Endangered Cichlid Fish

Paper Summary:

The paper relates that Lake Victoria is a natural body of water that has experienced exponential change within the past hundred years, due to human activity. The paper focuses on the devastation to the native cichlid fish in Lake Victoria and attributes this to the economic and social value of the lake as a vital source of fish and water for the surrounding human populations. The paper discusses the many features of the cichlid population of Lake Victoria that explain their significance.

From the Paper:

"Still, how scientists will uncover this story is becoming increasingly hazy, as the natural environment of these fishes is being irreversibly changed. Applying the biological definition of a species may be fundamentally useless as observing cichlids in the wild becomes ever more unfeasible. As a result, genetic research on captive populations of the fish may be the best way to identify the specific mechanisms that brought about the cichlid adaptive radiation in Lake Victoria, while morphological analysis should accompany these findings with observations of current distinctions."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Goldschmidt, Tijs. 1998. Land-Use Changes and NIS in Lake Victoria. Bright and Lodge, 1998.
• Kolar, Cynthia S. and David M. Lodge. 2000. Invasive Species in a Changing World. Washington D. C.: Island Press.
• Meyer, Axel et al. 1990. Monophyletic Origin of Lake Victoria Cichlid Fishes Suggested by Mitochondrial DNA Sequences. Nature, 347.
• Office of Protected Resources. 2005. Endangered Species Act of 1973. NOAA Fisheries. Available: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/laws/esa.htm.
• Wilson, Edward O. 1992. The Diversity of Life. New York: W. W. Norton and Company.

More papers on Endangered Cichlid Fish:

• Research Paper # 100557 : "The Endangered Species Act"
• Term Paper # 125021 : "Extinction and Endangered Species"
• Essay # 137967 : "The Endangered Languages of Africa"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: