I n August 1984 the Australian Antarctic Division held ii symposiuni on "Riologicd Research in the Vestfold Hills" with the aim of presenting recent findings of the research conducted sirlce 1972 iznd considering the direction of future research. The proceedings of t,his symposium airc published its ;I collection of some 30 papers in t,he present volume.
The Vestfold Hills covering 400 kms are the largest ice-free area in Antarctica wherc a remnrkable variety of aquatic and terre,Jtrial districts exists, which offer excellent resezzrch conditions. The papcrs presented to the symc'psium are arranged in the volume in 3 main pwts. l'izrt, 1 is dealing wit.h the lake irnd near-shore st.udies. 15 lakes of different sa1init.y ;rnd thr co;tst, and near-shore marine area are forming the basis of research in seasonal iLspect,s of s;dinct I;tke biology, and in t'he history and ecology of the lakes. Microbiologicnl iznd hydrogeochemir;iI investigations, phyt,oplankt,on and zoobenthos with emphnsis on season, community structure. and production are t,he major research subjects.
The terrcst,rial studies are dealt wit,h in part 2. The analysis of the ecosystems demonstrates the role of algae, lichens and mosses i.,s t,he base of the short invertebrate foodchain, comprising nein;ttodes, mites and tardigrades. Additionally sediment samples liiive been esa mined for their foraminiferid content, to understand the e.volution of the landscape.
Part 3 comprises bird imd seal ,studies. Besides various investigations on penguins other spccies of seabirds nesting in the region, southern elephant seals and Weddells scitls are covered by the reseirrrh projects. 15 tizxa of bird*: have been recorded with a. biomass a t least eqnnl to that of the world's highest concentrat,ions of ,seitbirds.
The research results obtained with modern methods are presented in a clear ;rnd instructive way. The papers are well illustrated with many tables, graphs and diagrams providing a lot of useful information t,o the reader interested in the ecology of Antarct,ica. The individnal contributions written by sprrialists reved a higli scientific standard. R,ecent literature has been considered in an appropriat,e manner.
Since tourism will be the first lmd-based commercial exploitat,ion of continental -intarcticn, the present volunie is of high importance to the evaluation of the fragility of the ecosystem to ensure that any development is guided by t,he strictest principles of environmental protection.
The only shortcomings the revicwer wants to mention is the very heterogeneous ch;rrwter of the proceedings not covering all relevant aspects adequately as the title claims.
As an overall impression considering design, typography, arrangement etc. the book is well produced and makes a unique cont,ribution to Antarct,ica science.