Includes bibliographical references (pages 397-421) and index.

Part I. Introduction -- 1. Historical background -- 2. The meaning of pollution -- 3. Water quality standards and water use classification -- 4. Biological approaches to water pollution problems -- Part II. Conditions of life in the aquatic environment -- 5. The physical and chemical environment -- 6. Kinds of water pollution -- Part III. Morphology and physiology -- 7. The significance of morphological and physiological change -- 8. Morphological and physiological adaptations -- Part IV. Ecology of the individual organism -- 9. The individual organism as a unit of study -- 10. Development -- 11. Bioenergetics and growth -- 12. Behavior -- 13. Tolerance of lethal conditions -- 14. Application of toxicity bioassay results -- Part V. Population ecology -- 15. The population as a unit of study -- 16. Population dynamics -- 17. Production -- Part VI. Community ecology -- 18. The community as a unit of study -- 19. Energy and material transfer -- 20. Biological indices -- 21. Biological waste treatment -- Part VII. Conclusion -- 22. Ecological change: its acceptability and evaluation -- 23. The roles of water pollution biologists.