity are responsible for the recovery of edible
resources in water bodies and for the regeneration of their environmental
quality. The main aim of this book I see in presentating a selection of unified,
practical, and reasonably adequate radioisotopic methods, which are in use in
basic branches of hydro biology. Many of these methods I have used myself,
some of them I had developed or modified. My experience in the use of
radioisotopes in research goes back to 1948-1950 when, still a student, I first
employed 32p and 14C labels to measure phosphate and CO2 uptake rates in
bacteria.
The use of radioisotopic techniques offers a wide range of possibilities in
estimation rates, mechanisms, and localization of basic biological processes
in water bodies. Indeed, all the biologically most important chemical elements
(except nitrogen) which dominate in living biomass have long-living radioisotope beta-emitters: 3H, 14C, 32p, 33p, 35S, and 45Ca. This makes routine field and
laboratory work with them possible without the precautions connected with
the health hazard from direct radiation. Nitrogen has only the stable isotope
15N, which is regularly used for the quantification of N2 fixation in water bodies.
The dangerous trend in destabilization and degradation of the aquatic environment under pressure of various human activities is drastically increasing
the responsibility of the scientific community to provide the scientific background for its monitoring and management for the benefit of mankind. This
background is provided by hydro biology - the branch of science whose goal
is to investigate the structure and functioning of aquatic ecosystems, their
interrelations with physical and chemical features of water bodies, and their
response to anthropogenic stress. The increasing responsibility of this branch
of science demands its better methodological organization. Being an important part of ecological monitoring and environmental expertise of marine and
freshwater basins, the scope of hydrobiological investigations is expanding
more and more and the methodologies used are becoming more and more
variable. At present, every hydrobiological laboratory or institution, or even
each research group, has its own preferences in the selection of methods.
Therefore the choice of them becomes more and more difficult for newly organized research groups, especially in developing countries. To a greater degree
it concerns the radioisotopic methods, which are commonly used in hydrobiological studies for the quantification of functional activity of aquatic organisms and their communities; and just the functional activity of aquatic biota,
its metabolism, and productivity are responsible for the recovery of edible
resources in water bodies and for the regeneration of their environmental
quality. The main aim of this book I see in presentating a selection of unified,
practical, and reasonably adequate radioisotopic methods, which are in use in
basic branches of hydro biology. Many of these methods I have used myself,
some of them I had developed or modified. My experience in the use of
radioisotopes in research goes back to 1948-1950 when, still a student, I first
employed 32p and 14C labels to measure phosphate and CO2 uptake rates in
bacteria.
The use of radioisotopic techniques offers a wide range of possibilities in
estimation rates, mechanisms, and localization of basic biological processes
in water bodies. Indeed, all the biologically most important chemical elements
(except nitrogen) which dominate in living biomass have long-living radioisotope beta-emitters: 3H, 14C, 32p, 33p, 35S, and 45Ca. This makes routine field and
laboratory work with them possible without the precautions connected with
the health hazard from direct radiation. Nitrogen has only the stable isotope
15N, which is regularly used for the quantification of N2 fixation in water bodies.