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The primary role of this book is to introduce the reader to, and hopefully stimulate interest in, the ecology of temporary aquatic habi tats. The book assumes that the reader will have, already, some gen eral knowledge of ecology but this is not essential. Temporary waters exhibit amplitudes in both physical and chemical parameters which are much greater than those found in most waterbodies. The organisms that live in these types of habitats have, therefore, to be very well adapted to these conditions if they are to survive. Survival depends largely on exceptional physiological tolerance or effective immigration and emigration abilities. Examples of such adaptations are given throughout the book and it is hoped that these will aid the reader in gaining an insight into the structure and function of plant and animal communities of these unusual habi tats. The final chapter suggests field and laboratory projects that should be useful to students in school and university studies.
Temporary waters are found throughout the world, and include intermittent streams and ponds, episodic rain puddles, seasonal limestone lakes, the water-retaining structures of plants, such as bromeliads and pitcher plants, and a variety of man-made container habitats. They are probably populated by various plant, animal, and microscopic communities ranging from the very simple to the highly complex. Temporary waters therefore represent fascinating and significant arenas in which to study the properties of species, as the latter deal with the rigours of living in highly variable environments. Obligate temporary water species display a remarkable array of adaptations to the periodic loss of th...
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In 1829, while George Stephenson was building his "Rocket," the Earl of Dudley ran "Agenori" on his pioneering Black Country railway linking his collieries with the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal. Although it rarely carried passengers, this railway grew into a huge complex industrial system that centered on the Earl's Round Oak Steel Works at Brierley Hill. Its tracks ran to Dudley, Old Hill, Cradley Heath, Himley, Baggeridge Colliery, Kingswinford, and Ashwood Basin. Its steam locomotives worked inside the steel works, and brought in coal from the nearby pits, as well as delivering coal to a number of wharves and industrial enterprises scattered around the western half of the Black Country. Steam operation ceased in 1962, but the railway continued to work until Round Oak Steel Works closed in 1980. This book describes the system and its workings as well its history and the locomotives and men who served the line. It guides the reader in trying to relate all of this to the few remains of it that can be seen today.
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