Selective recruitment and resurgence of tropical river phytoplankton: evidence from the Nile system of lakes, rivers, reservoirs and ponds

Abstract

The recruitment of major species-components of phytoplankton is considered with reference to diverse water-bodies—rivers, headwater lakes, reservoirs and lateral waters—of the Nile system. The importance of massive ‘inocula’, carried in flowing and inter-communicating waters, is emphasised; the most direct evidence is from quantitative population dynamics in longitudinally sampled river-reservoir systems. Other indications of extraneous derivation are taken from geographical distribution and apparent invasions of newly recorded species. For five reservoirs, there are records of initial colonisation (in two) and of the annual colonisation of seasonally impounded water (in three). There was a selective recruitment of reservoir/river major species over 1 year to newly created ponds, from a massive inoculum of added river water, studied in relation to the novel and changing physical and chemical environment. Periods of predominant decomposition were there linked with the abundance of other species not observed in the original river water. Reservoir species can be carried to extend abundance far downstream, as observed in the Blue Nile where normal succession was altered by a new reservoir upstream; also in Egypt below the former Aswan Reservoir and the later High Dam Lake. The different and distinctive compositions of the phytoplankton communities in headwater lakes reflect large environmental differences that, with high downstream turbulence, probably make them insignificant for recruitment of most species typical of the downstream waters. There is evidence from hydrology and floristic similarities for recruitment from lateral standing waters along the river, especially those of one major swamp area.