Growing Lake Victoria swamps as potential hippopotamus BSi sinks: impacts on lake eutrophication.

The scientific understanding of the Si cycle has progressed from conceptualizing it as almost purely driven by geological processes, to a much more nuanced understanding that includes biological transformation and cycling. A recent pioneer study showed that the hippopotamus is a key factor in the savannah biogeochemical Si cycle on a regional scale. This has a potentially large impact on downstream lake ecosystem functioning, where Si availability directly affects the principal primary producers -diatoms- which dominate the base of the food web. The objective the current study is to determine the filtering capacity of Wetlands controlling the (biogenic) silica transported by rivers before it enters Lake Victoria. To meet this objective, a joint expedition to the Mara wetlands will be done, together with the Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA), Morogoro (Tanzania). During this expedition we will take water-, sediment- and plant samples to calculate the silica stock and -flux to the Lake.

Keywords:MACROPHYTES, EUTROPHICATION, WETLANDS, SILICA

Disciplines:Ecology, Environmental science and management, Other environmental sciences