Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-q99xh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T04:40:55.778Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

African Lakes Reviewed: Creation and Destruction of Biodiversity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 August 2009

E. Barton Worthington  and
Rosemary Lowe-McConnell
E. Barton Worthington
Affiliation:
Colin Godmans, Furners Green, Nr Uckfield, West Sussex TN22 3RR, England, UK; Formerly Secretary-General, Scientific Council for Africa South of the Sahara & Deputy Director-General, Nature Conservancy of the United Kingdom; Scientific Director of the International Biological Programme 1964–74
Rosemary Lowe-McConnell
Affiliation:
Streatwick, Streat Nr Hassocks, Sussex BN6 8RT, England, UK; Formerly Associate, Fish Section, British Museum (Natural History), African Lakes Group, International Association of Limnology (SIL).
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

The lakes of Africa provide outstanding examples of biodiversity. Some hundreds of species of aquatic fauna, especially fishes, have been created through evolution taking place in environments which became isolated from each other. The lakes also provide an outstanding example of the loss of biodiversity: in Lake Victoria at least 200 species of fish have almost certainly become extinct through human activities. These lakes have, since Mankind's origin in Africa, provided high-quality animal protein food and with improved management they could provide much more, which adds greatly to their scientific and economic interest.

Type
Main Papers
Information
Environmental Conservation , Volume 21 , Issue 3 , Autumn 1994 , pp. 199 - 213
Copyright
Copyright © Foundation for Environmental Conservation 1994

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Ackermann, W.C., White, G.F. & Worthington, E.B. (Eds). (1973). Man-made Lakes: Their Problems and Environmental Effects. Geophysical Monogr. 17, American Geophysical Union, Washington, DC, USA: 847 pp., illustr.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Balon, E.K. & Coche, A.G. (1974). Lake Kariba: a Man-made Tropical Ecosystem in Central Africa. Dr W. Junk vb, The Hague, The Netherlands: 674 pp., illustr.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barel, C.D.N., Dorit, R., Greenwood, P.H. et al. , (1985). Destruction of fisheries in African lakes. Nature (London), 315, pp. 19–20.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barel, C.D.N., Ligtvoet, W., Goldschmidt, T., Witte, F. & Goudswaard, P.C. (1991). The haplochromine cichlids in Lake Victoria: an assessment of biological and fisheries interests. Pp. 258–79 in Cichlid Fishes Behaviour, Ecology and Evolution (Ed. Keenleyside, M.H.A.). Chapman & Hall, London, England, UK: 378 pp.Google Scholar
Beadle, L.C. (1981). The Inland Waters of Tropical Africa. Longman, London, England, UK: 475 pp., illustr.Google Scholar
Beauchamp, R.S.A. (1946). Lake Tanganyika. Nature (London), 157, pp. 183–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beauchamp, R.S.A. (1964). The Rift Valley lakes of Africa. Verh. Internal. Verein. Limnol., 15, pp. 91–9.Google Scholar
Bertram, C.K. Ricardo, Borley, H.J.H. & Trewavas, E. (1942). Report on the Fish and Fisheries of Lake Nyasa. Crown Agents for the Colonies, London, England, UK: 181 pp., illustr.Google Scholar
Bossche, J.-P. Vanden & Bernacsek, G.M. (1990). Source Book for the Inland Fishery Resources of Africa, vols 1–3. CIFA Technical Papers 18/1, 18/2, 18/3. FAO, Rome, Italy: 411 pp., 240 pp., and 219 pp.Google Scholar
Brichard, P. (1989). Cichlids and All Other Fishes of Lake Tanganyika. T.F. H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey, USA: 495 pp., illustr.Google Scholar
Bruton, M.N. (1979). The fishes of Lake Sibaya. Pp. 162–245 in Lake Sibaya (Ed. Allanson, B.R.). Monogr. Biol. Nr 36, Dr W. Junk, The Hague, The Netherlands: [not available for checking].Google Scholar
Carmouze, J.P., Durand, J.R. & Léveque, C. (1983). Lake Chad: Ecology and Productivity of a Shallow Tropical Ecosystem. Monogr. Biol. Nr 53, Dr W. Junk, The Hague, The Netherlands: [not available for checking].CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cohen, A.S. (Ed.) (1991). Report on the First International Conference on the Conservation and Biodiversity of Lake Tanganyika, 11–13 March 1991. Biodiversity Support Program c/o University of Arizona, USA: [not available for checking].Google Scholar
Cohen, A.S., Bills, R., Cocquyt, C.Z. & Caljon, A.G. (1993). The impact of sediment pollution on biodiversity in Lake Tanganyika. Conservation Biology, 7, pp. 667–77.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Coulter, G.W. (Ed.) (1991). Lake Tanganyika and Its Life. Oxford University Press, Oxford, England, UK: 354 pp., illustr.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Coulter, G.W., Allanson, B.R., Bruton, M.N., Greenwood, P.H., Hart, R.C., Jackson, P.B.N. & Ribbink, A.J. (1986). Unique qualities and special problems of African Great Lakes, Environ. Biol. Fish., 17, pp. 161–83.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fryer, G. & Iles, T.D. (1972). The Cichlid Fishes of the Great Lakes of Africa: Their Biology and Evolution. Oliver & Boyd, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK: 641 pp., illustr.Google Scholar
Goldschmidt, T., Witte, F. & Wanink, J. (1993). Cascading effects of the introduced Nile Perch on the detritivorous/phytoplanktivorous species in the sublittoral areas of Lake Victoria. Conserv. Biol., 7, pp. 686–700.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Graham, M. (1929). The Victoria Nyanza and Its Fisheries: A Report on the Survey of Lake Victoria 1927–28. Crown Agents for the Colonies, London, England, UK: 255 pp., illustr.Google Scholar
Greenwood, P.H. (1974). The cichlid fishes of Lake Victoria, East Africa: the biology and evolution of a species flock. Bull. Brit. Mus. Nat. Hist. (Zoology), Suppl., 6, 134 pp.Google Scholar
Greenwood, P.H. & Lund, J.W.G. (Eds) (1973). A discussion on the biology of an equatorial lake: Lake George, Uganda. Proc. R. Soc. Lond., B, 184, pp. 227–346.Google Scholar
Hecky, R.E. (1993). The eutrophication of Lake Victoria. Verh. Internat. Verein. Limnol., 25, pp. 39–48.Google Scholar
Hopson, A.J. (1972). A Study of Nile Perch in Lake Chad. Overseas Res. Pubn., HMSO, Nr 19, London, England, UK: [not available for checking], illustr.Google Scholar
Hopson, A.J. (Ed.) (1982). Lake Turkana, a Report on the Findings of the Lake Turkana Project 1972–75. Vols. 1–6. Overseas Development Administration; published by University of Stirling, Scotland, UK: [not available for checking], illustr.Google Scholar
Hori, M., Gashagaza, M.M., Nshombo, M. & Kawanabe, H. (1993). Littoral fish communities in Lake Tanganyika: irreplaceable diversity supported by intricate interactions among species. Conserv. Biol., 7, pp. 657–66.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hughes, R.H. & Hughes, J.S. (1992). A Directory of African Wetlands. IUCN Gland, UNEP Nariobi, WCMC Cambridge: 820 pp.Google Scholar
Jackson, P.B.N., Iles, T.D., Harding, D. & Fryer, G. (1963). Report on the Survey of Northern Lake Nyasa 1954–55. Government Printer, Zomba, Nyasaland: 171 pp., illustr.Google Scholar
Kaufman, L.S. (1992). Catastrophic loss in species-rich freshwater ecosystems, the lessons of Lake Victoria. BioScience, 42, pp. 846–58.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kolding, J. (1992). A summary of Lake Turkana: an ever-changing mixed environment. Mitt. Internat. Verein. Limnol., 23, pp. 23–35.Google Scholar
Konings, A. (1990). Ad Konings Book of Cichlids and All Other Fishes of Lake Malawi. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, N J., USA: 495 pp., illustr.Google Scholar
Léveque, C., Bruton, M.N. & Ssentongo, G.W. (Eds) (1988). Biology and Ecology of African Freshwater Fishes. ORSTOM Travaux et Documents (Paris), No 216, 508 pp.Google Scholar
Lewis, D., Reinthal, P. & Trendall, J. (1986). A Guide to the Fishes of Lake Malawi National Park. WWF, Gland, Switzerland: 71 pp., illustr.Google Scholar
Lowe, R.H. (1952). Report on the Tilapia and Other Fish and Fisheries of Lake Nyasa. Fishery Publications, Colonial Office, London, 1 (2), pp. 1–126.Google Scholar
Lowe-McConnell, R.H. (Ed.) (1966). Man-made Lakes. Symposium Institute of Biology, Nr 15, Academic Press, London, England, UK: 218 pp.Google Scholar
Lowe-McConnell, R.H. (1987). Ecological Studies in Tropical Fish Communities. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England, UK: 382 pp., illustr.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lowe-McConnell, R.H. (1993). Fish faunas of the African Great Lakes: origins, diversity, and vulnerability. Conserv. Biol., 7, pp. 634–43.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lowe-McConnell, R.H., Crul, R.C.M. & Roest, F.C. (1992). Symposium on resource use and conservation of the African Great Lakes, Bujumbura 1989. Mitt. Internat. Verein. Limnol., Nr 23, 129 pp.Google Scholar
McKaye, K.R. (1983). Ecology and breeding behavior of a cichlid fish, Cyrtocara eucinsotomus, on a large lek in Lake Malawi, Africa. Environ. Biol. Fish., 8, pp. 81–96.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marshall, B.A. (1984). Small Pelagic Fishes and Fisheries in African Inland Waters. FAO CIFA Tech. Pap./Doc/(14): 25 pp.Google Scholar
Moreau, J., Arrignon, J. & Jubb, R.A. (1988). Introduction of foreign fishes in African inland waters. Pp. 395–425 in Biology and Ecology of African Freshwater Fishes (Eds C. Léveque, M.N. Bruton & G.W. Ssentongo). ORSTOM Travaux et Documents (Paris). No 216, 508 pp.Google Scholar
Nagelkerke, L.A.J., Sibbing, F.A., Boogaart, J.M.G., Lammens, E.H.R.R. & Osse, J.W.M. (1994). The barbs (Barbus spp.) of Lake Tana: a forgotten species flock? Environ. Biol. Fish., 39, pp. 1–22.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
New England Aquarium (1993). People, Fisheries, Biodiversity, and the Future of Lake Victoria. Proceedings of the Lake Victoria Workshop, Jinja 1992. New England Aquarium Report 93–3, Boston, Massachusetts, USA: [not available for checking].Google Scholar
Obeng, L.E. (Ed.) (1969). Man-made Lakes, the Accra Symposium. Ghana Universities Press, Accra, Ghana: 398 pp.Google Scholar
Ogutu-Ohwayo, R. (1990). The decline of the native species of Lakes Victoria and Kyoga (East Africa) and the impact of introduced species, especially the Nile Perch, Lates niloticus, and the Nile Tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus. Environ. Biol. Fish., 27, pp. 81–96.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ogutu-Ohwayo, R. (1993). The effects of predation by Nile Perch, Lates niloticus L., on the fish of Lake Nabugabo, with suggestions for conservation of endangered cichlids. Conserv. Biol., 7, pp. 701–11.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Owen, R.B., Crossley, R., Johnson, T.C. et al. , (1990). Major low levels of Lake Malawi with their implications for speciation rates in cichlid fishes. Proc. R. Soc. Lond., B, 240, pp. 519–53.Google Scholar
Poll, M. (1956). Poissons Cichlidae. Result Sci. Explor. Hydrobiol. Lac Tanganyika (1946–47). Inst. R. Sc. Nat. Bruxelles, 3 (5B), 619 pp., illustr.Google Scholar
Reynolds, J.E. & Greboval, D.F. (1988). Socio-economic effects of the evolution of Nile Perch fisheries in Lake Victoria: a review. FAO CIFA Tech. Pap., 17, 148 pp.Google Scholar
Ribbink, A.J. (1991). Distribution and ecology of the cichlids of the African Great Lakes. Pp. 36–59 in Cichlid Fishes (Ed. Keenleyside, M.H.K.). Chapman & Hall, London, England, UK: [not available for checking].Google Scholar
Ribbink, A.J., Marsh, B.A., Marsh, A.C., Ribbink, A.C. & Sharp, B.J. (1983). A preliminary survey of the cichlid fishes of rocky habitats in Lake Malawi. South. Afr. J. Zool., 18(3), pp. 149–310, illustr.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ricardo, C.K. (1939). Report on the Fish and Fisheries of Lake Rukwa in Tanganyika Territory and the Bangweulu Region in Northern Rhodesia. Crown Agents for the Colonies, London, England, UK: 78 pp.Google Scholar
Schliewen, U.K., Tautz, D. & Paabo, S. (1994). Sympatric speciation suggested by monophyly of crater-lake cichlids. Nature (London), 368, pp. 629–32.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stiassny, M.L.J., Schliewen, U.K. & Dominey, W.J. (1992). A new species flock of cichlid fishes from Lake Bermin, Cameroun, with a description of eight new species of Tilapia. Ichthyol. Explor. Freshwat., 3, pp. 311–46.Google Scholar
Trewavas, E. (1983). Tilapiine Fishes of the Genera Sarotherodon, Oreochromis, and Danakilia. British Museum (Natural History) London, England, UK: 583 pp., illustr.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Trewavas, E., Green, J. & Corbet, S.A. (1972). Ecological studies on crater lakes in West Cameroun: Fishes of Barombi Mbo. J. Zool. (London), 167, pp. 41–95.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tweddle, D. (1991). Twenty Years of Fisheries Research in Malawi. Fisheries Department, Ministry of Forestry & Natural Resources, Malawi, Fish. Bulletin, 7, 43 pp.Google Scholar
Vanden Bossche, J.-P. — see Bossche, J.-P. Vanden.Google Scholar
Welcomme, R.L. (Comp.) (1988). International Introductions of Inland Aquatic Species. FAO Fish. Tech. Pap., 294, 318 pp.Google Scholar
Witte, F.T. & Oijen, M.J. Van (1990). Taxonomy, ecology and fishery of haplochromine trophic groups. Zool. Verh. Leiden, 262, pp. 1–47.Google Scholar
Witte, F.T., Goldschmidt, T. & Wanink, J. (1992 a). The destruction of an endemic species flock: quantitative data on the decline of the haplochromine cichlids of Lake Victoria. Environ. Biol. Fish., 34, pp. 1–28.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Witte, F.T., Goldschmidt, T., Goudswaard, P.C., Ligtvoet, W., Oijen, M.J. Van & Wanink, J.H. (1992 b). Species extinction and concomitant ecological changes in Lake Victoria. Netherlands J. Zool., 42, pp. 214–32.Google Scholar
Worthington, E.B. (1929). A Report on the Fishing Survey of Lakes Albert and Kioga. Crown Agents for the Colonies, London, England, UK: 136 pp.Google Scholar
Worthington, E.B. (1932 a). A Report on the Fisheries of Uganda Investigated by the Cambridge Expedition to the East African Lakes, 1930–31. Crown Agents for the Colonies, London, England, UK: 88 pp.Google Scholar
Worthington, E.B. (1932 b); Scientific results of the Cambridge Expedition to the East African Lakes, 1930–31, 1: General introduction and station list. Journ. Linnean Soc, Zool., 38, pp. 99–119. (Followed by numerous papers by various Authors: (1932), 38; (1933), 39; (1936), 39; (1936–39), 40).CrossRefGoogle Scholar