This is a test site. The production site with full data is available at GBIF.org
{{nav.loginGreeting}}
  • Get data
      • Occurrences
      • GBIF API
      • Species
      • Datasets
      • Occurrence snapshots
      • Hosted portals
      • Trends
  • How-to
    • Share data

      • Quick-start guide
      • Dataset classes
      • Data hosting
      • Standards
      • Become a publisher
      • Data quality
      • Data papers
    • Use data

      • Featured data use
      • Citation guidelines
      • GBIF citations
      • Citation widget
      • Guides and documentation
  • Tools
    • Publishing

      • IPT
      • Data validator
      • GeoPick
      • New data model
      • GRSciColl
      • Suggest a dataset
      • Metabarcoding data toolkit
    • Data access and use

      • Hosted portals
      • Scientific collections
      • Data processing
      • Derived datasets
      • rgbif
      • pygbif
      • MAXENT
      • Tools catalogue
    • GBIF labs

      • Species matching
      • Name parser
      • Sequence ID
      • Relative observation trends
      • GBIF data blog
  • Community
    • Network

      • Participant network
      • Nodes
      • Publishers
      • Network contacts
      • Community forum
      • alliance for biodiversity knowledge
    • Volunteers

      • Mentors
      • Ambassadors
      • Translators
      • Citizen scientists
    • Activities

      • Capacity development
      • Programmes & projects
      • Training and learning resources
      • Data Use Club
      • Living Atlases
  • About
    • Inside GBIF

      • What is GBIF?
      • Become a member
      • Governance
      • Strategic framework
      • Work Programme
      • Funders
      • Partnerships
      • Release notes
      • Contacts
    • News & outreach

      • News
      • Subscribe
      • Events
      • Awards
      • Science Review
      • Data use
      • Thematic communities
  • User profile

Occurrence (present/absence) and abundance of zooplankton in Murchison Bay, Lake Victoria

Citation

Kiggundu V, Musinguzi L, Natugonza V (2019). Occurrence (present/absence) and abundance of zooplankton in Murchison Bay, Lake Victoria. National Fisheries Resources Research Institute. Sampling event dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/xxdflt accessed via GBIF.org on 2025-06-13.

Description

This dataset presents zooplankton taxa occurrences and abundance in Murchison Bay, Northern Lake Victoria, Uganda. The data was obtained through a survey conducted in 2012 and 2013. Most of these species are microscopic with size ranging from ca 0.05mm to 2.0 mm and consist of crustaceans (copepods and cladocerans) and rotifers (wheel-animals). They (zooplankton) are important elements of the food chain where energy is transferred from algae (primary producers) to larger invertebrate predators and fish. The zooplankton species assemblage responds to environmental stressors such as nutrient enrichment, acidification, and fish stocks. The effects of environmental stress can be detected through changes in community structure (species composition, abundance, body size, and biomass) and food web structure. The ability of each species to persist in different given trophic conditions, make zooplankton a better bio-monitoring tool. Murchison bay receives effluents from an economically vibrant part of the Lake Victoria catchment (Kampala City) with much of the activities detrimental to the waters of this bay. In order to address some of the concerns, the Directorate of Water Resource Management (DWRM) carried out studies on management criteria for Lake Ecosystem in Murchison Bay in August/September of 2012 and 2013 with the objective of studying water quality indices according to specific requirements of the different water users within Murchison Bay areas for purposes of conservation and improving water quality for domestic uses and fisheries. Zooplankton was part of the key functional groups considered and documented.

Sampling Description

Study Extent

Sampling was conducted in August/September 2012 and August 2013.

Sampling

Zooplankton samples were collected with a conical plankton net (Nansen type; mesh size 60 µm; mouth diameter 0.25 m), towed vertically through the water column, as described by Mwebaza-Ndawula (1994). Each sample was washed with tap water in the laboratory over a 53 µm sieve to remove the preservative and then diluted to a suitable volume, depending on the concentration of organisms in each sample. Sub-samples of 2, 2, 5 and 10 mL were taken with a wide bore automatic pipette from a well-agitated sample. The sub-sample series was performed to consider the more abundant organisms in 2, 2 mL series, and the rarer organisms in 2, 2, 5, 10 mL series. Each sub-sample was put into a counting chamber and examined under an inverted microscope (Hund, Wetzlar, Germany) at X100 magnification for taxonomic determination, and X40 for counting and organism body measurements.

Quality Control

Some zooplankton were able to be identified to species level using published taxonomic keys (Sars 1895; Pennak 1953; Brooks 1957; Rutner-Kolisko 1974; Koste 1978; Boxshall & Braide 1991; Korinek 1999). Taxonomic names were cross-checked using the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS). Densities of organisms were calculated from the counts, with reference to the sample net mouth diameter and water column depth at each sampling site (Mwebaza-Ndawula L., 1998).

Method steps

  1. Collection of the zooplankton In the field, a conical plankton net (Nansen type; mesh size 60 µm; mouth diameter 0.25 m), towed vertically through the water column to have an integrated sample was used to collect the zooplankton. Three hauls were taken per site and were combined to make a composite sample. Preserving the samples The composite sample was preserved with sugar-formalin, in a ratio of 1-part formalin to 10 parts sample volume, the sugar was to stop the ballooning of cladocerans for easy identification. Identification of zooplankton taxa In the laboratory, samples were washed using a sieve of 53 µm to remove the fixatives. Some organisms were identified to species level using published keys (Sars, 1895, Pennak, 1953, Brooks, 1957, Rutner-Kolisko, 1974, Koste, 1978, Boxshall and Braide, 1991, Korinek, 1999). The density of organisms was calculated from the counts data, with reference to the sample net mouth diameter and water column depth at each sampling site (Mwebaza-Ndawula, 1998, unpubl. PhD Thesis)

Taxonomic Coverages

This dataset consists of freshwater zooplankton
  1. Afrocyclops
    rank: genus
  2. Ascomorpha
    rank: genus
  3. Asplanchna
    rank: genus
  4. Bosmina longirostris
    rank: species
  5. Brachionus angularis
    rank: species
  6. Brachionus bidentata
    rank: species
  7. Brachionus budapestinensis
    rank: species
  8. Brachionus calyciflorus
    rank: species
  9. Brachionus caudatus
    rank: species
  10. Brachionus dimidiatus
    rank: species
  11. Brachionus falcatus
    rank: species
  12. Brachionus forficula
    rank: species
  13. Brachionus patulus
    rank: species
  14. Brachionus plicatilis
    rank: species
  15. Brachionus quadridentatus
    rank: species
  16. Brachionus urceolaris
    rank: species
  17. Brachionus variabilis
    rank: species
  18. Calanoidae
    rank: family
  19. Ceriodaphnia cornuta
    rank: species
  20. Chydorus
    rank: genus
  21. Cyclopoidae
    rank: family
  22. Daphnia longispina
    rank: species
  23. Daphnia longispina
    rank: species
  24. Daphnia lumholtzi
    rank: species
  25. Daphnia lumholtzi
    rank: species
  26. Diaphanosoma excisum
  27. Euclanis
  28. Eucyclops
  29. Filinia longiseta
    rank: species
  30. Filinia opoliensis
    rank: species
  31. Harpacticoida
    rank: order
  32. Hexanauplia
    rank: class
  33. Hexathra
    rank: genus
  34. Keratella cochlearis
    rank: species
  35. Keratella tropica
    rank: species
  36. Lecane bulla
    rank: species
  37. Lecane luna
    rank: species
  38. Macrothrix
    rank: genus
  39. Mesocyclops
    rank: genus
  40. Moina micrura
    rank: species
  41. Platyias
    rank: genus
  42. Platyias quadricornis
    rank: species
  43. Polyarthra
    rank: genus
  44. Polyarthra vulgaris
    rank: species
  45. Synchaeta
    rank: genus
  46. Synchaeta pectinata
    rank: species
  47. Thermocyclops decipiens
    rank: species
  48. Thermocyclops emini
    rank: species
  49. Thermocyclops incisus
    rank: species
  50. Thermocyclops neglectus
    rank: species
  51. Thermocyclops oblongatus
    rank: species
  52. Thermodiaptomus galeboides
    rank: species
  53. Trichocerca
    rank: genus
  54. Trichocerca cylindrica
    rank: species
  55. Tropocyclops confinnis
    rank: species
  56. Tropocyclops tenellus
    rank: species
  57. Tropodiaptomus stuhlmanni species
    rank: species

Geographic Coverages

The dataset covers Murchison bay, Lake Victoria. The bay is adjacent to Kampala, the capital city of Uganda.

Bibliographic Citations

  1. Boxshall, G. A. & Braide, E. I. 1991. The freshwater cyclopoid copepods of Nigeria, with an illustrated key to all species. Bull. Br. Mus. Nat. Hist. (zool), 57, 185-212. -
  2. Brooks, J. L. 1957. The systematics of North American Daphnia. Memoirs of the connecticut academy of Arts and Sciences, 13, 1-18. -
  3. Korinek, V. 1999. A guide to limnetic species of Cladocera of African inland waters (Crustacea, Branchiopoda). The International Association of Theoretical and Applied Limnology. SIL. -
  4. Koste, W. 1978. Rotatoria. Die Radertiere Mitteleuropas. Ein Bestimmungwerk, begrundet vo Max Voig. Uberrordnung Monogononta. Gebruder Borntraeger, Berlin, Stuttgart. -
  5. Pennak, R. W. 1953. Fresh-water invertebrates of the United States, New York, John Wiley & Sons. -
  6. Rutner-Kolisko, A. 1974. Planktonic rotifers: Biology and taxonomy, Biological Station Lunz of the Austrian Academy of Science. E. Schweizerbart’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung. -
  7. Sars, G. O. 1895. An account of the Crustacea of Norway, Christiania and Copenhagen Alb. Cammermeyer Forlag -

Contacts

Vincent Kiggundu
originator
position: Senior Research Technician
National Fisheries Resources Research Institute
Nile Crescent, Plot 39/45, Jinja Opposite the wagon ferry terminal
Jinja
343
UG
email: vkiggundu@hotmail.com
Laban Musinguzi
originator
position: Research officer
National Fisheries Resources Research Institute
Nile Crescent, Plot 39/45, Jinja Opposite the wagon ferry terminal
Jinja
343
UG
email: labanmusinguzi@firi.go.ug
homepage: https://labanmusinguzi.com/
userId: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=m2Dzl1gAAAAJ&hl=en
Vianny Natugonza
originator
position: Research officer
National Fisheries Resources Research Institute
Nile Crescent, Plot 39/45, Jinja Opposite the wagon ferry terminal
Jinja
343
UG
email: viannynatugonza@firi.go.ug
userId: http://scholar.google.com/citations?user=https://scholar.google.ca/citations?user=KewxfP8AAAAJ&hl=en
Vincent Kiggundu
metadata author
position: Senior Research Technician
National Fisheries Resources Research Institute
Nile Crescent, Plot 39/45, Jinja Opposite the wagon ferry terminal
Jinja
343
UG
email: vkiggundu@hotmail.com
Laban Musinguzi
point of contact
position: Research officer
National Fisheries Resources Resources Research Institute
Nile Crescent, Plot 39/45, Jinja opposite the Wagon ferry terminal
Jinja
343
UG
email: labanmusinguzi@firi.go.ug
homepage: http://www.firi.go.ug/
Vincent Kiggundu
administrative point of contact
position: Senior Research Technician
National Fisheries Resources Research Institute
Nile Crescent, Plot 39/45, Jinja Opposite the wagon ferry terminal
Jinja
UG
email: vkiggundu@hotmail.com
Laban Musinguzi
administrative point of contact
position: Research Officer
National Fisheries Resources Research Institute
Nile Crescent, Plot 39/45, Jinja Opposite the wagon ferry terminal
Jinja
343
UG
email: labanmusinguzi@firi.go.ug
homepage: https://labanmusinguzi.com/
userId: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=m2Dzl1gAAAAJ&hl=en
What is GBIF? API FAQ Newsletter Privacy Terms and agreements Citation Code of Conduct Acknowledgements
Contact GBIF Secretariat Universitetsparken 15 DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø Denmark
GBIF is a Global Core Biodata Resource