Kaizen
Chameleon Enthusiast
Between 10 and 25 million years ago, the surface of the earth expanded with the divergence of two plates in what is today east Africa. Spanning from the southern part of Sudan, and stretching south as far as Mozambique [9], this great rift valley, as it has become known, is a hot spot for chameleon diversity—second only to Madagascar in both diversity and endemism (Tolley & Herrel, 2014).
A multitude of other species also calls this oasis home. Among them is the lesser Flamingo Phoeniconaias minor Geoffroy—a species that seasonally inhabits both the three giant rift lakes—known for their endemic populations of the cichlids so beloved in the tropical fish hobby—and the high altitude lakes on either side of the eastern rift. Recently both the flamingo and some cichlids species have come under the threat of pollution. In particular, heavy metals have begun poisoning the main food source they share (Ballot, et al., 2004), (Vareschi & Jacobs, 1985). Not confined to the larger, low altitude rift lakes of Malawi (500m a.s.l.) and Tanganyika (773m a.s.l), the contamination has lead to several mass die-offs in the high-altitude lakes of Bogoria (990m a.s.l.), Victoria (1135m a.s.l.), Elementeita (1670m a.s.l.) and Nakuru (1760m a.s.l.) (Ballot, et al., 2004). The cichlid and flamingo populations are not the only victim of the environmental pollution: chironomid larva are also significant consumers of the contaminated resource (Vareschi & Jacobs, 1985).
Wondering what this has to do with anything? Check out the new blog entires The philosophy of gut loading parts 1 and 2
A multitude of other species also calls this oasis home. Among them is the lesser Flamingo Phoeniconaias minor Geoffroy—a species that seasonally inhabits both the three giant rift lakes—known for their endemic populations of the cichlids so beloved in the tropical fish hobby—and the high altitude lakes on either side of the eastern rift. Recently both the flamingo and some cichlids species have come under the threat of pollution. In particular, heavy metals have begun poisoning the main food source they share (Ballot, et al., 2004), (Vareschi & Jacobs, 1985). Not confined to the larger, low altitude rift lakes of Malawi (500m a.s.l.) and Tanganyika (773m a.s.l), the contamination has lead to several mass die-offs in the high-altitude lakes of Bogoria (990m a.s.l.), Victoria (1135m a.s.l.), Elementeita (1670m a.s.l.) and Nakuru (1760m a.s.l.) (Ballot, et al., 2004). The cichlid and flamingo populations are not the only victim of the environmental pollution: chironomid larva are also significant consumers of the contaminated resource (Vareschi & Jacobs, 1985).
Wondering what this has to do with anything? Check out the new blog entires The philosophy of gut loading parts 1 and 2
