Abstract
We investigated paleolimnological records from a series of river deltas around the northeastern rim of Lake Tanganyika, East Africa (Tanzania and Burundi) in order to understand the history of anthropogenic activity in the lake’s catchment over the last several centuries, and to determine the impact of these activities on the biodiversity of littoral and sublittoral lake communities. Sediment pollution caused by increased rates of soil erosion in deforested watersheds has caused significant changes in aquatic communities along much of the lake’s shoreline. We analyzed the effects of sediment discharge on biodiversity around six deltas or delta complexes on the east coast of Lake Tanganyika: the Lubulungu River delta, Kabesi River delta, Nyasanga/Kahama River deltas, and Mwamgongo River delta in Tanzania; and the Nyamuseni River delta and Karonge/Kirasa River deltas in Burundi. Collectively, these deltas and their associated rivers were chosen to represent a spectrum of drainage-basin sizes and disturbance levels. By comparing deltas that are similar in watershed attributes (other than disturbance levels), our goal was to explore a series of historical “experiments” at the watershed scale, with which we could more clearly evaluate hypotheses of land use or other effects on nearshore ecosystems. Here we discuss these deltas, their geologic and physiographic characteristics, and the field procedures used for coring and sampling the deltas, and various indicators of anthropogenic impact.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
S.R. Alin A.S. Cohen R. Bills M.M. Gashagaza E. Michel J.J. Tiercelin K. Martens P. Coveliers S. Mboko K. West M. Soreghan S. Kimbadi G. Ntakimazi (1999) ArticleTitleEffects of landscape disturbance on animal communities in Lake Tanganyika Conserv. Biol. 13 1017–1033 Occurrence Handle10.1046/j.1523-1739.1999.96476.x
S.R. Alin C.M. O’Reilly A.S. Cohen D.L. Dettman M.R. Palacios-Fest B.A. McKee (2002) ArticleTitleEffects of land-use change on aquatic biodiversity: A view from the paleorecords at Lake TanganyikaEast Africa Geology 30 1143–1146 Occurrence Handle10.1130/0091-7613(2002)030<1143:EOLUCO>2.0.CO;2
M. Bizimana H. Duchafour (1991) A drainage basin management study: The case of the Ntihangwa River Basin A.S. Cohen (Eds) Report of the First International Conference on Conservation and Biodiversity of Lake Tanganyika Biodiversity Support Program Washington, D.C 43–45
A.R. Bryant (1999) Monitoring and Explanation of Sediment Plumes in Lake Tanganyika Unpublished MSc Thesis King’s CollegeLondon 82
D. Bygott (1992) Gombe Stream National Park Tanzania National Parks & African Wildlife Foundation ArushaTanzania 71
A.S. Cohen (2000) Linking spatial and temporal changes in the diversity structure of ancient lakes: Examples from the ostracod ecology and paleoecology of Lake Tanganyika A. Rossiter H. Kawanabe (Eds) Ancient Lakes: Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution. Advances in Ecological Research Academic Press San DiegoCA 521–537
A.S. Cohen R. Bills C. Cocquyt A.G. Caljon (1993a) ArticleTitleThe impact of sediment pollution on biodiversity in Lake Tanganyika Conserv. Biol. 7 667–677 Occurrence Handle10.1046/j.1523-1739.1993.07030667.x
A.S. Cohen M.J. Soreghan C.A. Scholz (1993b) ArticleTitleEstimating the age of formation of lakes: an example from Lake TanganyikaEast African rift system Geology 21 511–514 Occurrence Handle10.1130/0091-7613(1993)021<0511:ETAOFO>2.3.CO;2 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK2cXht1SmtA%3D%3D
A.S. Cohen L. Kaufman R. Ogutu-Ohwayo (1995) Anthropogenic threats, impacts and conservation strategies in the African Great Lakes - A review T.C. Johnson E.O. Odada (Eds) The Limnology, Climatology and Paleoclimatology of the East African Lakes Gordon and Breach Publishers Amsterdam 575–624
A.S. Cohen M.R. Talbot S.M. Awramik D.L. Dettman P. Abell (1997) ArticleTitleLake level and paleoenvironmental history of Lake TanganyikaAfricaas inferred from late Holocene and modern stromatolites Geol. Soc. Am. Bull. 109 444–460 Occurrence Handle10.1130/0016-7606(1997)109<0444:LLAPHO>2.3.CO;2 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK2sXivFGqsbw%3D
Cohen A.S., Palacios-Fest M.R., Msaky E.S., Alin S.R., McKee B., O’Reilly C.M., Dettman D.L., Nkotagu H.H. and Lezzar K.E. 2005. Paleolimnological investigations of anthropogenic environmental change in Lake Tanganyika: IX. Summary of paleorecords of environmental change and catchment deforestation at Lake Tanganyika and impacts on the Lake Tanganyika ecosystem. J. Paleolimnol. 34: 125–145.
Coulter G.W. 1991. Lake Tanganiyika and its Life. Oxford University Press, 354 pp.
Dettman D., Palacios-Fest M.R., Nkotagu H.H. and Cohen A.S. 2005. Paleolimnological investigations of anthropogenic environmental change in Lake Tanganyika: VII. Carbonate isotope geochemistry as a record of riverine runoff. J. Paleolimnol. 34: 93–105.
I. Donohue R. Duck K. Irvine (2003a) ArticleTitleLand usesediment loads and dispersal pathways from two catchments at the southern end of Lake TanganyikaAfrica Envir. Geol. 44 448–455 Occurrence Handle10.1007/s00254-003-0779-0
I. Donohue K. Irvine (2004) ArticleTitleSeasonal patterns of sediment loading and benthic invertebrate community dynamics in Lake TanganyikaAfrica Freshwat. Biol. 49 320–331 Occurrence Handle10.1111/j.1365-2427.2004.01187.x
I. Donohue E. Verheyen K. Irvine (2003b) ArticleTitleIn situ experiments on the effects of increased sediment loads on littoral rocky shore communities in Lake TanganyikaEast Africa Freshwat. Biol. 48 1603–1616 Occurrence Handle10.1046/j.1365-2427.2003.01112.x
Drake N., Wooster M., Symeonakis E. and Zhang X. 1999. Soil erosion modeling in the Lake Tanganyika catchment. Lake Tanganyika Biodiversity Project Special Studies on Sedimentation, United Nations Development Programme’s Global Environmental Facility, http://www.ltbp.org/FTP/ SSS5.PDF, 67 pp.
H. Eggermont D. Verschuren (2003a) ArticleTitleImpact of soil erosion in disturbed tributary drainages on the benthic invertebrate fauna of Lake TanganyikaEast Africa Biol. Conserv. 113 99–109 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0006-3207(02)00353-1
H. Eggermont D. Verschuren (2003b) ArticleTitleSubfossil Chironomidae from Lake TanganyikaEast Africa. 1. Tanypodinae and Orthocladiinae J. Paleolimnol. 29 31–48 Occurrence Handle10.1023/A:1022852008190
H. Eggermont D. Verschuren (2003c) ArticleTitleSubfossil Chironomidae from Lake TanganyikaEast Africa. 2. Chironominae (Chironomini and Tanytarsini) J. Paleolimnol. 29 423–458 Occurrence Handle10.1023/A:1024492119609
J. Fairhead M. Leach (1996) Misreading the African Landscape: Society and Ecology in a Forest-Savanna Mosaic Cambridge University Press CambridgeUK 374
J. Fairhead M. Leach (1998) Reframing Deforestation: Global Analyses and Local Realities Studies in West AfricaRoutledge Press London 238
D.G. Frey (1988) ArticleTitleLittoral and offshore communities of diatoms, cladocerans and dipterous larvaeand their interpretation in paleolimnology J. Paleolimnol. 1 179–191
J. Gahama (1983) Le Burundi sous Adminstration Belge Éditions Karthala Paris 465
F. Gasse E.V. Ledee M. Massault J.-C. Fontes (1989) ArticleTitleWater level fluctuations of Lake Tanganyika in phase with oceanic changes during the last glaciation and deglaciation Nature 342 57–59 Occurrence Handle10.1038/342057a0
K.A. Haberyan R.E. Hecky (1987) ArticleTitleThe late Pleistocene and Holocene stratigraphy and paleolimnology of Lakes Kivu and Tanganyika Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol. 61 169–197
J. Koponen (1988) ArticleTitlePeople and production in late precolonial Tanzania Monogr. Finnish Soc. Dev. Studies 2 434
R.M. Lawton (1978) ArticleTitleA study of the dynamic ecology of Zambian vegetation J. Ecol. 66 175–198
R. Lemarchand (1970) Rwanda and Burundi Praeger Publishers New York 562
D.A. Livingstone (1965) ArticleTitleSedimentation and the history of water level change in Lake Tanganyika Limnol. Oceanogr. 10 607–610
J.C. McCann (1997) ArticleTitleThe Plow and the forest: Narratives of deforestation in Ethiopia Envir. His. 2 138–159
McKee B.A., Cohen A.S., Dettman D.L., Palacios-Fest M.R., Alin S.A. and Ntungumburangye G. 2005. Paleolimnological investigations of anthropogenic environmental change in Lake Tanganyika: II: Geochronologies and mass sedimentation rates based on 14C and 210Pb data. J. Paleolimnol. 34: 19–29.
Msaky E.S., Livingstone D. and Davis O.K. 2005. Paleolimnological investigations of anthropogenic environmental change in Lake Tanganyika: V. Palynological evidence for deforestation and increased erosion. J. Paleolimnol. 34: 73–83.
S.E. Nicholson (1996) A review of climate dynamics and climate variability in eastern Africa T.C. Johnson E.O. Odada (Eds) The Limnology, Climatology, and Paleoclimatology of the East African Lakes Gordon and Breach Amsterdam 25–56
Nkotagu H.H. 2005. Paleolimnological investigations of anthropogenic environmental change in Lake Tanganyika: VIII. Hydrological evaluation of two contrasting watersheds of the Lake Tanganyika catchment. J. Paleolimnol. 34: 107–123.
O’Reilly and C.M. 1998. E.ects of deforestation on epilithic productivity in Lake Tanganyika. North American Lake Management Soc. 18th Intl. Symp., abstr. w/prog, p.30.
O’Reilly C.M., Dettman D.L. and Cohen A.S. 2005. Paleolimnological investigations of anthropogenic environmental change in Lake Tanganyika: VI. Geochemical indicators. J. Paleolimnol. 34: 85–91.
Palacios-Fest M.R., Cohen A.S., Lezzar K.E., Nahimana L. and Tanner B.M. 2005a. Paleolimnological investigations of anthropogenic environmental change in Lake Tanganyika: III. Physical stratigraphy and charcoal analysis. J. Paleolimnol. 34: 31–49.
Palacios-Fest M.R., Alin S.R., Cohen A.S., Tanner B. and Heuser H. 2005b. Paleolimnological investigations of anthropogenic environmental change in Lake Tanganyika: IV. Lacustrine paleoecology. J. Paleolimnol. 34: 51–71.
InstitutionalAuthorNameRepublique du BurundiMinistere de l’Interieur (1990) Recensement general de la population et de l’habitation, 16–30 Août 1990 Bureau Central de Recensement GitegaBurundi 112
T. Schluter (1997) Geology of East Africa Gebruder Borntraeger Berlin 484
P. Schmidt (2003) Deep time landscape histories and the improvement of environmental management in Africa T.L. Crisman L.J. Chapman C.A. Chapman L.S. Kaufman (Eds) Conservation, Ecology, and Management of African Fresh Waters University Press of Florida Gainesville 20–37
D.L. Schoenbrun (1998) A Green PlaceA Good Place Agrarian ChangeGender and Social Identity in the Great Lakes Region to the 15th Century Heinemann Publishers PortsmouthN.H 302
InstitutionalAuthorNameTanzania Bureau of Statistics (1991) 1988 Population Census President’s Office Planning Commission Dar es SalaamTanzania
D. Verschuren T.C. Johnson H.J. Kling D.N. Edgington P.R. Leavitt E.T. Brown M.R. Talbot R.E. Hecky (2002) ArticleTitleHistory and timing of human impact on Lake VictoriaEast Africa Proc. Roy. Soc. Lond. B 269 289–294 Occurrence Handle10.1098/rspb.2001.1850
A. Vincens (1989) ArticleTitlePaleoenvironments du bassin Nord-Tanganyika (ZaireBurundiTanzanie) au cours de 13 derniers mille ans: apport de la palynologie Rev. Paleobot. Palynol. 61 69–88 Occurrence Handle10.1016/0034-6667(89)90063-8
A. Vincens (1991) ArticleTitleLate Quaternary vegetation history of the South-Tanganyika basin. Climatic implications in South Central Africa Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol. 86 207–226 Occurrence Handle10.1016/0031-0182(91)90081-2
A. Vincens (1993) ArticleTitleNouvelle sequence pollinique du lac Tanganyika. 30,000 ans d’histoire botanique et climatique du bassin Nord Rev. Paleobot. Palynol. 78 381–394 Occurrence Handle10.1016/0034-6667(93)90072-3
T.M. Wells A.S. Cohen L.E. Park D.L. Dettman B.A. McKee (1999) ArticleTitleOstracode stratigraphy and paleoecology from surficial sediments of Lake TanganyikaAfrica J. Paleolimnol. 22 259–276 Occurrence Handle10.1023/A:1008046417660
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Cohen, A.S., Palacios-Fest, M.R., McGill, J. et al. Paleolimnological investigations of anthropogenic environmental change in Lake Tanganyika: I. An introduction to the project. J Paleolimnol 34, 1–18 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-005-2392-6
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-005-2392-6