Evolution of the tilapia fishery with specific reference to the Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus Linne)

As a fishery, the immensely large (c. 68,800 km2 ) Lake Victoria is a unique ecosystem which together with a riverine connection to the Lake Kyoga basin share a common endemic "Victorian" fish fauna (Greenwood 1966). Until the 1950s, the single socio economically most important species of fish in these two lakes was the native Oreochromis esculentus Graham (Graham 1929) even though the lake also contained a second native tilapiine, 0reochromis variabilis , and over 300 other fish species (Beauchamp, 1956)

Case study on the efficacy of a lanthanum-enriched clay (Phoslock®) in controlling eutrophication in Lake Het Groene Eiland (The Netherlands)

Lake Het Groene Eiland was created in the beginning of 2008 by construction of dikes for isolating it from the surrounding 220-ha water body. This so-called claustrum of 5 ha was treated using lanthanum-modified clay (Phoslock®) to control eutrophication and mitigate cyanobacterial nuisance. Cyanobacteria chlorophyll-a were significantly lower in the claustrum than those in the reference water body, where a massive bloom developed in summer, 2008. However, PO4-P and TP did not statistically differ in these two waters. TN and NO3-N were significantly lower in the claustrum, where dense submerged macrophytes beds developed. Lanthanum concentrations were elevated after the applications of the modified clay in the claustrum, but filterable lanthanum dropped rapidly below the Dutch standard of 10.1 μg l−1. During winter, dozens of Canada geese resided at the claustrum. Geese droppings contained an average of 2 mg PO4-P g−1 dry weight and 12 mg NH3-N g−1 dry weight and might present a growing source of nutrients to the water. Constructing the claustrum enabled unrestricted bathing in subsequent three summers, as no swimming bans had to be issued due to cyanobacteria blooms. However, the role of the modified clay in this positive outcome remains unclear, and longevity of the measures questionable.

Succession of aquatic vegetation driven by reduced water-level fluctuations in floodplain lakes

1. In recent years, interest has grown in restoring floodplain function of regulated rivers. Successful rehabilitation of riparian systems requires knowledge of how regulation of river flow affects biodiversity and ecosystem function. The effects of changes in the river's low water-level regime on aquatic ecosystems in floodplains has received little attention so far. 2. The aquatic vegetation of 215 floodplain lakes along the Lower Rhine (the Netherlands) was analysed in relation to lake characteristics and lake water-level fluctuations in 19992000. 3. Vegetation composition was related to lake morphology and age, cattle access to the shoreline, the amount of time the river was in flood, and lake sediment area exposed at low water level (drawdown). Surprisingly, vegetation composition was correlated more strongly with lake age and occurrence of drawdown than the amount of time the river was in flood. 4. In older lakes, water-level fluctuations are reduced due to an accumulation of clay and silt that 'seals' sediment, preventing drawdown during periods of low river levels. Our results suggest that this clay sealing process is a major driving force for aquatic vegetation succession in floodplain lakes along the Lower Rhine, as succession drives from desiccation-tolerant species (e.g. Chara spp.) in young lakes to desiccation-sensitive species (e.g. Nuphar lutea) in old lakes. 5. Water levels were stable in lakes along a river branch that was impounded below mean flow only. Here, the original low water-level regime has been replaced by an artificial regime with higher water levels than would be expected naturally. Consequently, in these lakes drawdown was rare or absent, and the aquatic macrophyte vegetation was characterized by low species richness and frequent dominance by the invasive species Elodea nuttallii. 6. Synthesis and applications. Our results show that stabilization of river water levels during low flow may negatively affect vegetation composition and succession in floodplain lakes adjacent to these rivers. A management scheme including incidental temporary lowering of the river water level, which results in drawdown of floodplain lakes, would enhance the ecological status of those rivers with stabilized water levels during low flow. [KEYWORDS: connectivity ; drawdown ; exposure ; macrophytes ; river regulation ; riverine vegetation]

Effect of temperature and nutrients on the competition between free-floating Salvinia natans and submerged Elodea nuttallii in mesocosms

In many aquatic ecosystems, free-floating plants compete with submerged plants for nutrients and light. Being on top of the water surface free-floating plants are superior competitors for light. Submerged plants can take up nutrients from the sediment and the water column, hereby reducing these levels for free-floating plants. Global warming may change chances of successful species invasion and can alter species dominance. We studied the combined effects of nutrient loading and increased temperature on the competition between the potentially invasive free-floating Salvinia natans (L.) All. and the naturalized submerged Elodea nuttallii Planch. St. John by an outdoor mesocosm experiment under temperate climate conditions (The Netherlands) over a period of 71 days. The free-floating S. natans benefited from increased temperature and increased nutrient loading and limited the chances for the submerged E. nuttallii to take advantage of these changed conditions. S. natans substantially increased temperature in the top layer, while limiting the temperature increase below the mat. Our results suggest that with global warming, invasive free-floating plants might become more successful at the expense of submerged plants

Lake age and water level affect the turbidity of floodplain lakes along the lower Rhine

We sampled a set of 93 lakes situated in the floodplains of the lower River Rhine in search for morphometric and other factors that explain their variation in clarity. Lakes with a drop in summer water level were less turbid at the time of sampling, mainly because of a lower concentration of inorganic suspended solids (ISS). We also found that older lakes were more turbid than younger lakes and that this was largely because of an increase in phytoplankton. Water clarity was positively related to lake depth and the presence of vegetation. Model calculations indicated that the underwater light climate was strongly affected by chlorophyll and ISS, the latter being the dominant factor affecting Secchi depth. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) was less important. The high concentration of ISS suggests that intensive resuspension occurs in most of the lakes. Using a simple wave model, and assuming that vegetation protects sediments against resuspension, we could eliminate wind resuspension as an important process in 90% of the lakes, leaving resuspension by benthivorous fish as probably the most important factor determining transparency. Chlorophyll a concentration showed a strong positive correlation to ISS concentration, suggesting that resuspension may also have a positive effect on phytoplankton biomass in these lakes. In conclusion, in-lake processes, rather than river dynamics, seem to be driving the turbidity of floodplain lakes along the lower River Rhine.