SPEC 1. A Natural History of the English Lakes

by Geoffrey Fryer

Published by The Freshwater Biological Association, Ambleside, 1991

384 pages

ISBN 978-0-900386-50-3

Price £18.00

This book is written in simple language intended for students, amateurs and others who want a largely non-technical introduction to the formation of waterbodies after the last glaciation in the English Lake District, and an account of the basic biology of their biota. Written in short, self-contained sections, the first 113 pages deal with the formation, physical and chemical features of the lakes, tarns and streams. The remainder of the book (pages 1 14-351 ) covers the aquatic biota, from microscopic algae and larger plants to bacteria, water birds and mammals, with sections on bryozoa, fungi, gastrotrichs, hydras, protozoa, rotifers, sponges, various worms, leeches, snails, crustaceans, insects, fish and amphibians. There is a generous index.

Although the text is based on the English Lake District, most of the contents are applicable elsewhere in the British Isles and the very numerous illustrations, some 800 line-drawings in total, provide an unusually comprehensive introduction to the general biology of fresh waters and the plants and animals therein. These illustrations are fitted into a supporting hand-written text.