The ecology of freshwater molluscs /

Dillon (College of Charleston, South Carolina) writes for the specialist, not for the generalist reader or the student. A lot of useful information is packed into the pages of this book, and the reference section is extensive, but not well tied together. Some disjointedness may be the result of the subjects discussed; Dillon comments on the many separate invasions of fresh water by bivalves and gastropods, and ecology ties them together only tentatively. But part of the problem may lie in the presentation. There is little introduction to freshwater ecology before one plunges into molluscs, with little obvious flow and coherence of information throughout. It is not obvious how the topic areas hang together and how the big picture of ecology is reflected by these chapters. Each chapter moves very quickly from some introductory information to details and comparisons, data, and diagrams. Re-analyses and comparisons that will be valuable to experts appear later in the book. The result--an excellent book for experts, with a good discussion of specific topics, but not a comfortable fit for nonspecialists or casual readers. Graduate students; faculty and researchers. ; University of Lethbridge