Introduction; Acknowledgements; Part I. The Diversity of African Freshwater Fish: 1. The diversity and variability of freshwater ecosystems in tropical Africa; 2. The fish fauna of Africa; 3. Genetic diversity and mechanisms of speciation; Part II. The Past as a Key to Understanding the Present: 4. Species diversity: evolution at work; 5. Classification of diversity; 6.

Chance and challenge in a changing environment; Part III. The Diverse Lifestyles of African Freshwater Fish: 7. Diversity of growth and feeding behaviours; 8. Diversity of reproductive strategies and life histories; 9. Diversity of responses to environmental constraints; Part IV. Dynamics of Fish Assemblages: 10. Fish assemblages in tropical Africa; 11. Equilibrium processes of species richness and diversity; 12.

Diversity of habitats, temporal change and assemblage dynamics; 13. Fish diversity and ecosystem functioning; Part V. Conservation of Biodiversity: 14. The threats to fish biodiversity; 15. The economic role of fish biodiversity; 16. Conservation options; Bibliography; Species index; Subject index.