Soda Lakes Of East Africa

This book is devoted to the alkaline-saline lakes of East Africa, which include the world-famous “flamingo lakes”. It covers the full range of issues, from the lakes’ origin and history, life in and around these unique water bodies, to utilization, threats and management considerations. The authors, all of whom are leading international experts, summarize research done so far, highlight new and important findings, and provide future outlooks. The book is divided into three main sections: “Genesis, physics and chemistry” tackles lake development and the astounding physico-chemistry of the lakes. “Organisms and ecology” presents information about the many lake inhabitants, their interactions and adaptations to the extreme living conditions. “Utilization, management and perspectives” addresses threats such as lake exploitation and pollution, but also considers potential uses. This book will be particularly relevant to researchers and lecturers in the field of limnology and aquatic ecology, but is also designed to attract all those interested in nature and life on our planet.

East Africa is one of the most diverse and interesting tropical area on the planet. It is home not only to the last great megafaunal assemblage, but also to human populations with the highest growth rates. This book draws on the expertise of leading ecologists, each intimately familiar with a particular set of East African ecosystems, to provide the first in-depth and integrated account of the ecology, management, threats, and conservation of these diverse ecosystems. Summarizing the tremendous wealth of scientific research that has come out of East Africa in the last few decades, each chapter analyzes a given ecosystem type, taking the reader through the basics of its ecology, its historical use (and misuse) by humans, and its prospects for conservation. Throughout the book, linkages and similarities among ecosystems are emphasized, the historical and contemporary role of humans in shaping these ecosystems is considered, fundamental principles of ecology are considered, and interesting case studies are highlighted. Students and researchers in ecology, conservation biology, and environmental sciences will find this book useful in their work.

Lakes of Africa: Microbial Diversity and Sustainability examines microbial ecosystems in African lakes, including the history and formation of African lakes. The book describes how environmental stressors—including seasonal variations, climate change, and anthropogenic activities—affect microbial ecosystem dynamics in African lakes and the microbial responses to these stressors. The book explores and evaluates extremophiles in African lakes, including industrial biotechnology applications. The book highlights challenges facing microbial ecology in African lakes, as well as the design of models for solving these problems and predicting the future of lake microbial ecosystem sustainability. Includes unique case studies on both African lakes and brine lakes, providing real life examples of the topics discussed Provides a foundational background to the topic Presents definitions throughout, whenever a new term is introduced, for a seamless reading experience and background information

In a pictorial journey across the length and breadth of the East African section of the Great Rift Valley, award-winning wildlife photographers Anup and Manoj Shah explore the diversity of habitats created by this great fissure in the Earth

The focus of this book is on the key water-related vulnerabilities to climate change in Africa, particularly in its most vulnerable areas, exploring potential management responses to such vulnerabilities. The African countries are particularly exposed and vulnerable to the negative impacts of climate change, with important impacts on water resources and hydrological systems, water availability, water resource management and sea level variations. Already, under various anthropogenic pressures, the status of water resources in Africa has been changing over the past decades, with decreasing water quality, falling groundwater levels, and variability in rainfall, both in terms of timing and intensity. Climate change will further accelerate the rate of change, affecting the ability of people and societies to respond in a timely manner. It is clear that there is no quick fix to the pressures imposed on water resources by climate change. Increasing the resilience of ecosystems and communities to extreme events such as flooding and drought, and integrating climate change risks and opportunities into development decision-making is indeed a key challenge, as much a technical climate-change one, as a political and developmental challenge. The book, in this regard, intends to contribute to the debate around climate change in relation to water resources management in Africa, and in particular inform policy decisions and actions that will improve governments’ and communities’ ability to manage the challenges of climate change and variability in relation to the aquatic ecosystems that they depend on. The knowledge collected in this book will benefit policy makers, researchers, as well as other stakeholders.

Examines the land, vegetation, wildlife, and people of the Great Rift Valley, a 4,000-mile fissure in the earth's crust that stretches from the Lebanon to Mozambique.

Microbial Diversity in the Genomic Era presents insights on the techniques used for microbial taxonomy and phylogeny, along with their applications and respective pros and cons. Though many advanced techniques for the identification of any unknown bacterium are available in the genomics era, a far fewer number of the total microbial species have been discovered and identified to date. The assessment of microbial taxonomy and biosystematics techniques discovered and practiced in the current genomics era with suitable recommendations is the prime focus of this book. Discusses the techniques used for microbial taxonomy and phylogeny with their applications and respective pros and cons Reviews the evolving field of bacterial typing and the genomic technologies that enable comparative analysis of multiple genomes and the metagenomes of complex microbial environments Provides a uniform, standard methodology for species designation

This book provides insights into the fascinating life of the Lesser Flamingo (Phoeniconaias minor) and describes how this enigmatic bird has adapted to the extreme conditions of tropical soda lakes and can even withstand the caustic effects of brine. However, humans are increasingly disrupting the natural cycles of these wetlands, and for these pink birds characteristic of these salt lakes, it is becoming more and more difficult to find suitable habitats, food and breeding grounds. Their fate is considered a cautionary example of man’s dealings with nature. Will the Lesser Flamingo survive in a man-made world? Flamingos are considered to be an embodiment of the Phoenix, and the author interweaves his personal experiences with and observations of the flamingos’ unusual habitats with the Phoenix motif in order to stimulate reflection on the circle of life. Written in an accessible style that combines science, biological information and the author’s own travels and fieldwork, the book also includes a wealth of captivating images. As such, it offers a unique resource for biologists and nature-loving Africa and Asia enthusiasts alike.