Lake Lanao is the largest freshwater lake in the Philippines and may represent one of the ancient lakes of the world, though postulated ages for this lake differ widely across the literature ranging from 10,000 up to 10 million years. The lake has been considered ancient particularly because of its cyprinid radiation that originally comprised a total of 18 endemic species. Unfortunately, a recent ichthyological study revealed that only two of these cyprinid species remained in the lake, possibly due the introduction of non-native species or other anthropogenic processes. Apart from these famous cyprinid fishes, Lake Lanao is home to a variety of mollusc species. The most relevant group is a morphologically diverse assemblage of gastropods of the family Viviparidae, which have been described more than a century ago and include seven species endemic to the lake. We here summarize limnological insights based on a survey in the late 1960s and present first genetic insights into the mollusc fauna of Lake Lanao from a recent survey. Moreover, we evaluate if the high morphological diversity found in the Viviparidae is also reflected by the genetic variation. Finally, the status of the lake is discussed in terms of its present mollusc fauna and the occurrence of potentially invasive species.
Answers & Comments
Answer:
Lake Lanao is the largest freshwater lake in the Philippines and may represent one of the ancient lakes of the world, though postulated ages for this lake differ widely across the literature ranging from 10,000 up to 10 million years. The lake has been considered ancient particularly because of its cyprinid radiation that originally comprised a total of 18 endemic species. Unfortunately, a recent ichthyological study revealed that only two of these cyprinid species remained in the lake, possibly due the introduction of non-native species or other anthropogenic processes. Apart from these famous cyprinid fishes, Lake Lanao is home to a variety of mollusc species. The most relevant group is a morphologically diverse assemblage of gastropods of the family Viviparidae, which have been described more than a century ago and include seven species endemic to the lake. We here summarize limnological insights based on a survey in the late 1960s and present first genetic insights into the mollusc fauna of Lake Lanao from a recent survey. Moreover, we evaluate if the high morphological diversity found in the Viviparidae is also reflected by the genetic variation. Finally, the status of the lake is discussed in terms of its present mollusc fauna and the occurrence of potentially invasive species.
Explanation:
Ⓘ︎ Ⓗ︎Ⓞ︎Ⓟ︎Ⓔ︎ Ⓘ︎Ⓣ︎Ⓢ︎ Ⓗ︎Ⓔ︎Ⓛ︎Ⓟ︎