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Ecology of Melosira Species in the Great Lakes of Africa

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Large Lakes

Part of the book series: Brock/Springer Series in Contemporary Bioscience ((BROCK/SPRINGER))

Abstract

Melosira species are often seasonally important components of the phytoplankton in African freshwaters. Because few experimental investigations of them have been undertaken, our knowledge of their ecology is based almost entirely on studies concerning phytoplankton distribution and seasonal succession. The ecology of Melosira species is of interest because these diatoms frequently occur in sediment cores that represent a historical record of more than 10,000 years. The principal limiting resources of Melosira species are thought to be light and phosphorus. Examination of the distribution and abundance of Melosira species in the Great Lakes of Africa indicates that the size of mantle pores (a species-specific characteristic) is correlated with the depth of mixing and possibly the quantity and quality of ambient light. Large-pored species, such as Melosira nyassensis from Lake Malawi, have 6–8 pores per 10 µm, while small-pored species that are abundant in shallower lakes, such as M. ambigua, have about 16–25 pores.

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Authors
  1. Peter Kilham
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Limnological Institute, University of Constance, D-7750, Constance, Federal Republic of Germany

    Max M. Tilzer

  2. Oceanographic Institute, P.O. Box 8030, 31080, Tel Shikmona, Haifa, Israel

    Colette Serruya

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© 1990 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Kilham, P. (1990). Ecology of Melosira Species in the Great Lakes of Africa. In: Tilzer, M.M., Serruya, C. (eds) Large Lakes. Brock/Springer Series in Contemporary Bioscience. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-84077-7_20

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-84077-7_20

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-84079-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-84077-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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