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Beyond the Sea: The Hidden Life in Lakes, Streams, and Wetlands
An exciting foray into Earth's inland waters, the remarkable species they contain, and the conservation challenges of protecting them.
We call Earth "the blue planet" because oceans cover 71 percent of its surface. But this description ignores the diverse inland waters—streams, lakes, wetlands, and ground waters—that are so important to global biodiversity. These crucial ecosystems are home to about ten percent of all known species, many of which are extraordinary, and some of which are critically endangered.
In Beyond the Sea, David Strayer introduces readers to the world's most remarkable and varied inland waters, including volcanic lakes more corrosive than battery acid, catastrophic floods that carried ten times as much water as the Amazon River, ground waters miles beneath our feet that are home to unique microbes, and vast lakes that fill only once a century. These varied ecosystems support a wide array of remarkable and unique species, such as tiny animals that can become "reversibly dead," mussels that seduce fish, and lungfishes that have evolved to meet the myriad challenges posed by inland-water habitats.
Because humans have used—and abused—inland waters so intensively for everything from drinking water to sewage disposal, many species around the world that depend on them are already extinct or in desperate peril. Strayer explains the damage caused by human activities and outlines the solutions that are needed to sustain and restore inland-water ecosystems and their inhabitants. Proving that the sea isn't the only watery realm of mystery and wonder, this book illuminates the secrets, science, and amazing denizens of the overlooked waters in our backyards.
We call Earth "the blue planet" because oceans cover 71 percent of its surface. But this description ignores the diverse inland waters—streams, lakes, wetlands, and ground waters—that are so important to global biodiversity. These crucial ecosystems are home to about ten percent of all known species, many of which are extraordinary, and some of which are critically endangered.
In Beyond the Sea, David Strayer introduces readers to the world's most remarkable and varied inland waters, including volcanic lakes more corrosive than battery acid, catastrophic floods that carried ten times as much water as the Amazon River, ground waters miles beneath our feet that are home to unique microbes, and vast lakes that fill only once a century. These varied ecosystems support a wide array of remarkable and unique species, such as tiny animals that can become "reversibly dead," mussels that seduce fish, and lungfishes that have evolved to meet the myriad challenges posed by inland-water habitats.
Because humans have used—and abused—inland waters so intensively for everything from drinking water to sewage disposal, many species around the world that depend on them are already extinct or in desperate peril. Strayer explains the damage caused by human activities and outlines the solutions that are needed to sustain and restore inland-water ecosystems and their inhabitants. Proving that the sea isn't the only watery realm of mystery and wonder, this book illuminates the secrets, science, and amazing denizens of the overlooked waters in our backyards.
- GenresScienceNatureNonfiction
232 pages, Hardcover
Published November 26, 2024
9 people are currently reading
127 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 31, 2025
If you mention the Galapagos Islands, many people will immediately think of Darwin’s finches. Due to the impossibility of getting from one island to another, these little birds developed significant polymorphism best suited to their own island, and helped Darwin finally crack the code of natural selection.
Yes, I used the word ‘polymorphism’ because Beyond the Sea is a trip into Nerdtown. Strayer writes nerdily of flora and fauna, makes terrible skull-clutching nerd jokes and loads the books with footnotes and references. I was totally down for it. But I’m almost embarrassed to be reviewing this, as my riparian-biologist friend Jennifer Mo is ever so much more qualified than I am to judge the information found here.
Getting back to the Galapagos: Just as an island surrounded by vast distances of sea lend themselves to genetic diversity, so do individual lakes scattered across the landscape, or individual river drainage basins, or even individual zones of wetness and dryness in a wetland. (And, great surprise to me, fully 99% of the freshwater on earth lies underground in giant aquifers which have themselves evolved highly-specialized species down to depths of at least 3km.) As far as biology is concerned, each of these features is a world unto itself where every organism evolves to match the temperature, chemical composition, food supply and predators found in that body of water (which includes things like a backyard birdbath – they also support enormous amounts of life, if you’re willing to look for it.)
Mr. Strayer gets a little shirty about the term ‘microbes,’ saying this is unfair to the enormous diversity within that world -- almost as if we declared everything greater than 1 millimeter long as ‘macrobes’ and threw them all into the same bucket, descriptionwise. But after that stirring defense, nearly the entire book is about creatures and plants in the macro domain, ranging from tardigrades to half-ton crocodiles. (By the way, tardigrades are the Elvis Presley of the nerd world and the apex of nerdiness are those people who own tardigrade t-shirts. And yes, of course I do. But until reading this, I didn’t realize they could survive temperatures down to 0.1 Kelvin and dehydrate themselves to 1% of their normal water level, then rehydrate themselves and spring back to life.)
Despite the vastness of the subject, Strayer shows real discipline in choosing just a few examples of each point he’s trying to make, keeping the book to a well-appreciated 172 pages (plus footnotes and references). Especially with the threat of nerd jokes looming in each chapter:
And let’s not ignore plants. For reasons unknown, nearly all of the carnivorous plants on Earth are found in freshwater streams or bogs. The reason water lilies and many other underwater plants have flowers seeming to float on the water’s surface is because pollination is essentially impossible underwater. And to close this on a romantic note, there’s a plant whose female flowers are water-repellant and so, swaying on the surface of the water, they create a little dimple around themselves. When there’s wine, music and moonlight, the male flowers will break away from their stems and float around the lake, pushed by a breeze, until they arrive at one of these little dimples, at which point they fall in and tip over, spilling their pollen into the waiting arms of the lucky girl in the center. Swoon.
Yes, I used the word ‘polymorphism’ because Beyond the Sea is a trip into Nerdtown. Strayer writes nerdily of flora and fauna, makes terrible skull-clutching nerd jokes and loads the books with footnotes and references. I was totally down for it. But I’m almost embarrassed to be reviewing this, as my riparian-biologist friend Jennifer Mo is ever so much more qualified than I am to judge the information found here.
Getting back to the Galapagos: Just as an island surrounded by vast distances of sea lend themselves to genetic diversity, so do individual lakes scattered across the landscape, or individual river drainage basins, or even individual zones of wetness and dryness in a wetland. (And, great surprise to me, fully 99% of the freshwater on earth lies underground in giant aquifers which have themselves evolved highly-specialized species down to depths of at least 3km.) As far as biology is concerned, each of these features is a world unto itself where every organism evolves to match the temperature, chemical composition, food supply and predators found in that body of water (which includes things like a backyard birdbath – they also support enormous amounts of life, if you’re willing to look for it.)
Mr. Strayer gets a little shirty about the term ‘microbes,’ saying this is unfair to the enormous diversity within that world -- almost as if we declared everything greater than 1 millimeter long as ‘macrobes’ and threw them all into the same bucket, descriptionwise. But after that stirring defense, nearly the entire book is about creatures and plants in the macro domain, ranging from tardigrades to half-ton crocodiles. (By the way, tardigrades are the Elvis Presley of the nerd world and the apex of nerdiness are those people who own tardigrade t-shirts. And yes, of course I do. But until reading this, I didn’t realize they could survive temperatures down to 0.1 Kelvin and dehydrate themselves to 1% of their normal water level, then rehydrate themselves and spring back to life.)
Despite the vastness of the subject, Strayer shows real discipline in choosing just a few examples of each point he’s trying to make, keeping the book to a well-appreciated 172 pages (plus footnotes and references). Especially with the threat of nerd jokes looming in each chapter:
One fish biologist has even claimed that a dead hogsucker will hold its place in mild river rapids if carefully placed. (I know, a normal person, if given a dead hogsucker, would say “ick” and back away instead of experimenting with a carcass, but fish biologists are not always normal people.A friend of mine recently reviewed a book in which the ultimate in machismo was apparently biting the testicles off of sheep, then frying and eating them. But that pales in comparison to a type of flatworm that “stabs and subdues its prey with its sharp penis.” No word on how the females of this species manage. And speaking of females, a large number of freshwater creatures have decided that males are only for use in emergencies, and reproduce almost entirely by females cloning themselves and producing daughters. In times of great stress, some will become trans males and allow for some genetic variation to move into the population.
And let’s not ignore plants. For reasons unknown, nearly all of the carnivorous plants on Earth are found in freshwater streams or bogs. The reason water lilies and many other underwater plants have flowers seeming to float on the water’s surface is because pollination is essentially impossible underwater. And to close this on a romantic note, there’s a plant whose female flowers are water-repellant and so, swaying on the surface of the water, they create a little dimple around themselves. When there’s wine, music and moonlight, the male flowers will break away from their stems and float around the lake, pushed by a breeze, until they arrive at one of these little dimples, at which point they fall in and tip over, spilling their pollen into the waiting arms of the lucky girl in the center. Swoon.
May 2, 2025
SO SO AWESOME!! I’m totally biased having studied freshwater for years but Strayer was descriptive and funny and it was totally a love letter to freshwater ecosystems. It felt like I was reading a nature documentary and I learned so many cool facts??? God there’s just so much to learn about freshwater ecology and this book could’ve been a million pages long and not covered a fraction of it. This was also very reader friendly, not a whole lot of jargon and I felt like a lot of the topics were explained well. He didn’t spend a ton of time explaining the mechanics of more complicated things like water chemistry and microbial activity which is great for the average person. This is the first nonfiction book I’ve started of my own accord that I’ve actually finished in quite some time and I would HIGHLY recommend to anyone who wants to learn cool things about overlooked parts of our world. Seriously I never want to shut up freshwater is so COOL there’s so much life in there!!!! Freshwater mussels exist and are insane and awesome and beautiful!!! Earth is an amazing place let’s all go down to the river and look for bugs!!!!!!!
April 4, 2025
a very good introduction to inland waters—accessible, engaging, and thoroughly enjoyable. would recommend to anyone interested in nature or even remotely curious about freshwater ecosystems. well-researched and informative, yet also a fun (in places) and genuinely interesting read.
February 21, 2025
A great, casual introduction to freshwater conservation and ecology, as well as the major threats to it. I had just read "Where the Water Goes: Life and Death on the Colorado River", so the discussion about improving water efficiency here was interesting to read right after reading about how increasing water-use efficiency doesn't always result in decreases in total water usage. But a really great read, not jargon heavy and a book I would point to anywhere interested in understanding the importance of freshwater diversity and conservation for humans as well as their inherent right to exist.
August 16, 2025
Beyond Lakes: The Hidden Lives of Streams takes readers beneath the calm surfaces of lakes, streams, and wetlands to reveal the complex ecosystems that exist there. Ecologist David Strayer blends science with humor and approachable language, making it easy for any reader to understand the fascinating lives of the species that depend on these waters. Along the way, he makes clear how human activity—through pollution, habitat destruction, and other pressures—is putting these species at serious risk.
Before reading this book, my understanding of lakes and streams was that of a layperson who enjoys their beauty and serenity. I have always loved visiting lakes, photographing them, and experiencing the creativity and peace that comes with being in nature. What I had not fully thougth about were the countless species living in and around wetlands—and how many of them are in danger because of our actions.
Strayer’s accessible explanations made the science both interesting and easy to follow. His humor lightens the reading, but he does not shy away from the urgency of the issues. The book is as educational as it is thought-provoking, offering me a clear picture of what is at stake if humans fail to protect these environments.
This was an insightful yet sobering read. It left me with a deeper respect for the life beneath the water’s surface and a stronger awareness of how interconnected these ecosystems are.
Before reading this book, my understanding of lakes and streams was that of a layperson who enjoys their beauty and serenity. I have always loved visiting lakes, photographing them, and experiencing the creativity and peace that comes with being in nature. What I had not fully thougth about were the countless species living in and around wetlands—and how many of them are in danger because of our actions.
Strayer’s accessible explanations made the science both interesting and easy to follow. His humor lightens the reading, but he does not shy away from the urgency of the issues. The book is as educational as it is thought-provoking, offering me a clear picture of what is at stake if humans fail to protect these environments.
This was an insightful yet sobering read. It left me with a deeper respect for the life beneath the water’s surface and a stronger awareness of how interconnected these ecosystems are.
December 4, 2024
3.5 stars. Finished this a couple weeks ago, forgot to add it on Goodreads
February 8, 2025
Spoiler alert: it’s all dying.
January 3, 2026
I can never look at a piece of water the same way again. This book is chock-full of interesting tidbits that caused me to rethink what I thought I knew.
November 3, 2025
I really enjoyed this book as I felt like it was finally giving attention to freshwater systems that mostly get ignored. I loved the humor and the interesting information as well as his serious call for saving these systems.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews