Ambiguous climate impacts on competition between submerged macrophytes and phytoplankton in shallow lakes

1. Shallow lakes may switch from a state dominated by submerged macrophytes to a phytoplankton‐dominated state when a critical nutrient concentration is exceeded. We explore how climate change may affect this critical nutrient concentration by linking a graphical model to data from 83 lakes along a large climate gradient in South America. 2. The data indicate that in warmer climates, submerged macrophytes may tolerate more underwater shade than in cooler lakes. By contrast, the relationship between phytoplankton biomass [approximated by chlorophyll‐a (chl‐a) or biovolume] and nutrient concentrations did not change consistently along the climate gradient. In warmer climates, the correlation between phytoplankton biomass and nutrient concentrations was overall weak, especially at low total phosphorus (TP) concentrations where the chl‐a/ TP ratio could be either low or high. 3. Although the enhanced shade tolerance of submerged plants in warmer lakes might promote the stability of their dominance, the potentially high phytoplankton biomass at low nutrient concentrations suggests an overall low predictability of climate effects. 4. We found that near‐bottom oxygen concentrations are lower in warm lakes than in cooler lakes, implying that anoxic P release from eutrophic sediment in warm lakes likely causes higher TP concentrations in the water column. Subsequently, this may lead to a higher phytoplankton biomass in warmer lakes than in cooler lakes with similar external nutrient loadings. 5. Our results indicate that climate effects on the competitive balance between submerged macrophytes and phytoplankton are not straightforward.     

Phytoplankton and primary production in clear-vegetated,inorganic-turbid,and algal-turbid shallow lakes from the pampa plain (Argentina)

Shallow lakes often alternate between two possible states: one clear with submerged macrophytes, and another one turbid, dominated by phytoplankton. A third type of shallow lakes, the inorganic turbid, result from high contents of suspended inorganic material, and is characterized by low phytoplankton biomass and macrophytes absence. In our survey, the structure and photosynthetic properties (based on ¹⁴C method) of phytoplankton were related to environmental conditions in these three types of lakes in the Pampa Plain. The underwater light climate was characterized. Clear-vegetated lakes were more transparent (K _d 4.5–7.7 m⁻¹), had high DOC concentrations (>45 mg l⁻¹), low phytoplankton Chl a (1.6–2.7 μg l⁻¹) dominated by nanoflagellates. Phytoplankton productivity and photosynthetic efficiency (α ~ 0.03 mgC mgChla ⁻¹ h⁻¹ W⁻¹ m²) were relatively low. Inorganic-turbid lakes showed highest K _d values (59.8–61.4 m⁻¹), lowest phytoplankton densities (dominated by Bacillariophyta), and Chl a ranged from 14.6 to 18.3 μg l⁻¹. Phytoplankton-turbid lakes showed, in general, high K _d (4.9–58.5 m⁻¹) due to their high phytoplankton abundances. These lakes exhibited the highest Chl a values (14.2–125.7 μg l⁻¹), and the highest productivities and efficiencies (maximum 0.56 mgC mgChla ⁻¹ h⁻¹ W⁻¹ m²). Autotrophic picoplankton abundance, dominated by ficocianine-rich picocyanobacteria, differed among the shallow lakes independently of their type (0.086 × 10⁵–41.7 × 10⁵ cells ml⁻¹). This article provides a complete characterization of phytoplankton structure (all size fractions), and primary production of the three types of lakes from the Pampa Plain, one of the richest areas in shallow lakes from South America. Handling editor: J. Padisak     

Effects of aquatic macrophytes on water quality and phytoplankton communities in shallow lakes

We investigated aquatic macrophytes, water quality, and phytoplankton biomass and species composition in three shallow lakes with different levels of vegetation cover and nutrient concentration in Kushiro Moor, during August 2000. Trapa japonica can live in a wide range of nutrient levels. This species forms an environment with a steeper extinction of light, higher concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), lower concentrations of dissolved oxygen (DO) near the bottom, and lower concentrations of nitrate+nitrite and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) than other vegetation types. The pH was much higher in a Polygonum amphibium community, and the DO near the bottom did not decrease compared to a T.japonica community in the summer. The relationship between chlorophyll a and the limiting nutrient (total phosphorus (TP) when total nitrogen (TN):TPis 10 and TN/10 when TN:TP is <10) significantly differed between lakes with and without submerged vegetation. The chlorophyll a concentrations at a given nutrient level were significantly lower in water with submerged macrophytes than in water without them. Correspondence analysis showed that the difference in phytoplankton community structure across sites was largely due to the presence or absence of submerged macrophytes, and the ordination of phytoplankton species in the lakes with submerged macrophytes is best explained by environmental gradients of TN, chlorophyll, pH and SRP.     

Comparative analysis of the phytoplankton of fifteen lowland fluvial systems of the River Plate Basin (Argentina)

The phytoplankton of fifteen lowland courses of the River Plate Basin is compared and characterized by means of multivariate analyses.The cluster analysis performed with the more abundant species of each fluvial system reveals three main groups. Rivers with a high discharge and a large floodplain are grouped on the basis of the dominance of several Aulacoseira species. An eutrophic flora typified by Cyclotella meneghiniana, Synedra ulna and several green algae occurs in the smaller rivers with high conductivity, low transparency and important discharge variations. A third group comprises the Uruguay River and its tributaries, characterized by the presence of several pennatae diatoms and flagellates: Amphipleura pellucida, Surirella tenera, Terpsinoe musica, Navicula cuspidata, Eudorina elegans, Pandorina morum and Peridinium gatunense.The Principal Component Analysis based on a data matrix of physical, chemical and hydrological parameters revealed similar results. The ordination according to the first two components reflects the geographic location of these systems in the River Plate Basin, responding to a decreasing gradient of conductivity, pH and solids and an increasing minimum temperature. The rivers were ordinated by means of a Correspondence Analysis based on the main algal groups.     

Effect of land use on the phytoplankton community of Pampean shallow lakes of the Salado River basin (Buenos Aires Province,Argentina)

Aquatic Ecology - The Salado River basin, Buenos Aires, Argentina, contains numerous permanent shallow lakes under anthropic pressure due to different land uses/land covers (LULC) in their...     

Climate-related differences in the dominance of submerged macrophytes in shallow lakes

It has been suggested that shallow lakes in warm climates have a higher probability of being turbid, rather than macrophyte dominated, compared with lakes in cooler climates, but little field evidence exists to evaluate this hypothesis. We analyzed data from 782 lake years in different climate zones in North America, South America, and Europe. We tested if systematic differences exist in the relationship between the abundance of submerged macrophytes and environmental factors such as lake depth and nutrient levels. In the pooled dataset the proportion of lakes with substantial submerged macrophyte coverage (> 30% of the lake area) decreased in a sigmoidal way with increasing total phosphorus (TP) concentration, falling most steeply between 0.05 and 0.2 mg L⁻¹. Substantial submerged macrophyte coverage was also rare in lakes with total nitrogen (TN) concentrations above 1–2 mg L⁻¹, except for lakes with very low TP concentrations where macrophytes remain abundant until higher TN concentrations. The deviance reduction of logistic regression models predicting macrophyte coverage from nutrients and water depth was generally low, and notably lowest in tropical and subtropical regions (Brazil, Uruguay, and Florida), suggesting that macrophyte coverage was strongly influenced by other factors. The maximum TP concentration allowing substantial submerged macrophyte coverage was clearly higher in cold regions with more frost days. This is in agreement with other studies which found a large influence of ice cover duration on shallow lakes' ecology through partial fish kills that may improve light conditions for submerged macrophytes by cascading effects on periphyton and phytoplankton. Our findings suggest that, in regions where climatic warming is projected to lead to fewer frost days, macrophyte cover will decrease unless the nutrient levels are lowered.     

Rotifer communities from some Araucanian lakes of southern Chile

During the last decade much information has been produced about the zooplankton communities in southern Chile; however, most of this is related to the crustacean assemblages. The present communication examines the spatial and temporal distribution of rotifer assemblages and their relation to the environmental variables during one-year period in four Araucanian lakes. A total of 19 species was found in these oligotrophic lakes. Keratella cochlearis, Synchaeta stylata, Trichocerca porcellus, Conochilus unicornis and Collotheca pelagica were widespread, and seven species exhibited a more restricted distribution among the lakes. Species richness varied from 6 to 12; similarly, one or two dominant species usually accounted for more than 80% of the total annual abundance. Similar dominant species occurred in two lakes, but their maximum peaks of abundance differed in time; in the remaining lakes the most important species were different. Calculated rotifer diversity showed a fluctuating pattern, with low values during the year in three lakes, and high ones in Lake Llanquihue. Species diversity was significantly related to species richness in all lakes. Discriminant analysis based on the occurrence and abundances of species throughout the year revealed that the rotifer assemblage in Lake Llanquihue was different from that in the rest of the Araucanian lakes. Furthermore, the same analysis using environmental variables showed that this lake is clearly discriminated from the others on the basis of the ionic composition of the water (i.e. Cl^–, Na⁺, Mg²⁺). Rotifer abundances in these lakes were significantly influenced by a number of abiotic variables, including those related to water ionic composition. These relationships may imply that the small differences in chemical characteristics of these lakes influence the structure of the rotifer community.     

The seasonality of phytoplankton in African lakes

Although some study of the subject began in 1899, wide-ranging information from African water-bodies has only become available since 1950. Important developments included the establishment of long-term centres of research, the adoption of improved methods for quantitative algal sampling, the more intensive study of environmental conditions, the beginnings of experimental testing, and the improvement of taxonomic knowledge.At higher latitudes (> 20 °) examples of pronounced algal seasonality are long-established; they are accompanied and influenced by marked changes in radiant energy income and so water temperature, and often by effects of seasonal water input. Illustrations are given from lakes in Morocco and South Africa.More generally in Africa, including the tropical belt, annual patterns of phytoplankton seasonality are usually either dominated by hydrological features (water input-output) or by hydrographic ones (water-column structure and circulation). Examples of both types are discussed, together with instances (e.g. L. Volta) of combined hydrological and hydrographic regulation. In both the seasonal abundance of diatoms is often distinct and complementary to that of blue-green algae, with differing relationships to vertical mixing and water retention.Horizontal variability in the seasonal cycle is especially pronounced in the larger or morphometrically subdivided lakes. Some inshore-offshore differentiation is also known to affect phytoplankton quantity (e.g. L. George) and species composition (e.g. L. Victoria). Longitudinal differentiation is common in elongate basins especially when with a massive or seasonal inflow at one end (e.g. L. Turkana, L. Nubia, L. Volta); occasional terminal upwelling can also be influential (e.g. southern L. Tanganyika). Such examples grade into the longitudinally differentiated seasonality of flowing river-reservoir systems, as studied on the Blue and White Niles.The annual amplitude of population density, expressed in orders of magnitude (=log₁₀ units), is one measure of seasonal variability. It can exceed 3 orders both in systems subject to hydrological wash-out (e.g. Nile reservoirs) and in the more variable species components of lakes of long retention (e.g. L. Victoria). Low amplitudes can be characteristic of some components (e.g. green algae in L. Victoria) or of total algal biomass (e.g. L. George, L. Sibaya).Seasonal changes may be subordinated to inter-annual ones, especially in shallow and hydrologically unstable lakes (e.g. L. Nakuru).     

Ecological influences on larval chironomid communities in shallow lakes: implications for palaeolimnological interpretations

1. To correctly interpret chironomid faunas for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction, it is essential that we improve our understanding of the relative influence of ecosystem variables, biotic as well as physicochemical, on chironomid larvae. To address this, we analysed the surface sediments from 39 shallow lakes (29 Norfolk, U.K., 10 Denmark) for chironomid head capsules, and 70 chironomid taxa (including Chaoborus) were identified. 2. The shallow lakes were selected over large environmental gradients of aquatic macrophytes, total phosphorus (TP) and fish communities. Redundancy analysis (RDA) identified two significant variables that explained chironomid distribution: macrophyte species richness (P < 0.001) and TP (P < 0.005). Generalised linear models (GLM) identified specific taxa that had significant relationships with both these variables. Macrophyte percentage volume infested (PVI) and species richness were significant in classifying the lake types based on chironomid communities under twinspan analysis, although other factors, notably nutrient concentrations and fish communities, were also important, illustrating the complexities of classifying shallow lake ecosystems. Lakes with plant species richness >10 all had relatively diverse (Hill’s N2) chironomid assemblages, and lakes with Hill’s N2 >10 all had TP <250 μg L⁻¹ and total fish densities <2 fish per m². 3. Plant density (PVI), and perhaps more importantly species richness, were primary controls on the distribution of chironomid communities within these lakes. This clearly has implications for palaeoenvironmental reconstructions using zoobenthos remains (i.e. chironomids) and suggests that they could be used to track changes in benthic/pelagic production and could be used as indicators of changing macrophyte habitat. 4. Measuring key biological gradients, in addition to physicochemical gradients, allowed the major controls on chironomid distribution to be assessed more directly, in terms of plant substrate, food availability, competition and predation pressure, rather than implying indirect mechanisms through relationships with nutrients. Many of these variables, notably macrophyte abundance and species richness, are not routinely measured in such studies, despite their importance in determining zoobenthos in temperate shallow lakes. 5. When physical, chemical and ecological gradients are considered, as is often the case with palaeo‐reconstructions rather than training sets chosen to maximise one gradient, complex relationships exist, and attempting to reconstruct a single trophic variable quantitatively may not be appropriate or reliable.     

The phytoplankton of some gravel-pit lakes in Spain

The phytoplankton communities of thirteen adjacent gravel-pit lakes in the lower Jarama river watershed (Madrid, Spain), were studied during spring mixing and summer stratification.If different seasons, the phytoplankton responded to different environmental factors. During spring, the abundance of SRP (soluble reactive phosphorus) and existence of a certain thermal stability resulted in the development of a greater biomass in some lakes. During summer, however, excessively high temperatures adversely affected the communities of the warmer lakes. At the species level, the responses were diverse; ordination techniques enabled us to group them.Some similarities were observed in phytoplankton composition between lakes, possibly due to local dispersion between adjacent lakes (frequented by abundant waterfowl).     

Effects of mixing on the pelagic food web in shallow lakes

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Variation in phytoplankton composition and limnological features in a water–water ecotone of the Lower Paraná Basin (Argentina)

1. Structure and dynamics of phytoplankton were studied at six sites in a reach of the Lower Paraná River floodplain, from the main course to a marginal shallow lake, connected through a stream. This system is defined as a water–water ecotone and thus, the aim of this work is to analyse the spatial changes of phytoplankton along the transitional system.
2. Temporal fluctuations in number of species and phytoplankton density were more pronounced in the river than in the shallow lake. Even though most species were ubiquitous, there was a clear segregation of the most abundant populations across the ecotone. Aulacoseira granulata var. granulata and other centric diatoms decreased towards the lentic system.
3. Transparency varied according to river discharge, being higher in the lake during high water phases, while the opposite behaviour was observed during dry periods. These fluctuations were related to precipitation and resuspension processes.
4. Nitrate concentration diminished towards the lake while soluble reactive phosphorus remained fairly homogeneous across the ecotone.     

Structural changes and dynamics of the phytoplankton along a highly polluted lowland river of Argentina

The phytoplankton of the Matanza-Riachuelo river (Buenos Aires, Argentina) was studied for a period of 15 months together with different physical and chemical variables, along an increasingly eutrophic in character downstream. 281 taxa were recorded within a seasonal succession, among these 49 percent were euglenophyta, 25 percent bacillariophyta, 15 percent chlorophyta and 10 percent cyanophyta. Multivariate procedures included cluster analyses and ordination by PCA of both species and samples, and stepwise multiple regression analyses were employed to assess the impact of the pollution on the phytoplankton. The effect of the alteration was different in each studied site. With one exception, the changes in the community structure described herein involved modifications of the basic species composition. According to the species present, it was deduced that the main pollutant was the high concentration of organic matter. Results of the Matanza-Riachuelo, Reconquista, and Luján Rivers studies are further discussed.     

长江中游浅水湖泊生物完整性时空变化

介绍了采用 Karr提出、经 Fausch等修订后的生物完整性指数 (IBI)进行水环境质量评价的原理和概念 ,并根据长江中游鱼类种类组成特征、可获得数据的类型和资料的性质 ,初步建立了适合长江中游浅水湖泊的 IBI体系。同时 ,以基本保持了长江中游浅水湖泊自然属性的五湖 1978年的调查数据为参照 ,选择长江中游不同类型的浅水湖泊进行了生物完整性时空变化的比较研究。结果表明 :以洪湖为例进行纵向比较 ,在 196 4、1981、1993年和 1998年等 4个不同的年代 ,其生物完整性呈逐步下降的趋势 ;以 2 0世纪 90年代初期的资料进行横向比较 ,三湖连江水库和保安湖的生物完整性表现为一般 ,洪湖为差 ,东湖则很差。上述湖泊所呈现的生物完整性的时空变化趋势与其它相关研究所反映的湖泊水环境质量互为补充验证 ,可以为湖泊管理、持续发展和利用以及水环境保护提供更为充分的科学依据     

Relationships between microcystins and environmental parameters in 30 subtropical shallow lakes along the Yangtze River, China

1. A survey of 30 subtropical shallow lakes in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River area in China was conducted during July–September in 2003–2004 to study how environmental and biological variables were associated with the concentration of the cyanobacterial toxin microcystin (MC). 2. Mean MC concentration in seasonally river‐connected lakes (SL) was nearly 33 times that in permanently river‐connected lakes (RL), and more than six times that in city lakes (NC) and non‐urban lakes (NE) which were not connected to the Yangtze River. The highest MC (8.574 μg L^?1) was detected in Dianshan Lake. 3. MC‐RR and MC‐LR were the primary toxin variants in our data. MC‐RR, MC‐YR and MC‐LR were significantly correlated with Chl a, biomass of cyanobacteria, Microcystis and Anabaena, indicating that microcystins were mainly produced by Microcystis and Anabaena sp. in these lakes. 4. Nonlinear interval maxima regression indicated that the relationships of Secchi depth, total nitrogen (TN) : total phosphorus (TP) and NH with MC were characterised by negative exponential curves. The relationships between MC and TN, TP, NO + NO were fitted well with a unimodal curve. 5. Multivariate analyses by principal component and classifying analysis indicated that MC was mainly affected by Microcystis among the biological factors, and was closely related with temperature among physicochemical factors.     

Zooplankton, phytoplankton and the microbial food web in two turbid and two clearwater shallow lakes in Belgium

Components of the pelagic food web in four eutrophic shallow lakes in two wetland reserves in Belgium (Blankaart and De Maten) were monitored during the course of 1998–1999. In each wetland reserve, a clearwater and a turbid lake were sampled. The two lakes in each wetland reserve had similar nutrient loadings and occurred in close proximity of each other. In accordance with the alternative stable states theory, food web structure differed strongly between the clearwater and turbid lakes. Phytoplankton biomass was higher in the turbid than the clearwater lakes. Whereas chlorophytes dominated the phytoplankton in the turbid lakes, cryptophytes were the most important phytoplankton group in the clearwater lakes. The biomass of microheterotrophs (bacteria, heterotrophic nanoflagellates and ciliates) was higher in the turbid than the clearwater lakes. Biomass and community composition of micro- and macrozooplankton was not clearly related to water clarity. The ratio of macrozooplankton to phytoplankton biomass – an indicator of zooplankton grazing pressure on phytoplankton – was higher in the clearwater when compared to the turbid lakes. The factors potentially regulating water clarity, phytoplankton, microheterotrophs and macrozooplankton are discussed. Implications for the management of these lakes are discussed.     

大型浅水富营养化湖泊中蓝藻水华形成机理的思考

湖泊富营养化依然是我国目前以及今后相当长一段时期内的重大水环境问题。研究蓝藻水华的形成机制 ,对于科学预测湖泊中蓝藻水华的产生 ,并采取相应措施减少其带来的影响具有重要的生态和环境意义。为探索富营养化湖泊中蓝藻水华形成机理 ,综述了目前对我国大型浅水湖泊蓝藻水华成因研究现状和对水华形成机理的一般认识。分析了导致蓝藻水华形成的化学、物理和生物等主要环境因素 ,论述了蓝藻 ,尤其是微囊藻成为水华优势种的可能原因。认为对水华的形成需要全面认识 ,营养盐浓度的升高可能仅是蓝藻水华形成、且人们可以加以控制的因素之一 ;在探索水华成因时 ,不能仅仅局限于夏季蓝藻水华发生时环境特征的研究与观察 ,而应该提前关注蓝藻的越冬生理生态特征、春季复苏的生态诱导因子及其阈值以及在复苏后 ,蓝藻如何在生长过程中形成群体 ,并逐步成为湖泊水生生态系统中的优势种乃至形成水华的过程。并需要对蓝藻越冬的生存对策、蓝藻群体的形成的条件、蓝藻在春季复苏的触发条件及其生态阈值、以及蓝藻在与其它藻类种群竞争中取胜的生理生化特征有足够的认识。蓝藻水华的“暴发”是表观现象 ,其前提还是藻类一定的生物量 ,且是一个逐渐形成的过程。根据生态学的基本理论和野外对水华形成过程的原位观测     

浅水湖泊浮水植物芡实收割对浮游植物群落的影响

浅水湖泊生态系统正遭受广泛而强烈的人为干扰,但是对收割水生植物干扰的研究甚少。于2019年8月对芡实过度生长的陈瑶湖进行通道式分区收割工程,分析了收割芡实（Euryale ferox）前后不同处理组浮游植物群落的变化。研究期间共鉴定出浮游植物6门47属72种,其中收割前63种,收割后71种。收割后浮游植物的细胞密度和生物量均高于收割前,分别增加了39.78%和5.09%。收割芡实导致陈瑶湖浮游植物群落为由蓝藻-绿藻-硅藻-隐藻群落转变为蓝藻-绿藻-硅藻群落。其中蓝藻细胞密度和生物量显著高于收割前（P<0.05）,归因于有害蓝藻（铜绿微囊藻Microcystis aeruginosa、水华束丝藻Aphanizomenon flos-aquae、小颤藻Oscillatoria tenuis、卷曲鱼腥藻Dolicospermum circinale、小席藻Phormidium tenu）的增加。收割还导致了硅藻群落由附生型向浮游型硅藻的转变,表现为尖针杆藻（Ulnaria acus）减少,而颗粒直链藻极狭变种（Aulacoseira granulata var.angustissima）、梅尼小环藻（Cyclotella meneghiniana）增加。在芡实收割过程中,未收割组和河道的浮游植物群落结构在时空分布上无显著性差异（P>0.05）,但收割组在收割后的不同阶段内差异较为明显,其细胞密度和生物量随着收割实验的结束逐渐降低。浮游植物与环境因子的相关性分析表明,水生植被覆盖度、总磷、总氮、溶解氧和叶绿素a浓度是影响浮游植物细胞密度和生物量变化的主要环境因子。综合陈瑶湖水质状态,本研究认为收割芡实并不能缓解浅水湖泊富营养化状况,研究结果为浅水湖泊水生植被的管理提供理论依据。     

Phytoplankton communities of North African wetland lakes: the CASSARINA Project

Seasonal variations in phytoplankton species composition (frequencies) and densities (cell numbers) in nine North African coastal lakes selected in Morocco (Merja Sidi Bou Rhaba, Zerga and Bokka), Tunisia (Chitane, Ichkeul and Korba lakes) and Egypt (Edku, Burullus and Manzala lakes) were investigated during 1998. The main aim was to provide gase-line information about overall phytoplankton diversity and how phytoplanktoncharacteristics differ between these contrasting aquatic systems.Water samples were collected at approximately three monthly intervals and phytoplankton analysis revealed marked seasonal and spatial differences in the quantitative and qualitative composition of the communities at each site. The Egyptian lakes generally had larger crops (Manzala and Burullus had mean crop densities of more than 104 cells ml^–1) but in the western North African sites only Korba and Sidi Bou Rhaba had closely comparable densities. Algae belonging to Bacillariophyceae, Chlorophyceae, Chrysophyceae, Cyanophyceae, Dinophyceae and Euglenophyceae were recorded. Taxa representative of all these algal groups occurred in two lakes (Korba and Manzala) but at the other seven sites only some of the groups were present.The Chlorophyceae was the most dominant group in lakes Burullus, Manzala, Korba and Sidi Bou Rhaba whereas Bacillariophyceae were dominant in lakes Zerga, Bokka and Edku. In Ichkeul and acidic Chitane the Dinophyceae and the Cyanophyceae were the dominant groups, respectively. The maximum percentage of Euglenophyceae occurred in Edku Lake but this group was absent in Sidi Bou Rhaba and Ichkeul. Cyanophyceans were present in significant numbers in all investigated lakes except in Ichkeul. A total of fifty-three genera were recorded, 17 of Chlorophyceae, 18 of Bacillariophyceae, 11 of Cyanophyceae, 3 of Chrysophyceae, 2 of Euglenophyceae and 2 of Dinophyceae. The maximum number of species (34) occurred in Burullus Lake and the minimum (6) in Ichkeul Lake. Only one lake (acidic Chitane) possessed species indicative of oligotrophic conditions. The Nile Delta lakes were the most species diverse sites.The phytoplankton communities of the nine North African lakes were composed entirely of cosmopolitan species but with one new species (Cyclotella choctawatcheeana) was recorded for the region. The data presented provide a contemporary account of the levels of algal diversity present in these sites at the end of the 20th century. The relevance of phytoplankton communities to assessment of lake status and future monitoring studies in the region is emphasised.     

Distribution of Oligochaeta in some lakes and pools of Bolivia

This work is a contribution to the taxonomy and ecology of the benthic Oligochaeta of Lake Titicaca, Lake Poopo and smaller lake basins from western and eastern sides of the Bolivian Royal Cordillera. Benthic fauna of the small lakes include several typical taxa known exclusively from South America. In the two great lakes, Titicaca and Poopo, the chemical properties of the water play an important part in the composition of the benthic fauna.