Lakes

Microbial methanogenesis at extreme conditions of saline alkaline soda lakes has, so far, been poorly investigated. Despite the obvious domination of sulfidogenesis as the therminal anaerobic process in hypersaline soda lakes of Kulunda Steppe (Altai, south-western Siberia), high concentrations of methane were detected in the anaerobic sediments. Potential activity measurements with different substrates gave results significantly deviating from what is commonly found in hypersaline habitats with neutral pH. In particular, not only a non-competitive methylotrophic pathway was active, but also lithotrophic and, in some cases, even acetate-dependent methanogenesis was found to be present in hypersaline soda lake sediments. All three pathways were functioning exclusively within the alkaline pH range between 8 and 10.5, while the salt concentration was the key factor influencing the activity. Methylotrophic and, in less extent, lithotrophic methanogenesis, was active up to soda-saturatin...

Complementary analysis of satellite mission data (altimetry, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometers (MODIS)) and climate fields over 2000–2009 was conducted to investigate the variability of the water cover surfaces and the geographical source of water inflowing into the Lake Poopó system. The results suggest that over the time span of 2000–2009 a great part of the variability of the Poopó system originates from geographic sources other than Lake Titicaca. Possible alternative causes include climate change inducing increased temperatures and greater evaporation rates along the Altiplano; increased glacier and snow melting over the Andes Cordillera; and a potential increased anthropogenic water use (such as irrigation, minery, etc.) throughout the path of the Desaguadero River (which connects lakes Titicaca and Poopó). This change in the hydrology of this region could lead to a collapse of water supplies and endanger the already fragile Poopó system as well as the regional socioeconomic system, which closely depends upon it.

A s the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) gets ready to publish the first instalment of its latest report, many critics of the reports have been harking back to the previous effort-and the glaring mistake it made in stating that the Himalayan glaciers would disappear by 2035. The situation in the Himalayas is not as dire as that, but it is certainly perilous. And although the IPCC overstated the timescale, the threat to the mountains from global warming and other pressures is genuine and must be addressed. Just this summer, the Indian Himalayan state of Uttarakhand witnessed what many described as the most horrific devastation in human memory. Cloudbursts, flash floods, landslides, human deaths and destruction were unleashed within a day. Human casualties were put in the thousands, and estimates of economic loss range from US$500 million to around $2 billion. Similarly, a monsoon flood hit Pakistan in 2010, killing more than 2,000 people, displacing millions and costing $40 billion. Policy-makers in India and elsewhere are reluctant to accept a glaring and dangerous truth: combined human activities have stressed the Himalayas close to their limit. We need positive action, not least a restriction on the number of tourists who visit during the monsoon season from June to September. Too many of them are unaware of the risks they run. Thousands of visitors perished in the Uttarakhand disaster. Policy-makers must actively engage with scientists and experts on the problems facing the Himalayas and their people to make sustainable development work. Global warming can grab the headlines, but many of the other pressures on the fragile mountain region are more mundane. The human population is increasing fast in the Himalayas, and so is the speed of the landscape changes needed to support it. Cattle grazing and rampant deforestation-on current trends, one-third of the total Indian Himalayan forest cover could be gone by 2100-will drive nearly one-quarter of endemic species to extinction and disrupt the natural flow of water. A changed Himalayan landscape caused by human activities and warming means transformed natural ecosystems through biological invasions and reduced native biodiversity. People need energy, and in the Himalayas that means hydropower and dams. Nearly 400 new dams are proposed for the Indian and Tibetan Himalayas in the next decade or so. With them will come more change to ecosystems and more people displaced from submerged settlements. Such rampant dam-building in a region with high seismic activity and fragile geology shows that the policy-makers who approve these schemes either do not understand the scientific evidence or choose to ignore it. The Himalayas are just 45 million years (Myr) old-mere striplings compared with the Climate change and human activities are pushing the fragile ecosystem ever closer to instability,warns Maharaj K. Pandit.

Cyclic volatile methyl siloxanes (cVMS) concentrations were analyzed in the pelagic food web of two Norwegian lakes (Mjøsa, Randsfjorden), and in brown trout (Salmo trutta) and Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) collected in a reference lake (Femunden), in 2012. Lakes receiving discharge from wastewater treatment plants (Mjøsa and Randsfjorden) had cVMS concentrations in trout that were up to 2 orders of magnitude higher than those in Femunden, where most samples were close to the limit of quantification (LOQ). Food web biomagnification of cVMS in Mjøsa and Randsfjorden was quantified by estimation of trophic magnification factors (TMFs). TMF for legacy persistent organic pollutants (POPs) were analyzed for comparison. Both decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5) and dodecamethylcyclohexasiloxane (D6) biomagnified with TMFs of 2.9 (2.1−4.0) and 2.3 (1.8−3.0), respectively. Octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D4) was below the LOQ in the majority of samples and had substantially lower biomagnification than for D5 and D6. The cVMS TMFs did not differ between the lakes, whereas the legacy POP TMFs were higher in Mjøsa than inRandsfjorden. Whitefish had lower cVMS bioaccumulation compared to legacy POPs, and affected the TMF significance for cVMS, but not for POPs. TMFs of D5 and legacy contaminants in Lake Mjøsa were consistent with those previously measured in Mjøsa.

High rates of nutrient loading from agricultural and urban development have resulted in surface water eutrophication and groundwater contamination in regions of Ontario. In Lake Simcoe (Ontario, Canada), anthropogenic nutrient contributions have contributed to increased algal growth, low hypolimnetic oxygen concentrations, and impaired fish reproduction. An ambitious programme has been initiated to reduce phosphorus loads to the lake, aiming to achieve at least a 40% reduction in phosphorus loads by 2045. Achievement of this target necessitates effective remediation strategies, which will rely upon an improved understanding of controls on nutrient export from tributaries of Lake Simcoe as well as improved understanding of the importance of phosphorus cycling within the lake. In this paper, we describe a new model structure for the integrated dynamic and process-based model INCA-P, which allows fully-distributed applications, suited to branched river networks. We demonstrate application of this model to the Black River, a tributary of Lake Simcoe, and use INCA-P to simulate the fluxes of P entering the lake system, apportion phosphorus among different sources in the catchment, and explore future scenarios of land-use change and nutrient management to identify high priority sites for implementation of watershed best management practises.

The literature on fisheries co-management is almost silent on the issue of the movement of fisherfolk within fisheries, although such movement must have implications for the effectiveness of co-management. The introduction of co-management often involves the formation of new structures that should enable the participation of key stakeholder groups in decision-making and management, but such participation is challenging for migrating fishers. The article reports on a study on Lake Victoria, East Africa, which investigated the extent of movement around the lake and the implications of movement for how fishers participate and are represented in co-management, and the implications of the extent and nature of movement for co-management structures and processes. The analysis draws on the concept of space from the literature on participation in development and on a framework of representation in fisheries co-management in addressing these questions. The created space is on an 'invited&...

Animals almost always use habitats non-randomly, but the costs and benefits of using specific habitat types remain unknown for many types of organisms. In a large lake in northwestern Australia (Lake Argyle), most hatchling (,12-monthold) freshwater crocodiles (Crocodylus johnstoni) are found in floating vegetation mats or grassy banks rather than the more widely available open banks. Mean body sizes of young crocodiles did not differ among the three habitat types. We tested four potential explanations for non-random habitat selection: proximity to nesting sites, thermal conditions, food availability, and exposure to predation. The three alternative habitat types did not differ in proximity to nesting sites, or in thermal conditions. Habitats with higher food availability harboured more hatchlings, and feeding rates (obtained by stomach-flushing of recently-captured crocodiles) were highest in such areas. Predation risk may also differ among habitats: we were twice as likely to capture a crocodile after seeing it in open-bank sites than in the other two habitat types. Thus, habitat selection of hatchling crocodiles in this system may be driven both by prey availability and by predation risk.

Aquatic plants need two essential nutrients for growth: Phosphorus and Nitrogen. They receive these nutrients through a process known as eutrophication, in which water bodies accumulate plant nutrients, typically from nutrient-rich land drainage (Smith 2003). In a healthy lake, both nutrients occur in limiting amounts, restricting plant growth. However, anthropogenic (or human) factors can dramatically increase the concentration of plant nutrients in water bodies, a phenomenon known as “cultural eutrophication”(Hasler 1947). Human-induced pollution through the impacts of excessive fertilizer use, untreated wastewater effluents and detergents significantly increases nutrient loading into lakes, accelerating eutrophication beyond natural levels and generating deleterious changes to the natural ecosystem (Litke 1999). Over the past 50 years, a large body of literature has been developed to identify the principle impacts and sources of increased nutrient levels on the quality of receiving waters (Smith 2003). It is now generally accepted that cultural eutrophication can stimulate the rapid growth of plants and algae, clogging waterways and potentially creating toxic algae blooms. Hypoxic (very low oxygen) conditions may result when these plants and algae die and decompose stripping water of dissolved oxygen, leading to fish kills and degrading the aesthetic and recreational value of the lake (ESA 2008). Cultural eutrophication is an increasingly global problem as the deterioration of water quality and excessive biological productivity in lakes inflicts significant environmental and societal damage.

Siais Lake is the second largest Lake in North Sumatra Province. However, basic and essential information about this lake does not yet exist. Therefore, this study aims to describe the necessary information regarding bathymetry and morphometry of the Siais Lake. Data was collected in June (dry season) and December (rainy season) 2019. Map analysis used the Quantum GIS 1.8 program. Siais Lake is a shallow lake with a maximum depth of 11.8 m and an average depth of 5.81 m. The total area of Siais Lake reaches 17 km 2 , with a total volume of 46-64 million m 3. Some 7 km 2 (41%) of the lake's surface are covered by aquatic macrophyte species, dominated by lily plants (Amaryllidaceae). Lake Siais is very suitable for the littoral zone development and rooted aquatic plants cultivation.

Over 180 non-native species have been introduced in the Laurentian Great Lakes region, many posing threats to native species and ecosystem functioning. One potential pathway for introductions is the commercial bait trade; unknowing or unconcerned anglers commonly release unused bait into aquatic systems. Previous surveillance efforts of this pathway relied on visual inspection of bait stocks in retail shops, which can be time and cost prohibitive and requires a trained individual that can rapidly and accurately identify cryptic species. Environmental DNA (eDNA) surveillance, a molecular tool that has been used for surveillance in aquatic environments, can be used to efficiently detect species at low abundances. We collected and analyzed 576 eDNA samples from 525 retail bait shops throughout the Laurentian Great Lake states. We used eDNA techniques to screen samples for multiple aquatic invasive species (AIS) that could be transported in the bait trade, including bighead (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) and silver carp (H. molitrix), round goby (Neogobius melanostomus), tubenose goby (Proterorhinus marmoratus), Eurasian rudd (Scardinius erythrophthalmus), and goldfish (Carassius auratus). Twenty-seven samples were positive for at least one target species (4.7% of samples), and all target species were found at least once, except bighead carp. Despite current regulations, the bait trade remains a potential pathway for invasive species introductions in the Great Lakes region. Alterations to existing management strategies regarding the collection, transportation, and use of live bait are warranted, including new and updated regulations, to prevent future introductions of invasive species in the Great Lakes via the bait trade.

The areas of study selected in the present investigation are Shirvane and Nerul lakes situated at Nerul which is considered as the queen of Navi Mumbai, the city on the west coast of the Indian state of Maharashtra. The lake areas receive domestic raw sewage from surrounding habitation; so also the activities like cattle and cloth washing, bathing, religious activities like idol immersion etc. paves the way of harmful chemicals in the lake water. The study was performed to understand physico-chemical parameters and the concentration of heavy metals in lake water. It was found that the concentration of the heavy metals in the lake water substantially increased after the religious activities like idol immersion around September–October. These heavy metals have a marked effect on the aquatic flora and fauna which through bio-magnification enter the food chain and ultimately affect the human beings as well.

Fish are frequently contaminated with mercury, raising concerns about the human health consequences of eating fish. We quantified mercury exposure and awareness of health advisories among three major ethnic groups of anglers in Madison, Wisconsin, using surveys of species preferences and consumption rates. African American anglers reported eating double and triple the amount of fish consumed by Hmong Americans and Whites, respectively. However, Hmong Americans preferred species with higher levels of contamination, resulting in net mercury exposure comparable to that of African Americans. Few anglers exceeded personal exposure recommendations, but the majority shared fish with family or friends. Children are particularly sensitive to the neurotoxic effects of heavy metals, and one-third of anglers reported providing fish to children. African Americans reported
the least knowledge about advisories, but misconceptions about mercury existed in each ethnic group. Our findings highlight the need to tailor advisories for specific groups of anglers based on consumption rates, preferred species, and favored communication channels. Improved messaging is particularly important for guiding informed fish consumption by families.

This research work evaluates the impact of stormwater infiltration on the removal of organics, solids, nitrogen and phosphorus in a LECA-based horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland. Stormwater runoff for the period between January 2008 and June 2010 (30 months) was estimated for the drainage basin of the Vila Fernando wastewater treatment plant (constructed wetland system) and it was observed proportionality between the increase in surface runoff and the infiltration flow rate that reached the plant. The average stormwater infiltration rate that reached the plant was 67.4 m(3) d(-1) (77% of the influent flow rate into the plant). The 30 month monitoring campaign set up at one of the reed beds showed that stormwater infiltration led to a high variation of the hydraulic loading rate (HLR) throughout the bed, which affected its performance in the removal of organic matter, suspended solids and nitrogen. For a HLR below 20 cm d-1 the removal efficiencies for BOD5, COD and TSS doubled. The removal of nitrogen was too low and was associated with the weak development of nitrifying biofilm and the poor growth of reeds. However, it was observed a good relationship between the applied and removed loads for most of the parameters, which seems to indicate that the organic, solid, nitrogen and phosphorus loading rates influenced the respective removal rates. The use of a bed material with high specific surface area, such as LECA, can only improve the treatment capacity of horizontal subsurface flow systems if the organic and solid loading rates, as well as the HLR, can be effectively controlled.

journal homepage: www.else vier.com/locate /wa tres w a t e r r e s e a r c h 4 7 ( 2 0 1 3 ) 5 9 3 0 e5 9 4 2 0043-1354/$ e see front matter ª 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2013.07.016 to predict concentrations of La 3þ ions and the potential for negative ecological impacts.

Mitochondrial DNA phylogeography of populations of the Labeobarbus intermedius complex (hexaploid barb) was investigated using 88 complete and 71 partial cytochrome b (cytb) sequences originating from 21 localities in five major drainages in Ethiopia and two localities in northern Kenya. The samples included 14 of the 15 Labeobarbus species described from Lake Tana. Discrete phylogeographic analyses of 159 cytb sequences employing Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) simulations using Bayesian evolutionary analysis by sampling trees (BEAST) supported the monophyly of the L. intermedius complex, including the Lake Tana species. This analysis, in combination with statistical parsimony analysis, identified two mitochondrial DNA lineages within the complex. Divergence dating employing coalescent simulations suggested that the geographic split in the L. intermedius complex that led to the formation of these lineages occurred during the Pleistocene (c. 0⋅5 M b.p.), consistent with the timing of volcano-tectonic events postulated to have shaped the current landscape of East Africa.

Eight alkaline, saline crater lakes in western Uganda were surveyed between 26 th February and 3 rd March, 2014 with an aim of providing information on the physico-chemical features of these less known unique habitats and provide a basis for comparison with similar environments in other parts of the world. Lakes considered for this study included; Katwe, Kikorongo, Murumuli, Nyamunuka, Munyange, Bunyampaka, Bagusa and Maseche. Surface and Bottom measurements of physic-chemical parameters were measured in-situ from at least three georeferenced points. Water samples for alkalinity, nutrients and detailed ionic analysis were taken from each of the points. In the laboratory, collected water samples were analysed following APHA standard operating procedures. All the studied lakes were alkaline and saline in nature as reported in the previous studies except Lake Kikorongo which was found to be fresh with a salinity of zero in this present study. With the exception of Lake Murumuli which was found to be a Carbonate-chloride lake, the rest of the sampled lakes are carbonate-sulphate lakes which is contrary to earlier studies which reported lakes like Katwe and Kikorongo to be Carbonatechloride lakes.

Elevation measurements from the Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) have been applied to monitor dynamics of lakes and other surface water bodies. Despite such potential, the true utility of ICEsat-more generally, satellite laser altimetry-for continuously tracking surface water dynamics over time has not been adequately assessed, especially in the continental or global contexts. This study analyzed elevation derived from ICESat data for the conterminous United States and examined the potential and limitations of satellite laser altimetry in monitoring the water level dynamics. Owing to a lack of spatially-explicit ground-based water-level data, the high-fidelity land elevation data acquired by airborne lidar were firstly resorted to quantify ICESat's ranging accuracy. Trend and frequency analyses were then performed to evaluate how reliably ICESat could capture water-level dynamics over a range of temporal scales, as compared to in-situ gauge measurements. The analytical results showed that ICESat had a vertical ranging error of 0.16 m at the footprint level-an lower limit on the detectable range of water-level dynamics. The sparsity of data over time was identified as a major factor limiting the use of ICESat for water dynamics studies. Of all the US lakes, only 361 had reliable ICESat measurements for more than two flight passes. Even for those lakes with sufficient temporal coverage, ICESat failed to capture the true interannual water-level dynamics in 32% of the cases. Our frequency analysis suggested that even with a repeat cycle of two months, ICESat could capture only 60% of the variations in water-level dynamics for at most 34% of the US lakes. To capture 60% of the water-level variation for most of the US lakes, a weekly repeated cycle (e.g., less than 5 d) is needed-a requirement difficult to meet in current designs of spaceborne laser altimetry. Overall, the results highlight that current or near-future satellite laser missions, though with high ranging accuracies, are unlikely to fulfill the general needs in remotely monitoring water surface dynamics for lakes or reservoirs.

Peatlands constitute central habitats for the occurrence of wetland archaeological sites. Consisting of waterlogged organic soils, they also provide advantageous conditions for the preservation of organic materials. The economic utilisation of peatlands has been extensive and long-lasting in mire-rich Finland. Archaeologists urgently seek to develop viable techniques for detecting, monitoring, and studying peatland archaeological sites, before they are deteriorated. One option is to conduct fieldwalking at commercial peat extraction sites, which was opportunistically tested in the detection of Mesolithic sites at southern Lake Saimaa by the University of Helsinki in 2015. In this paper, the main observations and challenges of the survey are reviewed and suggestions for further testing are presented.

The objective of this study was to assess the physicochemical parameters and waterborne parasites in selected recreational lakes from Malaysia. Samples were collected from seven stations of Recreational Lake A (RL-A) and six stations of Recreational Lake B (RL-B). The samples were processed to detect the presence of Giardia spp. and Cryptosporidium spp. using immunomagnetic separation kit, helminth eggs or ova by bright field microscopy and Acanthamoeba spp. by cultivation in non-nutrient agar. Chemical parameters such as ammonia, chlorine, fluoride, nitrate and nitrite and physical parameters such as dissolved oxygen, electrical conductivity, pH, salinity, temperature and total dissolved solid were also measured. Both lakes were freshwater with salinity ranging from 0.05 to 0.09 ppt. Most stations of these lakes were contaminated with Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia spp., Ascaris spp. and hookworm. Schistosoma spp. was found in RL-B only, while Acanthamoeba spp. was found in all stations. Of all sampling sites, station 5 of RL-B is the most contaminated. Linear regression and correlation analysis revealed that Giardia spp. and Schistosoma spp. showed a significant negative correlation with turbidity (p <0.01). Based on the preliminary data obtained, it is clearly shown that there is a necessity to implement the detection of waterborne parasites and physicochemical analysis in Malaysia. Future work on heavy metals (chromium, copper, mercury and zinc) is recommended to enhance the overall water quality monitoring and to take appropriate safety measures to ensure maintenance of good water standards.

Albano, Bolsena and Bracciano are the most important lakes in Central Italy; the relevance and the potential vulnerability of these lakes is enhanced by their location in a populous  area,  with  a high water  demand  for agriculture  and other public  uses.  The waters of Lake Bracciano are already utilized for drinking supply to the city of Rome.
The aim of this paper is to update the information on the water chemistry of these lakes, on the basis of samplings carried out by the authors; moreover experimental data are compared with similar analyses available from the literature.
Besides the mass hydraulic balance of the lake system, the whole volcanic basin was considered and data related to the period 2000-2005 were also highlighted.

"Ostroumov S. A. Biodiversity protection and quality of water: the role of feedbacks in ecosystems. - Doklady Biological Sciences. 2002 (January). Volume 382, Numbers 1- 6, p. 18-21.
Full text free: http://www.scribd.com/doc/42558469/

A new aspect of ecosystem service is identified and shown in this paper.

The article presents a new vision of how biodiversity helps towards better stability and water quality. The author made an innovative analysis of his experimental data and formulated the following fundamental principle: to maintain water quality, it is vital to protect the functionally active biodiversity of water ecosystems. In other words, according to his vision, the protection of functionally active biodiversity, including filter-feeders, is a key to maintenance of water quality.

Among the new facts that were established in the author's experiments that were reported in this paper: the detergent IXI 20 mg/L inhibited water filtration by marine mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis; the detergent Deni-Automat 30 mg/L also inhibited the water filtration by oysters Crassostrea gigas Thunberg .
DOI 10.1023/A:1014465220673. http://www.springerlink.com/content/p89cugy9ddk053g7/; MAIK Nauka/Interperiodica distributed exclusively by Springer Science+Business Media LLC. ISSN0012-4966 (Print) 1608-3105 (Online). http://scipeople.ru/users/2943391/; http://sites.google.com/site/2dbs382p18biodivers/; http://www.citeulike.org/user/ATP/article/9734342;"

Dissolved oxygen (DO) is probably the most important parameter related to water quality and biological habitat in aquatic environments. In situ DO sensors are some of the most valuable tools used by scientists and engineers for the evaluation of water quality in aquatic ecosystems. Presently, we cannot accurately measure DO concentrations under variable temperature and pressure conditions. Pressure and temperature influence polarographic and optical type DO sensors compared to the standard Winkler titration method. This study combines laboratory and field experiments to compare and quantify the accuracy and performance of commercially available macro and micro Clark-type oxygen sensors as well as optical sensing technology to the Winkler method under changing pressure and temperature conditions. Field measurements at various lake depths revealed sensor response time up to 11 min due to changes in water temperature, pressure, and DO concentration. Investigators should account for transient response in DO sensors before measurements are collected at a given location. We have developed an effective model to predict the transient response time for Clark-type oxygen sensors. The proposed procedure increases the accuracy of DO data collected in situ for profiling applications.

The Philippines has a plenitude of small lakes scattered all over the archipelago. Many of them are ecologically threatened due mainly to inconsiderate utilisations, unsound development, and arbitrary governance. Against this backdrop, lakes studies in the Philippines have been growing over the years. However, the scholarly works are heavily skewed towards studies on major lakes and their abiotic-biotic aspects. This literature imbalance suggests little attention has been paid to small lakes and their governance-development aspects. Ameliorating this literary deficit, the article explores the specifics of the governance and development of Tikub Lake, a little known small lake in Quezon Province. In particular, the study looks into its status, governance practice, and the tourism-oriented development using the Integrated Lake Basin Management (ILBM) criteria as well as the identified key elements for managing, conserving, and developing small lakes in the Philippines. The study elucidates the following on Tikub Lake. In institutions, a key factor is a committed local government which has consistently introduced incremental improvements on the small lake. In policies, the immediate issue is the formulation of a Master Development Plan that would guide the establishment of tourism in the small lake. In involvement, the small lake is blessed with actively participating constituents and an existing people’s organisation which serves as a platform for local participation. In interventions, scientific/technological information and actions (such as water quality assessment and fish stocks conservation) have been utilised for the maintenance of the small lake. In finance, the sourcing of funds continues to be a challenge in sustaining the conservation efforts and organising tourism in the small lake. On the whole, the study delineates the distinct praxis of local governance in Tikub Lake, identifies its critical areas for improvements, offers broad guides in managing and developing inland water bodies, extends the scholarship in lake governance and small lakes, and registers Tikub Lake on the docket of scholarly literature.

Freshwater biodiversity is the over-riding conservation priority during the International Decade for Action -' Water for Life ' -2005 to 2015. Fresh water makes up only 0.01% of the World's water and approximately 0.8 % of the Earth's surface, yet this tiny fraction of global water supports at least 100 000 species out of approximately 1.8 million -almost 6 % of all described species. Inland waters and freshwater biodiversity constitute a valuable natural resource, in economic, cultural, aesthetic, scientific and educational terms. Their conservation and management are critical to the interests of all humans, nations and governments. Yet this precious heritage is in crisis. Fresh waters are experiencing declines in biodiversity far greater than those in the most affected terrestrial ecosystems, and if trends in human demands for water remain unaltered and species losses continue at current rates, the opportunity to conserve much of the remaining biodiversity in fresh water will vanish before the ' Water for Life ' decade ends in 2015. Why is this so, and what is being done about it ? This article explores the special features of freshwater habitats and the biodiversity they support that makes them especially vulnerable to human activities. We document threats to global freshwater biodiversity under five headings: overexploitation ; water pollution ; flow modification ; destruction or degradation of habitat ; and invasion by exotic species. Their combined and interacting influences have resulted in population declines and range reduction of freshwater biodiversity worldwide. Conservation of biodiversity is complicated by the landscape position of rivers and wetlands as ' receivers ' of land-use effluents, and the problems posed by endemism and thus non-substitutability. In addition, in many parts of the world, fresh water is subject to severe competition among multiple human stakeholders. Protection of freshwater biodiversity is perhaps the ultimate conservation challenge because it is influenced by the upstream drainage network, the surrounding land, the riparian zone, and -in the case of migrating aquatic fauna -downstream reaches. Such prerequisites are hardly ever met. Immediate action is needed where opportunities exist to set aside intact lake and river ecosystems within large protected areas. For most of the global land surface, trade-offs between conservation of freshwater biodiversity and human use of ecosystem goods and services are necessary. We advocate continuing attempts to check species loss but, in many situations, urge adoption of a compromise position of management for biodiversity conservation, ecosystem functioning and resilience, and human livelihoods in order to provide a viable long-term basis for freshwater conservation. Recognition of this need will require adoption of a new paradigm for biodiversity protection and freshwater ecosystem management -one that has been appropriately termed ' reconciliation ecology '.

Purpose of the study: The main objective of the present work is to assess the efficacy of the restoration endeavour in Bengaluru lakes, Karnataka, India. Rapid urbanisation coupled with industrialisation in urban areas has greatly stressed the available water resources qualitatively and quantitatively. This has also resulted in the generation of enormous sewage and wastewater after independence. Method: Environmental monitoring of 40 restored lakes was carried out to identify the key issues and assessed water quality (physical, chemical and biological). Weighted arithmetic water quality index (WQI) and Pearson&#39;s correlation coefficient (r) was determined using data of physicochemical parameters of lakes. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) performed using PAST3 software to identify the factors responsible for variations in water quality. Main Findings: The monitored forty lakes distributed across the three major watersheds namely Koramangala and Challaghatta valley, Vrishabhavath...

از آنجا ایران به لحاظ جاذبه های گردشگری، در میان 11 برتر کشور جهان قرار دارد بدین ترتیب دستیابی به موفقیت در این
زمینه نیازمند برنامه ریزی هدفمند و مطالعه شده در این راستا می باشد زیرا بقدری صنعت گردشگری با اهمیت می باشد که از آن
بعنوان صادرات نامرئی نام می برندگردشگری روستایی به عنوان یک راهبرد می تواند با برنامه ریزی اصولی مزیت ها و محدودیت
های گردشگری روستایی، نقش موثری در توسعه روستاها داشته باشد. در واقع دغدغه توسعه روستا را می توان از طریق شناسایی
روستاهای نمونه گردشگری و توسعه گردشگری تسهیل نمود. روش این پژوهش توصیفی تحلیلی و پیمایشی است. داده ها از طریق
مطالعه اسنادی و بررسی میدانی گردآوری شده است و با استفاده از مدل سوات به تبیین نقاط ضعف، قوت، فرصت ها و تهدیدها و
ارائه استراتژی و راهبرد در روستاهای حاشیه دریاچه زریوار مریوان پرداخته شده است. در این مقاله سعی شده است که از یک
سو توانمندی ها و تنگناها و از سوی دیگر مطالعات امکان سنجی گردشگری روستاهای مورد مطالعه مورد ارزیابی قرار گیرد. نتایج
حاصل از این تحقیق حاکی از وجود جاذبه های فراوان در این روستاها به ویژه همجواری با دریاچه زریوار و توان بالای این
جاذبه برای جذب گردشگران است.اما متاسفانه به دلیل آسیب پذیر بودن طبیعت نیازمند تعیین و توسعه راهکارهای مشخص
مدیریت توانمند در راستای ارتقا موقعیت گردشگری در سطح روستا ها ی اطراف دریاچه زریوار می باشد.

Skin-associated bacteria of amphibians are increasingly recognized for their role in defence against pathogens, yet we have little understanding of their basic ecology. Here, we use high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing to examine the host and environmental influences on the skin microbiota of the cohabiting amphibian species Anaxyrus boreas, Pseudacris regilla, Taricha torosa and Lithobates catesbeianus from the Central Valley in California. We also studied populations of Rana cascadae over a large geographic range in the Klamath Mountain range of Northern California, and across developmental stages within a single site. Dominant bacterial phylotypes on amphibian skin included taxa from Bacteroidetes, Gammaproteobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, Firmicutes, Sphingobacteria and Actinobacteria. Amphibian species identity was the strongest predictor of microbial community composition. Secondarily, within a given amphibian species, wetland site explained significant variation. Amphibian-associated microbiota differed systematically from microbial assemblages in their environments. Rana cascadae tadpoles have skin bacterial communities distinct from postmetamorphic conspecifics, indicating a strong developmental shift in the skin microbes following metamorphosis. Establishing patterns observed in the skin microbiota of wild amphibians and environmental factors that underlie them is necessary to understand skin symbiont community assembly, and ultimately, the role skin microbiota play in the extended host phenotype including disease resistance.

Grounded on the lacuna in literature— the scarcity of scholarly works on lake gover-nance and small lakes in the country, and the notable transformation of Tadlac Lake— from a threatened and poorly regulated lake to a potential model for governance and ecotourism development , this article documents the small lake and examines its governance specifics, challenges and implications. It argues that the governance of Tadlac Lake can be characterised as intricate, watershed-based, hierarchical, participatory and centralised. It also contends that the lake's de-velopment— its transformation from an aquaculture-based lake into an ecotourism-oriented lake — illustrates a key lesson for developing small lakes in the country. To close, the article hopes to instigate more governance studies on lakes, particularly small lakes, due to their number (in the country and globally) and the fact that in the country, many are surrounded by impoverished communities.