| Surveys of naturally-occurring live food for fish in Makoba earthen ponds, Zanzibar were conducted from November 2001 to August 2002. This involved identification of dominant plankton in the water column as well as the composition of algal mats. The effect of nutrients on the composition and abundance of the organisms was also assessed. Protozoa were found to be the dominant zooplankton in the water column, followed by rotifers. The most abundant phytoplankton genera were Prorocentrum (13.4%), followed by Coscinodiscus (10.4%) and Diplopsalopsis (7.5%), while the benthic algal mats were dominated by cyanobacteria, mostly Spirulina (22%) and Oscillatoria (18.4%). To complement the surveys, a time-series experiment was conducted for 21 consecutive days to... |
