The account of the major categories of
open waters in the Conservation Review
departs from the standardised treatment of other systems in the Review, in
describing the invertebrate and phytoplankton fauna in terms of communities along
with the vascular plant communities.
This treatment is not conducive to easy
reading by those unfamiliar with the
invertebrates and phytoplankton (most of which can only be referred to by their
scientific names), but it was felt to be the best way of dealing with the large amount
of survey information available on these most important groups of aquatic
organisms. Aquatic invertebrate and phytoplankton communities are highly
diagnostic and therefore valuable in helping to categorise the different types of
open water-body, and it is therefore desirable to discuss them in the account of
habitat factors. The vertebrates are, however, dealt with in the usual way, as
separate taxonomic groups.
The emphasis here is on nutrient-rich
shallow bodies of standing water (eutrophic
systems) which are particularly sensitive to human impacts through waste disposal
and recreation. The
