Introduction

Eutrophication represents and defines one of the central themes of aquatic ecology: the production of organic matter that forms the basis of aquatic food webs. There is a rich scientific literature concerning many aspects of the eutrophication process whereby nutrients are taken up by aquatic plants (phytoplankton, benthic microalgae, epiphytes, emergent vegetation, and submergent macrophytes) to form organic carbon. The basic process is generally the same for most aquatic systems. However, the ultimate end products exemplified by the resultant food webs vary from system to system depending on the multifold interactions of the nutrient loading process, nutrient limitation characteristics of the receiving system, habitat distribution, and existing biological conditions.