The equilibrium of inland hydrosystems is presently a cause for concern, with species extinction rates there estimated to be 5 times higher than for terrestrial fauna in the 21st century. Urgent measures must be taken to conserve these ecosystems particularly with regard to fishes, which represent an especially rich and diverse evolutionary heritage.
Fishes were long unaffected by human activity on the African continent, but anthropogenic pressure has increased in recent decades. Good management of African continental waters is thus of paramount importance in terms of heritage and economics, as fishes are a vital natural resource for the people in sub-Saharan Africa. In view of biodiversity conservation, African fishes are investigated here as a biological model owing to their enormous ecological and genetic diversity.
It is essential to know the ecology and structure of various communities, and to understand the impact of human activity. Water Fishes of Africa discusses the diversity of environments, the origin and evolution of species, survival and adaptive strategies, the structure of fish communities, and the impact of human activity. It also devotes a section to fisheries and fish culture.
This ambitious project summarizes the current state of knowledge on African fishes and their populations, highlighting the mechanisms regulating their equilibrium and the causes contributing to their erosion. It is a reference not just for readers involved in African aquatic environments, but for anyone interested in biodiversity conservation in general.
Foreword 7
Dedication 11
Acknowledgments 11
1. The diversity of aquatic environments 13
Jacques Lemoalle
2. Variability of clinnate and hydrologlcal systems 35
Christian Lévêque
3. African fossil fish 51
Olga Otero, Alison Murray, Lionel Cavin, Gaël Clément, Aurélie Pinton & Kathlyn Stewart
4. General characteristics of ichthyological fauna 83
Christian Lévêque & Didier Paugy
5. Geographical distribution and affinities of African freshwater fishes 97
Christian Lévêque & Didier Paugy
6. Biogeography and past history of the ichthyological faunas 115
Christian Lévêque & Didier Paugy
7. Diversity of African fish: heritage of evolution 127
Christian Lévêque, Didier Paugy & Jean-François Agnèse
8. Taxonomy and systematics 147
Didier Paugy & Christian Lévêque
9. Life-history strategies 177
Didier Paugy, Christian Lévêque & Fabrice Duponchelle
10. Reproduction 189
Didier Paugy, Christian Lévêque & Fabrice Duponchelle
11. Growth and ontogeny 219
Christian Lévêque
12. Diets and food webs 233
Didier Paugy & Christian Lévêque
13. Diversity of responses to environmental constraints and extreme environmental conditions 259
Christian Lévêque & Didier Paugy
14. Ethology 269
Yves Fermon & Rémy Bigorne
15. Species richness offish communities 299
Bernard Hugueny
16. Diversity offish habitats 319
Christian Lévêque
17. Role of fish in ecosystem functioning 339
Christian Lévêque
18. Fish communities in river systems and associated biotopes 349
Christian Lévêque & Didier Paugy
19. Fish communities in East African rift lakes 361
Jos Snoeks, Christian Lévêque, Yves Fermon & Fabrice Duponchelle
20. Fish communities in shallow lakes 383
Christian Lévêque
21. Fish communities in small aquatic ecosystems: caves, gueltas, crater and salt lakes 397
Didier Paugy & Christian Lévêque
22. Fish communities in estuaries and lagoons 417
Jean-Jacques Albaret
23. Species introductions 441
Didier Paugy & Christian Lévêque
24. Impacts of human activities 459
Didier Paugy & Christian Lévêque
25. Fisheries 479
Raymond Laë & Christian Lévêque
26. Fish culture 525
Jean-François Agnèse, Randall Brummett, Marc Legendre & Christian Lévêque
References 547
Species index 636
Geographical index 655
Subject index 663
Table of boxes 666
Table of contents 668