Ecological similarities and differences among littoral species of Ceriodaphnia
The occurrence of six littoral species of Ceriodaphnia (C. affinis, C. laticaudata, C. megops,C. reticulata, C. rotunda and C. setosa)living at the same time and locality is described.Basic population characteristics were studied in allspecies coexisting in the field, except for C. setosa, which was too scarce. Abundances,proportions of gamogenetic individuals, mean bodylengths and clutch sizes were compared among species.Dissolved oxygen, temperature, chlorophyll-a and totalseston volume were measured and related to populationchanges. C. laticaudata and C. rotundawere closely similar to each other in many featuresand showed significant differences to other species.C. reticulata and C. megops seem to besimilar in some features, while C. affinis wasecologically different.
Effects of algal concentration, bacterial size and water chemistry on the ingestion of natural bacteria by cladocerans
Etude des effets de la concentration algale,de la taille des bacteries et de la composition chimique du milieu (pH,carbone organique dissous) sur le taux d'ingestion de bacteries compare avec des algues cultivees par des cladoceres representatifs de 4 familles ayant des differences marquees dans la morphologie de leur appareil de filtration
Lake Muzahi, Rwanda: limnological features and phytoplankton production
Lake Muhazi, a small lake of Rwanda (East Africa) was studied from 1986 to 1990. A dramatic decrease of the catch of Oreochromis niloticus (350 T y−1 in the fifties vs 30 T y−1 in 1982) suggested a loss of productivity or overfishing. In the same period, other ecological changes occurred: the submerged macrophytes regressed and there was a decrease in Secchi depth (0.65 m in 1987 vs 1.5 m in the fifties). Compared to other lakes of the same area, the plankton production seemed low. The results of the present study characterize lake Muhazi as a shallow lake with a rather unstable diurnal stratification and with slight differences in mixing regime between its eastern, deepest part and its western, shallowest part. Secchi disk depth does not vary seasonally to a large extent. The water has a rather high mineral content (conductivity of about 500 µS cm−1 at 25 °C) and low concentrations of dissolved N and P, except in the hypolimnion, where NHinf4sup+-N can be high.Two species, Microcystis aeruginosa and Ceratium hirundinella, account for most of the phytoplankton biomass, which is about 50–80 mg chlorophyll a m−2 in the euphotic zone, usually with little seasonal variation. Daily gross production estimates amount to about 6 to 9.5 g O2 m−2 d−1 with a significant difference between the two parts of the lake. Data on C:N and C:P ratio in the phytoplankton suggest that some N deficiency might occur in the eastern part. Moreover, the Zm:Zc ratio could also lead to rather low net production rates (0.21–0.25 d−1 for a mixed layer of 4 m)In conclusion, the primary production of lake Muhazi is medium for African lakes and the hypothesis that decreased planktonic production could account for a reduced fish production should be discarded. Whereas the present yield of the fishery is only 20 kg ha−1 y−1, the yield estimated from primary production ranges between 46 and 64 kg ha−1 y−1. This could be reached through proper management. Finally, some hypotheses are given to explain the ecological changes which occurred in the lake.