ABSTRACT
The development of limnology in the last 100 years is due undoubtedly to extensive studies of lakes, wetlands, estuaries, and reservoirs in temperate zones. Only in the second half of the twentieth century, tropical limnology contributed significantly to improve the conceptual basis of limnology. Many lake districts of temperate zones have been formed and modified by glacial action. Comparative studies in lake districts in temperate regions have developed many principles and mechanisms of the lake ecosystem functioning (Horne and Goldman 1994, Tundisi and Matsumura Tundisi 2011). Comparative studies in different lakes within the same geographical region are an important conceptual route to advance limnological knowledge. If the lakes are situated in regions with similar climate, soil, vegetation, geomorphological setup, comparison can be made in relation to the biogeochemical cycles, the composition of the aquatic biota, the introduction of a fish species, or the impact of pollution in a particular lake of a lake district. Therefore, by developing regional limnology in temperate lakes, several new concepts were proposed by different authors. A sequence of some contributions is shown in Table 8.1.
