Abstract
Lake Naivasha has been well studied since the 1930s but attempts to understand its ecological functioning have had to wait until enough was known about its structure. The energetics of the lake has only been studied to date at primary producer level. Following the identification of the invertebrate components of the littoral and profundal benthos, this study was initiated. The absence of native fish species in Lake Naivasha, combined with a fishery based only on three, introduced species, added an applied dimension to the work. The introduction of additional fish species which will utilize unexploited ecological niches has been suggested. The benthic invertebrates form one such niche. Two oligochaetes dominated the community, Branchiura sowerbyi Beddard and Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri Claparade. The former had a productivity of 7.4 g m−2 ann−1 (as dry weight), the latter 0.6. These figures are not particularly high and do not support the introduction of a new fish species on their own.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aston, R. J., 1973. Field and experimental studies on the effect of power station effluent on Tubificidae (Oligochaeta, Annelida). Hydrobiologia 42: 225–242.
Becht, R. & Harper, D. M., 2002. Towards an understanding of human impact upon the hydrology of Lake Naivasha, Kenya. Hydrobiologia 488 (Dev. Hydrobiol. 168): 1–11.
Benke, A. C., 1984. Secondary Production of Aquatic Insects. In Resh, V. H. & D. M. Rosenberg (eds), The Ecology of Aquatic Insects. Praeger Publishers, New York: 625 pp.
Brinkhurst, R. O., 1963. A Guide for the Identification of British Aquatic Oligochaeta. Freshwater Biological Association. Scientific Publication No. 22: 52 pp.
Brinkhurst, R. O., 1966. A Contribution Towards a Revision of the Aquatic Oligochaeta of Africa. Zoologica African 2 (2): 131–166.
Burgis, J. M., J. P. E. C. Darlington, I. G. Dunn, G. G. Ganf, J. J. Gwaba & L. M. McGowan, 1973. The Biomass and Distribution of Organisms in Lake George, Uganda. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B. 184: 271–289.
Butler, M. G., 1982. Production Dynamics of some Artic Chironomus Larvae. Limnol. Oceanogr. 27: 728–736.
Carrol, H. J. & T. T. Dorris, 1972. The Life History of Branchiura sowerbyi. Am. midl. Nat. 87: 413–422.
Casellato, S., 1984. Life Cycle and Karyology of Branchiura sowerbyi Beddard (Oligochaeta, Tubificidae). Hydrobiologia 115: 65–69.
Clark, F. L., A. Beeby & P. Kirby, 1989. A study of the macroinvertbrates of lakes Naivasha, Oloidien and Sonachi, Kenya. Rev. Hydrobiol. Trop. 22: 21–33.
Darlington, S. P. E. C., 1977. Temporal and Spatial Variation in Benthic Invertebrate Fauna of Lake George, Uganda. J. Zool. Lond. 181: 95–11.
Erman, D. C. & N. A. Erman, 1975. Macroinvertebrate composition and production in some Sierra Nevada minerotrophic peatlands. Ecology 56: 591–603.
Gieve, O., 1975. Population structure, food relations and ecological role of marine oligochaetes with special reference to microbenthic species. Mar. Biol. 31: 139–156.
Harper, D.M., K. M. Mavuti & S. Muchiri, 1990. Ecology and management of Lake Naivasha Kenya, in relation to climate change, alien species introductions and agricultural development. Environmental Conservation 17: 328–336.
Hart, R. C., 1979. The Invertebrate Communities: The Zooplankton, Zoobenthos and Littoral Fauna. In Allanson, B. R. (ed.), Lake Sibaya. Monographie Biologiae, 36. Dr W. Junk Publishers, The Hague: 108–161.
Hickley, P., R. Bailey, D. M. Harper, R. Kundu, M. Muchiri, R. North & A. Taylor, 2002. The status and future of the Lake Naivasha fishery, Kenya. Hydrobiologia 488 (Dev. Hydrobiol. 168): 181–190.
Hiltunen, J. K., 1967. Some oligochaetes from Lake Michigan. Trans. am. Microsc. Soc. 86: 433–454.
Hubble, D. & D. M. Harper, 2001a. Impact of light regimen and self-shading by algal cells on primary productivity in the water column of a shallow tropical lake (Lake Naivasha, Kenya). Lakes & Reserves, Research and management 6: 143–150.
Hubble, D. & D. M. Harper, 2001b. What defines a healthy lake? Evidence from Lake Naivasha, Kenya. Aquatic Ecosystem Health & Management 4: 243–250.
Hynes, H. B. N. & J. M. Coleman, 1968. A Simple Method of Assessing the Annual Production of Stream Benthos. Limnol. Oceanogr. 8: 569–573.
Jonasson, P. M., 1972. Ecology and production of the profundal benthos in relation to phytoplankton in Lake Esrom. Oikos 14 (suppl): 1–148.
Kennedy, C. R., 1965. The Distribution and Habitat of Limnodrilus Claparede (Oligochaeta: Tubificidae). Oikos 16: 26–38.
Kennedy, C. R., 1966. The Life History of Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri Clap. (Oligochaeta: Tubificidae) and its Adaptive Significance. Oikos 17: 158–168.
Ladle, M., 1971. The Biology of Oligochaeta from Dorset Chalk Streams. Freshwat. Biol. 1: 83–97.
Lafont, M., 1987. Production of Tubificidae in the littoral zone of Lake Leman near Tnonon-les-Bains: A methodological approach. Hydrobiologia 155: 179–187.
Leveque, C., 1979. Biological productivity of Lake Chad. Document at UNEPWorkshop on African Limnology, Nairobi, 16–23 December 1979, unpublished.
Leveque, C., C. Dejoux & L. Lauzanne, 1983. The Benthic Fauna: Ecology Biomass and Communities. In Carmouze, J. P. et al., (eds), Lake Chad. W. Junk, the Hague: 233–272.
Liang, V. I., 1984. Annual production of Branchiura sowerbyi (Oligochaeta; Tubificidae) in the Donghu Lake,Wuhan, China. Chin. J. Oceanol. Limnol. 2: 102–108.
Marshall, B. E., 1978. Aspects of the ecology of benthic fauna in Lake McIlwaine, Rhodesia. Freshwat. Biol. 8: 241–249.
Mavuti, K. M., 1990. Ecology and role of zooplankton in the fishery of Lake Naivasha. Hydrobiologia, 208: 131–140.
McLachlan, A. J. & S. M. McLachlan, 1969. The Bottom Fauna and Sediments in a Drying Phase of a Saline African Lake (L. Chilwa, Malawi). Hydrobiologia 34: 401–413.
McLachlan, A. J. 1979. Decline and recovery of benthic invertebrate communities. In Kalk, M., A. J. McLachlan & C. Howard-Williams (eds), Lake Chilwa. Studies of Change in a Tropical Ecosystem. Dr W. Junk Publishers, The Hague: 143–160.
Menzie, C. A., 1980. A Note on the Hynes Method of Estimating Secondary Production. Limnol. Oceanogr. 25 (4): 770–773.
Morgan, N. C., T. Backiel, G. Bretschko, A. Duncan, A. Hillbricht-Ilkowska, Z. Kajak, J. F. Kitchell, P. Larsson, C. Leveque, A. Nauwerk, F. Scheimer & J. E. Thorpe, 1980. Secondary Production. In Le Cren E. D. & R. H. LoweMcConnel (eds), The Function of Freshwater Ecosystems. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England: 558 pp.
Muchiri, S. M., 1990. The feeding ecology of Tilapia and the fishery of Lake Naivasha. Unpublished Ph.D. Thesis, University of Leicester: 233 pp.
Munro, J. L., 1966. A limnological survey of Lake Mcllwaine, Rhodesia. Hydrobiologia 28: 281–308.
Poddubnaya, T. L., 1980. Life cycles of mass species of tubifi-cidae (Oligochaeta). In Brinkhurst, R. & A Cook (eds), Aquatic Oligochaete Biology, 1st Internat,. Symposium, Sydney.
Poddubnaya, T. L., 1984. Parthenogenesis in Tubificidae. Hydrobiologia 115: 97–99.
Raburu, P. O., 1991. Studies on the Profundal Benthic Macroinvertebrate Productivity in Lake Naivasha, Kenya. Unpublished M.Sc. Thesis, University of Nairobi. 192 pp.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Raburu, P., Mavuti, K.M., Harper, D.M. et al. Population structure and secondary productivity of Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri (Claparede) and Branchiura sowerbyi Beddard in the profundal zone of Lake Naivasha, Kenya. Hydrobiologia 488, 153–161 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023382631822
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023382631822