Prologue -- Water as a substance -- Rivers and lakes-their distribution, origins, and forms -- Water economy -- Light in inland waters -- Fate of heat -- Water movements -- Structure and productivity of aquatic ecosystems -- Oxygen -- Salinity of inland waters -- Inorganic carbon complex -- Nitrogen cycle -- Phosphorus cycle -- Iron, sulfur, and silica cycles -- Planktonic communities: algae and cyanobacteria -- Planktonic communities: zooplankton and their interactions with fish -- Bacterioplantton -- Land-water interfaces larger plants -- Land-water interfaces: attached microorganisms, littoral algae, and zooplankton -- Shallow lakes and ponds -- Benthic animals and fish communities -- Detritus: organic carbon cycling and ecosystem metabolism -- Past productivity: paleoliminology -- Ontogeny of inland aquatic ecosystems --Inland waters: understanding is essential for the future.