Authors: J Curt Stager Robert E Hecky Dustin Grzesik Brian F Cumming Hedy Kling
Publish Date: 2009/11/09
Volume: 636, Issue: 1, Pages: 463-478
Abstract
The determination of the history and causes of recent eutrophication and intensified thermal stratification in Lake Victoria is still hampered by the sparsity of paleolimnologic coverage of the enormous lake Five new diatom records from Ugandan waters now show that a transition from Aulacoseiradominated planktonic assemblages to those dominated by long Nitzschia spp occurred in northern coastal sites from the mid1970s to mid1980s Similar transitions developed from the late 1960s to early 1970s offshore and from the 1940s to early 1950s along the Kenyan coast suggesting a timetransgressive process These changes are not readily attributable to the trophic effects of Nile perch population growth during the early 1980s but more likely reflect responses to longterm nutrient enrichment and climatic instability in the region The diversity of planktonic diatom communities has declined dramatically and a namesake variety of Aulacoseira nyassensis may now be nearly extirpated Although local phytoplankton communities varied considerably in the past the current domination of diatom assemblages by Nitzschia is apparently unprecedented in the 15000year history of Lake VictoriaFinancial support for this project was provided by grants from the National Science Foundation Earth Systems History ATM9808972 ATM01117170 and by Paul Smith’s College Undergraduates S Haddam C Heimiller and K Przywara assisted with coring and subsampling in the field Special thanks to FIRIJinja the International Center for Research in Agroforestry R OgutuOhwayo C Ong Paul Smith’s College M Walsh and K Watkins for providing financial and logistical support and research permission in Uganda and Kenya Wind data were provided by Greg Silsbe and Jeppe Kolding and K Johnson assisted with the figures
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