The nilotic lakes associated with the Western Rift are separated from the more southerly lakes Kivu and Tanganyika by the Virunga volcanoes. They include three small lakes in the Kigezi highlands, and three large lakes, George, Edward and Albert in the valley. The small lakes have poor fish faunas (mostly introduced), and have shown major changes in their zooplankton and Xenopus populations over the last sixty years.
Lake George is shallow and eutrophic, with a permanent dense phytoplank-ton dominated by Cyanobacteria, and zooplankton dominated by Thermocyclops although some Cladocera are present in smaller numbers. Lake George, in common with Lake Edward, lacks the nilotic genera Lates and Hydrocynus, but both lakes have many more species of cichlids than Lake Albert.
Lakes Edward and Albert are much deeper than Lake George, and their phyto-plankton is not dominated continuously by Cyanobacteria. The zooplankton associations in both lakes show changes between inshore and offshore, which in Lake Albert have been shown to be related to predation by inshore fishes. The littoral associations of invertebrates in these lakes are very diverse, particularly the insects, with, for instance, over 100 species of aquatic Coleoptera recorded from Lake Edward. Some aspects of these lakes have been little studied: the interstitial fauna of Lake Albert includes two species of Syncarida, but is otherwise unknown. Parasites and epibi-onts, particularly of invertebrates, are, apart from trematodes, poorly known.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Baker, S. W., 1866. The Albert Nyanza, Great Basin of the Nile, 2 vols. Macmillan, London.
Balfour-Browne, J., 1950. Palpicornia. Exploration du Parc National Albert. Mission G. F. De Witte (1933–1935) 63: 1–84.
Beadle, L. C., 1981. The Inland Waters of Tropical Africa. Longman, London and New York, 475 pp.
Brinck, P., 1955. A revision of the Gyrinidae (Coleoptera) of the Ethiopian Region I. Lunds Universitets Arsskrift 51(16): 1–141.
Brinck, P., 1956. A revision of the Gyrinidae (Coleoptera) of the Ethiopian Region II. Lunds Universitets Arsskrift 52(14): 1–190.
Burgis, M. J., 1973. Observations on the Cladocera of Lake George, Uganda. Journal of Zoology, London, 170: 339–349.
Burgis, M. J., J. P. E. C. Darlington, L. G. Dunn, G. G. Ganf, J. J. Gwahaba & L. M. McGowan, 1973. The biomass and distribution of organisms in Lake George, Uganda. Proceedings Royal Society of London B 184: 271–298.
Capart, A., 1944. Notes sur les copepodes parasites. III. Copepodes parasites des poissons d'eau douce du Congo Belge. Bulletin du Musée royal d'Histoire naturelle Belge 20: 1–24.
Connal, S. L. M. S., 1928–1929. A note on the larva and pupa of Taeniorhynchus (Mansonioides) africanus (Dipt. Culicidae). Bulletin of Entomological Research 19: 293.
Cott, H. B., 1961. Scientific results of an inquiry into the ecology and economic status of the Nile Crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) in Uganda and Northern Rhodesia. Transactions of the Zoological Society of London 29: 211–357.
Cunnington, W. A., 1914. Zoological results of the Third Tanganyika Expedition 1904–1905. Report on the parasitic Eucopepoda. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1914: 819–829.
Damas, H., 1937. Recherches hydrobiologique dans les lacs Kivu, Edouard et Ndalaga. Exploration du Parc National Albert. Mission H. Damas (1935–1936) 1: 1–128.
Darlington, J. P. E. C., 1977. Temporal and spatial variation in the invertebrate fauna of Lake George, Uganda. Journal of Zoology, London 181: 95–111.
Denny, P., 1972. Lakes of south-western Uganda. I. Physical and chemical studies on Lake Bunyonyi. Freshwater Biology 2: 143–158.
Denny, P., 1973. Lakes of south-western Uganda. II. Vegetation studies on Lake Bunyonyi. Freshwater Biology 3: 123–135.
Denny, P., R. Bailey, E. Tukahirwa & P. Mafabi, 1995. Heavy metal contamination of Lake George (Uganda) and its wetlands. Hydrobiologia 297: 229–239.
Dunn, I. G., 1975. Ecological notes on the Haplochromis (Pisces: Cichlidae) species-flock of Lake George, Uganda (East Africa). Journal of Fish Biology 7: 651–666.
Evans, J. H., 1997. Spatial and seasonal distribution of phytoplankton in an African Rift Valley lake (L. Albert, Uganda, Zaire). Hydrobiologia 353: 1–16.
Fryer, G., 1956. A report on the parasitic Copepoda and Branchiura of the fishes of Lake Nyasa. Proceedings of the Zoology Society of London 127: 293–344.
Fryer, G., 1968. The parasitic Crustacea of African freshwater fishes; their biology and distribution. Journal of Zoology, London, 156: 45–95.
Ganf, G. G., 1974a. Phytoplankton biomass and distribution in a shallow eutrophic lake (Lake George, Uganda). Oecologia (Berlin) 16: 9–29.
Ganf, G. G., 1974b. Diurnal mixing and the vertical distribution of phytoplankton in a shallow equatorial lake (Lake George, Uganda). Journal of Ecology 62: 611–629.
Ganf, G. G. & A. B. Viner, 1973. Ecological stability in a shallow equatorial lake (Lake George, Uganda). Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 184: 321–346.
Gasse, F., J. F. Talling & P. Kilham, 1983. Diatom assemblages in East Africa: classification distribution and ecology. Revue d'Hydrobiologie Tropicale 16: 1–34.
Gordon, I., 1933. Scientific results of the Cambridge Expedition to the East African Lakes. 1930–1. Crustacea Macrura (prawns). Journal of the Linnean Society, Zoology 38: 351–362.
Green, J., 1964. Two new species of Parabathynella (Crustacea: Syncarida) from Lake Albert, Uganda. Proceedings of the Zoology Society of London 142: 585–592.
Green, J., 1965a. Zooplankton of Lakes Mutanda, Bunyonyi and Mulehe. Proceedings of the Zoology Society of London 144: 383–402.
Green, J., 1965b. Two species of Peritrichous Ciliata epibiotic on parasitic Crustacea from Lake Albert, Uganda. Parasitology 55: 195–199.
Green, J., 1967a. The distribution and variation of Daphnia lumholtzi (Crustacea: Cladocera) in relation to fish predation in lake Albert, Uganda. Journal of Zoology London 151: 181–197.
Green, J., 1967b. Associations of Rotifera in the zooplankton of the lake sources of the White Nile. Journal of Zoology London 151: 343–378.
Green, J., 1971. Associations of Cladocera in the zooplankton of the lake sources of the White Nile. Journal of Zoology London 165: 373–414.
Green, J., 1976. Changes in the zooplankton of Lakes Mutanda, Bunyonyi and Mulehe (Uganda). Freshwater Biology 6: 433–436.
Greenwood, P. H., 1973. A revision of the Haplochromis and related species (Pisces: Cichlidae) from Lake George, Uganda. Bulletin of the British Museum, Natural History (Zoology) 25: 139–242.
Greenwood, P. H., 1976. Lake George, Uganda. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, London B 274: 375–391.
Guignot, F., 1957. Haliplidae et Dytiscidae. Exploration hydrobiologique des lacs Kivu, Edouard et Albert 3 (2): 131–169.
Gwahaba, J. J., 1973. Effects of fishing on the Tilapia nilotica (Linné, 1757) population in Lake George, Uganda over the past 20 years. East African Wildlife Journal 11: 317–328.
Gwahaba, J. J., 1975. The distribution, population density and biomass of fish in an equatorial lake, Lake George, Uganda. Proceedings of the Royal Society, London B 190: 393–414.
Hamilton, A. C., 1982. Environmental History of East Africa. Academic Press, London, 328 pp.
Hartwig, T., M. Owor, A. Muwanga, D. Zachmann & W. Pohl, 2005. Lake George as a sink for contaminants derived from the Kilembe copper mining area, Western Uganda. Mine Water and the Environment 24: 114–123.
Hecky, R. E. & E. T. Degens, 1973. Late Pleistocene-Holocene chemical stratigraphy and pale-olimnology of the Rift Valley Lakes of Central Africa. Technical Report of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Massachusetts, 93 pp.
Holden, M. J., 1963. Report on the fisheries of Lake Albert. Lowestoft Fisheries Laboratory, 112 pp.
Holden, M. J., 1970. The feeding habits of Alestes baremose and Hydrocynus forskali (Pisces) in Lake Albert, East Africa. Journal of Zoology, London 161: 137–144.
Hopkins, G. H. E., 1952. Mosquitoes of the Ethiopian Region. I. Larval bionomics of mosquitoes and taxonomy of culicine larvae. British Museum (Natural History), 355 pp.
Howes, G. J., 1984. A review of the anatomy, taxonomy, phylogeny and biogeography of the African neoboline cyprinid fishes. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) 47: 151–185.
Jacquemart, S., 1957. Trichoptères des lacs Kivu et Edouard. Exploration hydrobiologique des lacs Kivu, Edouard et Albert 3 (2): 65–129.
Klie, W., 1944. Ostracoda. Exploration du Parc National Albert, Mission H. Damas (1935–1936) 12: 1–62.
Kobel, H. R., C. Loumont & R. C. Tinsley, 1996. The extant species. pp. 9–33. In R. C. Tinsley & H. R. Kobel (eds), The Biology of Xenopus. Clarendon, Oxford, 440 pp.
Lehman, J. T., 2002. Application of Satellite AVHRR to water balance, mixing dynamics and the chemistry of Lake Edward, East Africa. In E. O. Odada & D. O. Olago (eds), The east African Great lakes: limnology, palaeolimnology and biodiversity. Kluwer, Dordrecht, pp. 235–260.
Lehman, J. T., A. H. Litt, R. Mugidde & D. A. Lehman, 1998. Nutrients and plankton biomass in the rift lake sources of the White Nile: Lakes Albert and Edward. In J. T. Lehman (ed.), Environmental change and response in East African lakes. Kluwer, Dordrecht, pp. 157–172.
Lindroth, S., 1953. Taxonomic and zoogeographical studies of the ostracod fauna in the inland waters of East Africa. Zoologische Bidrage fran Uppsala 30: 43–156.
Lock, J. M., 1973. The aquatic vegetation of Lake George, Uganda. Phytocoenologia 1: 250–262.
Lowndes, A. G., 1936. Scientific results of the Cambridge Expedition to East African Lakes, 1930–1931. The smaller Crustacea. Journal of the Linnean Society, Zoology 40: 1–31.
Lust, S., 1950. Symphorionte Peritrichen auf Käfer und Wanzen. Zoologische Jabrbucher (Systematik) 79: 353–436.
Lwanga, M. S., F. Kansiime, P. Denny & J. Scullion, 2003. Heavy metals in Lake George, Uganda, with relation to metal concentrations in tissues of common fish species. Hydrobiologia 499: 83–93.
Mandahl-Barth, G., 1954. The freshwater mollusks of Uganda and adjacent territories. Annales du Musée Royal du Congo Belge, Tervuren 32: 1–206.
Martens, K., 1984. Annotated checklist of non-marine ostracods, Crustacea, Ostracoda from African inland waters. Royal Museum of Central Africa, Tervuren, Zoologische Dokumenten 20: 1–51.
McGowan, L. M., 1974. Ecological studies on Chaoborus (Diptera; Chaoboridae) in Lake George, Uganda. Freshwater Biology 4: 483–505.
Owor, M., T. Hartwig, A. Muwanga, D. Zachmann & W. Pohl, 2007. Impact of tailings from the Kilembe copper mining district on Lake George, Uganda. Environmental Geology 51: 1065–1075.
Poisson, R., 1949. Hémipteres aquatiques. Exploration du Parc National Albert, Mission G. F. De Witte (1933–1935) 58: 1–94.
Rich, F., 1933. Scientific results of the Cambridge Expedition to East African Lakes, 1930–1. The Algae. Journal of the Linnean Society, Zoology 38: 249–275.
Richard, J. & P. F. Clark, 2005. Caridina nilotica (P. Roux, 1833) (Crustacea: Decapoda: Caridea; Atyidae) from East Africa, with descriptions of four new species. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 118: 706–730.
Schminke, H. K., 1973. Evolution, System und Verbreitungsgeschichte der Familie Parabathynel-lidae (Bathynellacea, Mallacostraca). Mikrofauna des Meeresboden 24: 1–192.
Snoeks, J., 1994. The Haplochromines (Teleostei, Cichlidae) of Lake Kivu (East Africa). Annals of the Royal Museum of Cnetral Africa, Zoology 270: 1–221.
Speke, J. H., 1863. Journal of the discovery of the source of the Nile. Blackwood, Edinburgh & London, 658 pp.
Talling, J. F. & I. B. Talling, 1965. The chemical composition of African Lake waters. Internationale Revue der gesamten Hydrobiologie 50: 421–463.
Tinsley, R. C., 1981. Interactions between Xenopus species (Anura Pipidae). Monitore Zoologico Italiano Supplement 15: 133–150.
Verbeke, J., 1957. Recherches écologiques sur la faune des grands lacs de l'est du Congo Belge. Exploration hydrobiologique des lacs Kivu, Edouard et Albert (1952–1954) 3(1): 1–177.
Viner, A. B. & I. R. Smith, 1973. Geographical, historical and physical aspects of Lake George. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 184: 235–270.
Wolfs, J., 1957. Culicidae (Diptera: Nematocera). Exploration hydrobiologique des lacs Kivu, Edouard et Albert (1952–1954) 3(2): 171–182.
Worthington, E. B., 1932. A report on the fisheries of Uganda investigated by the Cambridge Expedition to the East African Lakes, 1930–1931. Crown Agents, 88 pp.
Worthington, E. B. & C. K. Ricardo, 1936. The vertical distribution and movements of the plankton in lakes Rudolf, Naivasha, Edward and Bunyoni. Journal of the Linnean Society, Zoology 40: 33–69.
Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2009 Springer Science + Business Media B.V
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Green, J. (2009). Nilotic Lakes of the Western Rift. In: Dumont, H.J. (eds) The Nile. Monographiae Biologicae, vol 89. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9726-3_14
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9726-3_14
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-9725-6
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-9726-3
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)