Observations on Salvinia and its Environment at Lake Naivasha (Kenya).
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Author
Tarras-Wahlberg, NilsDate
1986
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Lake Naivasha is a freshwater lake in the Rift Valley of Kenya. It was infested in the 1960s by the floating fern Salvinia molesta Mitchell. This fern is indigenous to Brazil where it is apparently harmless. At lake Naivasha, as in several other inland waters of the tropical Old World, it is capable of an explosive population increase, and it can occupy the surface of calm nutrient-rich waters very quickly. By forming a surface-mat, it stops sunlight from reaching submerged plants and so it kills the submerged vegetation. This has resulted in serious setbacks to the local fishing industry. It is shown that in nutrient-rich waters young Salvinia has a doubling time of 4.5 days. Optimal growing conditions exist near Papyrus stands. Old mats of Salvinia may be invaded by vascular plants, and so a formation of sudd may start.Journal
Journal of the East Africa Natural History Society and National MuseumVolume
76Issue/Article Nr
189Page Range
pp.1-8Collections