bin
Lake Barombi Koto affluent, Cameroon
CMR__Cenral-Africa, Dipartimento di Fako
Lake Barombi Koto is a shallow crater lake, sometimes weakly stratified, and with a dense phytoplankton dominated by blue-green algae. Of the five species of cichlids in Lake Kotto only one is endemic: Coptodon kottae, Chromidotilapia guentheri, Hemichromis fasciatus, Pelmatolapia mariae and Sarotherodon galilaeus. Two are phytoplankton-feeders, one takes invertebrates as well as phytoplankton, one feeds mainly on chironomid larvae, and one preys on vertebrates as well as on invertebrates. The three phytoplanktivores are the main species eaten by man.
One species of Clarias and one of Enteromius callipterus also occur in Lake Barombi Koto; and in the associated streams are the nothobranchiids Aphyosemion bivittatum, Epiplatys sexfasciatus and Fundulopanchax oeseri, the poeciliid Procatopus similis, and Barbus callipterus are found in the Tung Nsuia and Tung Nsuria streams.
Bulinus snails (including the near-endemic Bulinus camerunensis) infested with Schistosoma, which causes the disease bilharzia in humans, are present in the lake.
.
- Submitted by
- Eleonora Pasquariello
- Approved by
- Ad Konings & Anton Lamboj
- Geographical region
- Cenral Africa
- Drainage Basin
- River catchment
- Meme River
- Water body type
- Stream
- Water body name
- Tung Nsuia
- Water body part
- Water body course
- Lower course
- Water body: tributary of
- Lake
- Tributary name
- Lake Barombi Koto
Warning: Undefined variable $fish_parent in /home/biotopea/public_html/wp-content/themes/bap/content-bin.php on line 55
Water Chemistry
Water information
- Water type
- fresh-water
- Water color
- Clear water
- Water transparency
- Low
- Concentration of sediments
- Medium
- Water temperature
- 26 °C
- Water flow/curent
- Slow
Chemical parameters
- pH
- 6,8
- Conductivity
- 100
- GH
- dGH
- KH
- dKH
- Dissolved Oxygen
Substrate in nature
- Sand
- Grey
- Pebble/Gravel
- Stone
- Stone form
- Silt/Mud
- Leaves
- Many
- Driftwood
- Few
- Submerged terrestrial vegetation
- Yes
Aquatic Biotope
- Date of collecting
- Collecting area
- River bank
- Water depth
- 0,5m
- Air temperature
- Sunlight
- Partial shade
Environment
- Environment
- Human settlements
- Human settlements
- Compacted
- Surrounding area
The Tung Nsuia and Tung Nsuria streams, each about 1–2 m (3 ft 3 in – 6 ft 7 in) wide and 0.3 m (1 ft 0 in) deep near their mouth, are the only inflows into the Lake Barombi Koto, and they dry out in dry season.
The only outflow is Nkundung-Kotto stream, a tributary of the Meme River, which dries out or greatly reduced in dry season.
Lake Kotto is a shallow lake, in most places less than 6m deep, and about 1200m across. The steep walls of the volcanic crater wall id forested, but most of it is cultivated alnd where cocoa, cassavaand plantains are grown.
Around the southern and western shores of the lake are the houses of Nigerian immigrants, and the island is denseluy populated by Barombis, a fishing tribe. In most places the lake shore is rocky and overhung with dense vegetation. The bottom is sandy in some of more open, shallow areas, which are used as canoe beaches and as trasmition sites for schistosomiasis.
- Underwater landscape
Water of the these creeks is soft, lesser than 100 µS, temp around 26°C, pH close to 7. No water plants, just layers of leaves, branches, roots.
Fishes:
- Coptodon kottae
- Chromidotilapia guentheri
- Hemichromis fasciatus
- Pelmatolapia mariae
- Sarotherodon galilaeus
- Clarias sp.
- Enteromius callipterus
- Aphyosemion bivittatum
- Epiplatys sexfasciatus
- Fundulopanchax oeseri
- Procatopus similis
- Barbus callipterus
Plant:
- None, only riparian plant.
Mollusks:
- Bulinus snails, including the near-endemic Bulinus camerunensis
Turtles and the aquatic frog Xenopus tropicalis are common in the lake.
- Threats to ecology
Cameroon is endowed with many freshwater lakes and rivers but, because of increasing anthropogenic activities, most of these water bodies are gradually being degraded. Lake Barombi Kotto is one of the volcanic crater lakes in Cameroon that serves as a prime source of drinking water for the Barombi Kotto community.
The endemics are threatened by pollution and sedimentation from human activities, and “turning” of the lake’s water because of deforestation of the surroundings (this may allow more wind, and the lake is stratified with oxygen-poor lower levels). They are potentially also threatened by large emissions of carbon dioxide from the lake’s bottom (compare Lake Nyos), although Barombi Koto is too shallow to contain very high amounts of this gas.
Bibliography
-
Cichlidae
by Stiassny, M.L.J.; A. Lamboj; D. De Weirdt; G.G. Teugels
-
The fresh and brackish water fishes of Lower Guinea, West-Central Africa / Poissons d’Eaux Douces et Saumâtres de Basee Guinée, Ouest de l’Afrique Centrale. Vol. 2. Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Musée Royal de l’Afrique Centrale. pp. 269–403.
by M.L.J. Stiassny; G.G Teugels; C.D. Hopkins (eds.)
Comment by the expert
Ad Konings: No references or data are given about the natural environment of the biotope to be copied. The data given in BAM may refer to the resulting aquarium setup. Unclear. But references in BAM give details that should have been mentioned in BIN.
- 1 – No details given in BIN apart from one sentence at heading.
- 4 – Found some in the BAM.
Anton Lamboj: Description is OK, as not too many details about the lake are existing. But much more fish species occur in this area (what is mentioned in Wikipedia).
