The catfish fauna of Lake Victoria after the Nile perch upsurge

Stocks of the indigenous catfish species of Lake Victoria have decreased dramatically since the beginning of the 1980s. This decline coincided with the Nile perch boom and concomitant ecological changes in the lake. In deep water, where Nile perch densities were higher, the decline proceeded more quickly than in shallow water. In the former all catfishes eventually vanished. Of the two largest species, Clarias gariepinus and Bagrus docmak, juveniles disappeared faster than adults. This indicates that predation by Nile perch may have played an important role in their decline. Other possible impacts were the deoxygenation of deepwater areas and the decline of haplochromine cichlids which were an important food source for B. docmak, C. gariepinus and Schilbe intermedius. The various catfish species were not all affected to the same extent. The endemic Xenoclarias eupogon, which lived predominantly in deep water, may have become extinct. B. docmak currently seems to be mainly restricted to refugia in rocky habitats. Synodontis victoriae and S. afrofischeri are still present in small numbers in shallow littoral areas. Schilbe intermedius and C. gariepinus seem to be the least affected of the catfishes in littoral and sublittoral areas. This may be caused, among other reasons, by their smaller habitat overlap with Nile perch than the other species. S. intermedius is partly pelagic, and a considerable part of the C. gariepinus stock lives in bodies of water surrounding the lake. The patterns of decline of the catfishes are very similar to those observed for haplochromine cichlids in the lake. The importance of catfishes for the fisheries in the lake is currently negligible.     

黄颡鱼属物种的RAPD分子鉴定及杂种遗传分析

使用20个随机引物研究了4种黄颡鱼的RAPD图谱,其中6个可以用来准确鉴别4个种,分别是S1、S2、S5、S7、S8、S17。同时也分析了4种黄颡鱼之间的亲缘关系,发现种间遗传距离D值在0.5000左右波动,黄颡鱼-叉尾黄颡鱼、瓦氏黄颡鱼-光泽黄颡鱼之间的D值最小,分别是0.4816和0.4017。聚类图显示,黄颡鱼和叉尾黄颡鱼属同一分支;瓦氏黄颡鱼和光泽黄颡鱼属另一分支,说明它们之间分别有更近的亲缘关系。另外,采用黄颡鱼作母本,瓦氏黄颡鱼作父本,获得了杂交F1代,对F1代进行RAPD分析,发现了杂种遗传图谱的三种变化情况:叠加、叠加-变异、叠加-弱化,表明F1代DNA多态性增强,杂合性提高,预示着杂种优势的可能性。       

长江黄州江段长须黄颡鱼肠道内寄生棘头虫的生态研究

解剖检查了 133尾捕自长江黄州江段的长须黄颡鱼 ,发现寄主感染长江丽棘虫的感染率为 4 8.9% ,感染强度为 5 .4 (虫 /尾 ) ,平均密度为 2 .6 (虫 /尾 ) ,感染鲇异棘虫的感染率为 2 1.8% ,感染强度为 5 .5 (虫 /尾 ) ,平均密度为1.2 (虫 /尾 ) ,两种棘头虫在长须黄颡鱼种群中均为聚集分布 ;当两种棘头虫共同寄生在宿主肠道内时 ,其感染强度和单独感染时相比没有显著差异 ,但是 ,各自的生态位宽度均变小 ;两种棘头虫的正关联关系显著。     

Phytoplankton biodiversity in the two perennial lakes of Coimbatore,Tamil Nadu,India

The present study was focused to evaluate the phytoplankton biodiversity in two freshwater perennial lakes of Sulur and Ukkadam of Coimbatore District, Tamil Nadu, India. The study period was two years from March 2012 to February 2014. Results revealed that totally 50 species of phytoplankton include 14 Cyanophyceae, 19 Chlorophyceae, 14 Bacillariophyceae, and 3 Euglenophyceae were recorded from the Sulur lake and 36 species of phytoplankton comprising 9 species of Cyanophyceae, 15 species of Chlorophyceae, 10 species of Bacillariophyceae and 2 species of Euglenophyceae were noticed in Ukkadam lake during the study period. The recorded phytoplankton density was ranged between 22,380 and 80,590 cells/l in Sulur lake and 29,350 and 1,16,255 cells/l in Ukkadam lake. Thus, the present study overall dominance of phytoplankton group was Chlorophyceae followed by Cyanophyceae, Bacillariophyceae, and Euglenophyceae. The phytoplankton population was recorded maximum in Ukkadam lake when compared to Sulur lake. Hence, the study revealed that both Ukkadam and Sulur lakes possess an appreciable quantum of phytoplankton and it can be used for fish culture.     

Aspects of the spatial distribution of the algae of the nant-y-moch reservoir,Ceredigion, Wales

The spatial distribution of algae in the Nant-y-Moch reservoir has been studied in relation to a number of factors. It was not possible to relate the variation in algal numbers to the wind parameters studied and it is postulated that water currents, set up by the abstraction of water, may be influencing the distribution. The variation of species composition in the different parts of the lake was summarised by means of diversity and heterogeneity indices. It was found difficult to relate the differences in diversity indices to the position of the transects sampled; which again was probably the result of the complex water patterns likely to exist in the lake. Average mean heterogeneity indices indicated that four transects were relatively different from each other and from the other transects studied; reasons for the differences are suggested.     

Diatom associations in the aufwuchs of inundated trees and underwater leaves of Salvinia,drowned Mwenda River,Lake Kariba,Zimbabwe

Diatom associations from the aufwuchs of inundated trees and under-water leaves of Salvinia communities in open and in enclosed transitional and semi-riverine water of the drowned upper Mwenda river area, lake Kariba were examined in relation to seasonal changes in lake and river, to species of host plant and to decreasing light quality to a depth of 3 m. The flora remained fairly stable in the summer months, changes in the relative percentage composition of the major and minor associations occurred from scouring floodwaters to stagnation in the semi-riverine areas from limited flow and extensive growth of Salvinia. The percentage frequency of occurrence remained high. The flora was less stable in the winter; some species were slow to recolonise tree areas exposed during down-draw of lake water in summer, especially at the lake face. A few species increased in relative percentage value in winter but the percentage frequency of occurrence in the minor association was poor. Achnanthes minutissima dominated particularly in the enclosed water where it was the cause of serious space competition especially to the larger species of diatom. Highest values throughout were obtained from the area of greatest change viz. the transitional water between riverine and lake conditions.Local environment was of greater significance in relative percentage abundance of diatoms than was the species of host plant. A few species showed ambivalency, becoming planktonic or epiphytic with changes in the environment. Epiphytes taken at increasing depth of water showed that 50% of them occurred in the first 1.5 m, some increased with depth, notably Rhopalodia rhopala and a few appeared to be tolerant of light changes.     

Helminths in an intensively stocked population of lake trout, Salvelinus namaycush, from Lake Huron

Eighty stocked lake trout Salvelinus namaycush (Salmonidae), collected from 2 locations in Lake Huron in May 1995, were examined for parasites. The parasite fauna of this top predator in Lake Huron was characterized by only 6 helminth species. Echinorhynchus salmonis infected all lake trout with a mean intensity of 163.9. The intensity of this acanthocephalan species significantly increased with host length and weight. Eubothrium salvelini infected 78 lake trout with a maximum number of 81 scoleces counted. Diplostomum sp., Cyathocephalus truncatus, Capillaria salvelini, and Neoechinorhynchus sp. infrequently infected lake trout. The low parasite species richness in these lake trout is believed to be due to their large size at stocking and to the loss of historical enzootic host-parasite relationships that followed the absence of this fish species in Lake Huron for 26 yr.     

Aspects of the ecology of the prickly sculpin,Cottus asper Richardson,a persistent native species in Clear Lake,Lake County,California

Synopsis The biology of the prickly sculpin was investigated in Clear Lake, Lake County, California in order to determine how it has persisted in the face of introductions of numerous exotic species when most other native species have declined in abundance or have become extinct. Sculpins over 15 mm SL inhabited all types of benthic habitats in the lake, while post larval sculpins were pelagic when the postlarvae of exotic species were absent. The feeding ecology of sculpins was distinct from the other fishes in the lake in that they fed largely on amphipods and chironomid midge larvae regardless of the time of year, time of day, or habitat. Sculpins were uncommon in the stomachs of piscivorous fishes, except juvenile largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). It is concluded that prickly sculpins have persisted in Clear Lake in part because they are ecologically distinct from the exotic species and are not preyed upon by them to any great extent, and in part because they have managed to survive other man-related perturbations of this ecosystem.     

Feeding of the exotic Louisiana red swamp crayfish,Procambarus clarkii (Crustacea,Decapoda), in an African tropical lake: Lake Naivasha,Kenya

The Louisiana red swamp crayfish, Procambarus clarkii, has had a major impact on aquatic ecosystems in Europe and America where it has been introduced for human consumption. In Lake Naivasha, where it was introduced in 1970, it is suspected of causing the complete disappearance of native floating-leaved and submerged plants by 1982 and again by 1996; recovery of submerged plants occurred in between, concurrent with a decline in P. clarkii. Examination of the feeding of P. clarkii by microscopic analysis of gut contents collected from the lake confirmed information from both its native and exotic ranges; that it is an omnivore with green plants and insects the predominant items recognised. Feeding experiments confirmed this omnivory, with a preference from herbivory over carnivory. They further showed the importance of native plants as opposed to exotic water hyacinth Eichhornia crassipes. It is concluded that P. clarkii could well have accounted for the observed elimination of native plant species in Lake Naivasha; the cyclical nature of populations of submerged plant species and of P. clarkii in inverse proportion to each other lead us to hypothesise that P. clarkii is a `keystone' species in the lake ecosystem.     

洞庭湖四种黄颡鱼基因组DNA遗传多样性的RAPD分析

以洞庭湖瓦氏黄颡鱼、光泽黄颡鱼、长须黄颡鱼、普通黄颡鱼的基因组DNA为材料对 4种黄颡鱼进行了遗传多样性随机扩增多态性DNA(RAPD)分析。通过筛选的 90个引物对 4种黄颡鱼基因组DNA的扩增 ,获得了 36个有效引物 ,并计算出了 4种黄颡鱼群体间的遗传相似系数和遗传距离 ,遗传距离最大的为普通黄颡鱼和瓦氏黄颡鱼 (D =0 9895 ) ,遗传距离最小的为普通黄颡鱼和光泽黄颡鱼 (D =0 672 0 )。同时运用聚类分析 (UPGMA)的方法建立了 4种黄颡鱼的聚类图。     

Recherches hydrobiologiques au lac Tumba (Congo Belge,Province de l'Equateur)

Summary Lake Tumba is a shallow lake situated in the Congo basin near the Equator. Its area is about 191.250 acres. It gets its waters from different rivers and the surplus is shed into the Congo River, through the Irebu Channel, a little south-west from Coquilhatville. The maximum depth is about 8 meters and the mean depth is 3 to 5 meters (see bathymetric map).The waters are very rich in humic substances, owing to their origin in the forest soils around the lake. Its acid and brown waters are poor in true phyto-and zooplancton. The bottom is hard, made of kaolin and sand, without mud and as a matter of consequence, the bottom fauna is very poor. There is oxygen in the water down to the bottom at any time.The coasts are covered with a thick forest and dead leaves, branches and tree trunks contribute much foodstuff to the waters. This makes it possible for this lake to be rather rich in fish. Sixty six species of fishes are listed for the lake itself and ten species for the swamps or the flooded forest which, at high waters, communicate with the lake. Their food relations are described.As mature fish is very rare in the lake, the hypothesis has been made that, at high waters, the fishes migrate into the flooded forests and swamps around the lake when maturity comes. Breeding would happen in the inundated areas and the fish would return afterwards to the lake.A discussion is given about the origin of lake Tumba. Morphology of the lake, Chemistry of the waters and nearly complete lack of endemic species and of pelagic life point to a recent origin.The hypothesis is advanced that lake Tumba would be the result of the damming of an affluent of the Congo River and not the residue of the slow evaporation of an ancient central african lake.     

The effects ofTilapia introductions in Lake Luhondo,Rwanda

Synopsis Cyprinid fishes apparently constituted the major part of the original fish fauna in Lake Luhondo, Rwanda, at least until 1934. At that time only three species, all cyprinids, were known from the lake:Barbus neumayeri, a small barbel, very common in the lake (described from the lake asBarbus luhondo) and two larger cyprinid species:Barbus microbarbis andVaricorhinus ruandae. These two large species were probably not very common in the lake. Between 1935 and 1938 some youngTilapia were introduced into Lake Luhondo. Since then and certainly since 1952 the large cyprinids seem to have disappeared completely from the lake. The smallBarbus neumayeri has become extremely rare; at present it survives only in some small tributaries of the lake. In the lake itselfTilapia andHaplochromis species are now the dominant fauna. A survey of the available information is given.Africa-Museum, Steenweg op Leuven, B-1980 Tervuren, Belgium (mailing address)     

Population genetic structure of the striped silverside, Atherinomorus endrachtensis (Atherinidae, Atheriniformes, Teleostei), inhabiting marine lakes and adjacent lagoons in Palau: marine lakes are "Islands" for marine species

Although evidence for the evolution of terrestrial species on islands continues to rapidly accumulate, little is known about the evolution of marine species in geographically isolated environments such as islands as ocean currents often facilitate gene flow among populations. In this study, we focused on marine lakes of the Palau Islands, which are considered to be true analogues of terrestrial islands for marine species. To examine evolutionary processes in marine lakes, we conducted population genetic analyses on marine lake and lagoon populations of the striped silverside, Atherinomorus endrachtensis, using two mitochondrial DNA markers differing in evolutionary rate, the cytochrome b gene and the control region. The analyses revealed that the amount of genetic diversity of marine lake populations is much lower than that of lagoon populations and high levels of genetic differentiation occur among marine lake and lagoon populations. The present study has shown that marine lake populations have been completely isolated and have differentiated from lagoon populations, and each marine lake population is experiencing different evolutionary processes. These findings clearly demonstrate that marine lakes are excellent environments for the evolutionary study of marine species.     

Studies on the fish fauna of an estuary in the S. W. Netherlands,before and after its change into the stagnant,saline, Lake Grevelingen

Summary The Grevelingen was fished with a beam-trawl during the years 1960–1963, when in open connection with the North Sea as well as with the river Rhine, during the years 1966–1969, when the connection with the river was blocked by a dyke, and from 1971–1976, when the connection with the sea was also blocked by a dyke and the stagnant, saline Lake Grevelingen was created.The (mainly) demersal fishes captured were classified into (1) frequent species spawning within the area; (2) frequent species spawning outside the area, and (3) incidental visitors from the coastal sea.After closure the incidental visitors either became much less frequent or dropped out entirely. Some of the langer spawners decreased in numbers. Their place was occupied by smaller fishes, such as sand smelts and the stickleback.As piscivorous fishes almost completely dropped out, the above small species were able to increase and so were the two gobies present before the closure. The black goby (Gobius niger) invaded the lake and built a large, propagating population, in a similar way as it had done in Lake Veere, a neighbouring saline lake, created in a similar way. The turbot and the brill increased in numbers and there are indications that both spawn in the lake. These two species are the only large piscivorous fishes left at the moment and the nearly empty niche, created by the absence of other, incidental visiting, marine piscivores, is now filled by numbers of markedly increased grebes and cormorants.The flatfishes, used to spawn at sea, were trapped inside the lake. They grew on, but, as no reproduction was possible and recruitment through the locks in the dyke on the land side was minimal, their population decreased, the more rapidly as many were captured by fishermen.It is concluded that in the stagnant, saline lake, species diversity decreased and food chains became shorter, as compared with the more mature situation in the open estuary.Contribution No. 190 of the Delta Institute for Hydrobiological Research.     

Evidence for a lacustrine faunal refuge in the Larsemann Hills, East Antarctica, during the Last Glacial Maximum

Aim  There is no previous direct evidence for the occurrence of lacustrine refuges for invertebrate fauna in Antarctica spanning the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). In the absence of verified LGM lacustrine refuges many species are believed to result from Holocene dispersal from sub-Antarctic islands and continents further north. If freshwater lake environments were present throughout the LGM, extant freshwater species may have been associated with Antarctica prior to this glacial period. This study looked at faunal microfossils in a sediment core from an Antarctic freshwater lake. This lake is unusual in that, unlike most Antarctic lakes, the sediment record extends to c . 130,000 yr bp , i.e. prior to the LGM.
Location  Lake Reid, Larsemann Hills, East Antarctica (76°23' E; 69°23' S).
Methods  Palaeofaunal communities in Lake Reid were identified through examination of faunal microfossils in a sediment core that extended to c . 130,000 yr bp .
Results  Ephippia and mandibles from the cladoceran Daphniopsis studeri and loricae of the rotifer Notholca sp. were found at all depths in the sediment, indicating that these two species have been present in the lake for up to 130,000 years. Copepod mandibles were also present in the older section of the core, yet were absent from the most recent sediments, indicating extinction of this species from Lake Reid during the LGM.
Main conclusion  The presence of D. studeri and Notholca sp. microfossils throughout the entire Lake Reid core is the first direct evidence of a glacial lacustrine refugium for invertebrate animals in Antarctica, and indicates the presence of a relict fauna on the Antarctic continent.     

Limnological studies of Lake Wisdom, a large New Guinea caldera lake with a simple fauna

SUMMARY. Lake Wisdom is of interest because it is large and deep, has oxygen throughout, and yet, apparently as a result of its recent formation, its biota has some surprising lacunae. It is nearly circular and fills the central caldera of Long Island, Papua New Guinea (5° 20′ S, 147° 6′ E). Its maximum length is 13.4 km, and area approximately 95 km². A bathymetric map of the lake to depths of 300 m has been constructed from fathometer transects. Repeated soundings in the deeper parts gave depths of about 360 m. The surface of the lake is approximately 190 m above sea-level and water samples from the deepest part of the lake are fresh, so the basin is apparently sealed. The lake level shows annual fluctuations of c. 1.0 m. Limnological information has been collected during seven visits to Lake Wisdom over the period 1969–76. The surface temperature of the lake was constant at 28°C throughout this period and the temperature falls very gradually to 26–27°C at 60 m, except for a relatively rapid drop of approximately 1°C from 10 to 20 m. One of the most unusual features is the relatively high oxygen concentration in the deepest parts of the lake. Living chironomid larvae and molluscs were collected from the bottom in depths of 360 m. Light penetration in the lake varies greatly depending on the amount of rainfall and the volcanic activity of Motmot, a secondary cone within the lake. The biota of Lake Wisdom is rather simple. There is a low standing crop of phytoplankton. Benthic algae are abundant and diverse although they cover only a limited area because of the depth of the lake. There are no vascular aquatic plants. The pelagic fauna consists of two species of Cladocera and one species of notonectid. There is one species of sponge, four species of molluscs, and a small number of species of aquatic insects including Hemiptera. Odonata, and the larvae of chironomids, mayflies, a caddisfly, and a pyralid moth. Water birds, including ducks, grebes and waders, are fairly numerous. The lake also contains one or more crocodiles.     

Limnology of Botos Lake, a tropical crater lake in Costa Rica

Botos Lake, located at the Poas Volcano complex (Costa Rica) was sampled eight times from 1994 to 1996 for physicochemical conditions of the water column and phytoplanktonic community composition. Depth was measured at fixed intervals in several transects across the lake to determine its main morphometric characteristics. The lake has an outlet to the north. It is located 2580 m above sea level and is shallow, with a mean depth of 1.8 m and a relative depth of 2.42 (surface area 10.33 ha, estimated volume 47.3 hm3). The lake showed an isothermal water column in all occasions, but it heats and cools completely according to weather fluctuations. Water transparency reached the bottom on most occasions (> 9 m). The results support the idea that the lake is polymictic and oligotrophic. The lake has at least 23 species of planktonic algae, but it was always dominated by dinoflagellates, especially Peridinium inconspicuum. The shore line is populated by a sparse population of Isoetes sp. and Eleocharis sp. mainly in the northern shore where the bottom has a gentle slope and the forest does not reach the shore.     

Seasonal variation in the diet of juvenile lake sturgeon,Acipenser fulvescens,Rafinesque, 1817, in the Winnipeg River,Manitoba, Canada

The lake sturgeon, Acipenser fulvescens, is a threatened species across most of its range. To understand any potential shifts in diet across season or habitat, stomach contents were examined from juvenile lake sturgeon caught in the Winnipeg River, Manitoba, Canada. This information will aid in assessment of environmental impacts and conservation initiatives for this threatened species. From 2006 to 2008 gut contents were collected from juvenile lake sturgeon using a non‐lethal gastric lavage methodology. Juvenile lake sturgeon were sampled from four discrete deep water habitat types (13.7–27.4 m depths), during the months of May, June, July and October. In total, 13 066 prey items belonging to 14 prey groups were collected from 345 juvenile lake sturgeon (251–835 mm TL). Overall, juvenile lake sturgeon consumed a low diversity of organisms; insect larvae from three invertebrate orders, Trichoptera, Diptera and Ephemeroptera, accounted for 97.4% of the total numeric abundance of prey items recovered. A relationship between size of juvenile lake sturgeon and prey quantity or type was not observed. Diet of juvenile lake sturgeon varied in relation to season, with Diptera (77.6%) being the most abundant prey in May, Trichoptera the most abundant in June (n = 3,056, 60.4%) and July (n = 2,055, 52.6%). During October, 96% of stomachs examined were empty. In terms of habitat type, the standardized abundance of invertebrate prey items was highest in deep water habitats characterized by medium water velocity (depths > 13.7 m) and coarse substrate (particle sizes > 0.063 mm) in May and June when compared to deep water habitats characterized by low water velocity (<0.2 m.s^?1) and fine substrate (particle sizes < 0.063 mm). However, in July, the opposite was observed and prey abundance in juvenile lake sturgeon stomachs decreased with increasing particle size. Results suggest a high degree of dietary overlap among juvenile lake sturgeon from multiple size/age classes occupying deep‐water habitats of the Winnipeg River.     

Marine Lake Mogilnoe (Kildin Island,the Barents Sea): one hundred years of solitude

Lake Mogilnoe (Kildin Island, the Barents Sea) is a marine stratified lake, a refuge for landlocked populations of marine organisms. Unlike other known marine lakes from polar areas, which communicate with the sea by water percolation at the surface, Mogilnoe has a subterranean connection with the sea like tropical and subtropical anchialine lakes. Similarly to some other marine lakes, Mogilnoe has traditionally been considered to be biologically isolated from the sea and subject to little change. We review the current status of the physical features, zooplankton and benthos of Mogilnoe and trace changes that have occurred in the lake since the start of observations in 1894. The anaerobic bottom water layer has expanded by 100 %, while the upper freshwater layer has diminished by 40 %. The species diversity of zooplankton and macrobenthos has halved. The occurrence of Atlantic cod likens Mogilnoe to some other Arctic marine lakes while the presence of large flocks of sea anemones, scyphomedusae and suberitid sponges makes it similar to tropical anchialine lakes. Lake Mogilnoe is not entirely biologically isolated; accidental introduction of species from the sea does occur. We argue that the idealised model of an isolated steady-state ecosystem can be applied to a marine lake with caution. A model of fluctuating abiotic environment and partial biological isolation portrays the real situation better.     

Paleolimnology and diatom flora of the Miocene Quincy Diatomite,Washington, USA

The Quincy Diatomite, central Washington, USA, is a middle Miocene (∼ 15 Ma) lacustrine deposit located between flows of the Columbia River Basalt Group. Two primary localities along the western margin of the deposit are examined for stratigraphic and geographic variation. Three lithologic units are recognized in the deposit and are distinguished by distinct diatom floras and subtle lithologic differences. Diatom assemblages vary geographically along the western margin of the basin. Distinctions between these assemblages are confirmed through analysis of point count data using nonMetric Multidimensional Scaling and cluster analyses. Three stages of lake development, directly influenced by the regional geology and geography, are recognized. The earliest stage was likely deposited in a series of small-interconnected pocket lakes that were eutrophic and slightly alkaline. This lake stage was succeeded by a period of shallower water depth, and dominated by benthic species. The latest stage of the lake is interpreted as representing a deepening and expansion of the lake, based on the dominance of planktonic diatom species. Tectonic uplift of the western Frenchman Hills Anticline combined with overall subsidence of the Quincy Basin during intermediate and late stages of lake development is interpreted to be the driver for relative changes in lake bathymetry.