Abstract:
Presently, the food chains of the famous
saline alkaline flamingo-lakes of East Africa are the
focus of intense scientific discussion as the lakes host
toxic cyanobacteria, which when consumed by Lesser
Flamingos, weaken the birds and therefore make
them susceptible to attacks by infective diseases. The
distribution, genetic and toxicological aspects of
Microcystis in Kenya has been studied extensively.
Although there are reports on the occurrence of
Microcystis in Kenya’s hypersaline alkaline lakes,
they have not been confirmed. Our investigations
carried out over a 10-year period in about 50 inland
waters showed that Microcystis occurs exclusively in
freshwaters, but never in the hypersaline alkaline
lakes. Microscopic examinations of the phytoplankton
of these lakes revealed the presence of Anabaenopsis
abijatae (Nostococales) whose lumpy structure
makes it roughly similar to Microcystis when viewed
under an inverted microscope. We conclude that the
possible occurrence of Microcystis in hypersaline
alkaline lakes is doubtful and, as such, confirmatory
studies including microphotographic documentation
of findings should be carried out.
