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Species Extinction and Concomitant Ecological Changes in Lake Victoria

Species Extinction and Concomitant Ecological Changes in Lake Victoria SPECIES EXTINCTION AND CONCOMITANT ECOLOGICAL CHANGES IN LAKE VICTORIA by F. WITTE1, T. GOLDSCHMIDT1, P. C. GOUDSWAARD1, W. LIGTVOET1, M. J. P. VAN OIJEN2 and J. H. WANINK1 (1 Research Group in Ecological Morphology, Zoölogisch Laboratorium, Rijksuniversiteit Leiden, Postbus 9516, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands; 2 Nationaal Natuurhistorisch Museum, Postbus 9517, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands) SUMMARY Lake Victoria's fish fauna included a large endemic flock of 300+ haplochromine cichlid species. About two-thirds of these species have disappeared or are threatened with extinction. The main cause of this large extinction event is predation by Nile perch, an introduced predator. We describe the decline of the haplochromine species and demonstrate that the rate and sequence of their decline was determined by their relative abundance, their adult size and their habitat overlap with Nile perch. Many non-haplochromine species declined as well, but in contrast, stocks of the native pelagic cyprinid Rastrineobola argentea and the introduced Oreochromis niloticus increased. There are also indications of an increase in phytoplankton, macrophytes, prawns and benthic organisms. Many of these rapid changes in the ecosystem were probably effects of the increase of the Nile perch and the disappearance of the haplochromines. The original fish fauna http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Netherlands Journal of Zoology (in 2003 continued as Animal Biology) Brill

Species Extinction and Concomitant Ecological Changes in Lake Victoria

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Publisher
Brill
Copyright
© 1991 Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
ISSN
0028-2960
eISSN
1568-542X
DOI
10.1163/156854291X00298
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

SPECIES EXTINCTION AND CONCOMITANT ECOLOGICAL CHANGES IN LAKE VICTORIA by F. WITTE1, T. GOLDSCHMIDT1, P. C. GOUDSWAARD1, W. LIGTVOET1, M. J. P. VAN OIJEN2 and J. H. WANINK1 (1 Research Group in Ecological Morphology, Zoölogisch Laboratorium, Rijksuniversiteit Leiden, Postbus 9516, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands; 2 Nationaal Natuurhistorisch Museum, Postbus 9517, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands) SUMMARY Lake Victoria's fish fauna included a large endemic flock of 300+ haplochromine cichlid species. About two-thirds of these species have disappeared or are threatened with extinction. The main cause of this large extinction event is predation by Nile perch, an introduced predator. We describe the decline of the haplochromine species and demonstrate that the rate and sequence of their decline was determined by their relative abundance, their adult size and their habitat overlap with Nile perch. Many non-haplochromine species declined as well, but in contrast, stocks of the native pelagic cyprinid Rastrineobola argentea and the introduced Oreochromis niloticus increased. There are also indications of an increase in phytoplankton, macrophytes, prawns and benthic organisms. Many of these rapid changes in the ecosystem were probably effects of the increase of the Nile perch and the disappearance of the haplochromines. The original fish fauna

Journal

Netherlands Journal of Zoology (in 2003 continued as Animal Biology) – Brill

Published: Jan 1, 1991

Keywords: Caridina nilotica; Nile perch; predation; Rastrineobola argentea; species introduction; stock replacement; food web; haplochromine cichlids

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