Originally published: Amsterdam ; New York : Elsevier, 1995, in series: Ecosystems of the world ; v. 22.

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

1. Introduction : an overview of stream ecosystems -- 2. River and stream ecosystems of Alaska -- 3. River and stream ecosystems of Canada -- 4. Stream ecosystems of the western United States -- 5. Stream ecosystems of the central United States -- 6. Organic processes in streams of the eastern United States -- 7. Middle American streams and rivers -- 8. Rivers of northern South America -- 9. Southern South American streams and rivers -- 10. Rivers of the Nordic countries -- 11. River and stream ecosystems of Great Britain -- 12. Atlantic river systems of Europe (France, Belgium, the Netherlands) -- 13. The Ter : a Mediterranean river case-study in Spain -- 14. River and stream ecosystems in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland -- 15. The rivers of Italy -- 16. Northeastern Africa rivers and streams -- 17. River and stream ecosystems of northwestern Africa -- 18. River and stream ecosystems in southern Africa : predictably unpredictable -- 19. The ecosystems of the Amur river -- 20. The ecology of rivers and streams in tropical Asia -- 21. Of floods and droughts : river and stream ecosystems of Australia -- 22. Rivers and streams of New Zealand

"Rivers and streams around the world that once flowed wild and unchecked are rapidly disappearing into dams or being channelized between concrete banks. This valuable sourcebook, now available to a wide audience in a paperback edition, is an important comparative documentation of what is being lost: naturally flowing river and stream ecosystems. No other single volume brings together so much critical information on rivers and streams worldwide. Each chapter is packed with a wealth of raw data on waterways including the prominent rivers of North America, Central and South America, Europe, Africa, Australia, and Oceania. The volume evaluates the usefulness of the River Continuum Concept and ecosystem-level measurements for evaluating the structure and function of rivers and streams. The new introductory chapter examines the relevance of other useful concepts including Nutrient Spiraling, Patch Dynamics, the Flood Pulse Concept, the Network Dynamics Hypothesis, and the Hyporheic Corridor Concept." -- Publisher description.