Volume : III, Issue : XI, November - 2014

Species Diversity of Lake Hawassa, Ethiopia

Dr. B. Sai Ram Pattnaik

Abstract :

Lake Hawassa is one of the many freshwater shallow lakes found in the central Ethiopian Rift Valley. The sum totalities of aquatic and terrestrial habitats adjoining the lake facilitate for the rich diversity of flora and fauna compared to other Ethiopian Rift valley lakes. Scores of species with sundry forms of plants, animals and micro–organisms make the lake extremely bio–diverse. The littoral area is covered with emergent and submerged macrophytes those serve as shelter, thrashing and proliferation zones for several benthonic and pelagic zooplanktons such as Protozoans, Rotifers, Crustaceans, and several weed bed fauna like annelids, insects as well as fishes. The littoral and open water of the lake is dominated by wide–ranging delivery of ‘qetema’ (Cyperaceae), ‘fila’ (Typha sp.), the floating grass Paspalidium germinatum and hydrophytes such as the Blue water lily (Nymphaea coerulea), water cabbage (Pistia stratiotes) and Wolfia arrhiza, considered to be the smallest flowering plant in the world.(Tilahun et al., 1996, EFASA–2013). The lake is among one of the biggest bird sanctuaries in the rift and homeland for several hundred species of water birds, including local and palaearctic migrants with large population of Marabou storks. The animal population includes large hippopotamus, otters, monitor lizards, Velvet and Colobus monkeys surviving on flanking lake ecosystem. Six varieties of fishes are abundantly found in the lake of which the native African species Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) are dominant. The lake is a major source of income through eco–tourism while the inhabitants depend on the lake for fishing and recreation. Present investigation is a maiden attempt to ing out first hand information by this visiting investigator who made a general enquiry for a small period of time to understand the ecosystem and species diversity of fresh water lakes of Ethiopia.  

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Article: Download PDF   DOI : 10.36106/ijsr  

Cite This Article:

Dr. B. SAI RAM PATTNAIK Species Diversity of Lake Hawassa, Ethiopia International Journal of Scientific Research, Vol : 3, Issue : 11 November 2014

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