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Variability In Parasites’ Community Structure And Composition In Cat Fish With Respect To Level Of Pollution In Mwanza Gulf, Lake Victoria, Tanzania, C. J. Mwita

Tanzania Journal of Science

This study investigated the composition and structure of the parasite communities in Cat fish with respect to levels of water pollution in Lake Victoria. A total of 1071 Clarias gariepinus with mean TL range of 19 to 27 cm were analyzed from three localities in Mwanza Gulf (Kirumba, 298 fish infected with 15 parasite species), Nyegezi (376 fish, with 15 parasites species) and Malimbe (397 fish, with 16 parasites species). Trematodes and nematodes dominated the population with six (35.3%) and five (29.4%) species, respectively. Mean species richness and heteroxenous/monoxenous ratio showed significant changes (Fr = 8.000; p = 0.0046), being …

Host-Parasites Relationship For Lake Victoria Clariid Fishes And Their Parasite Fauna, C. J. Mwita

Tanzania Journal of Science

Host-parasite co-evolutionary relationships for the clariid fish species of the Lake Victoria basin and their parasite fauna was inferred by cytochrome b gene and the 18S rDNA using ‘a strict coevolutionary’ constrained tree method, the results of which revealed a phylogenetic incongruence between the fish hosts and their parasite fauna. The present study further indicated that the sympatric association between the clariid hosts and non-clariid fishes in Lake Victoria makes it possible for the parasites to switch from one host to another and hence the large number of shared parasites observed. The specificity of some of the parasites, e.g. Diplostomum …

Anthropogenic Disturbance On The Vegetation In Makurunge Woodland, Bagamoyo District, Tanzania, C. Mligo, C. Mligo

Tanzania Journal of Science

Makurunge woodland is part of the major vegetation component covering coastal forest landscape in Tanzania that has been severely affected by anthropogenic disturbance. The present study determined the effects of anthropogenic disturbance on biomass, diversity, plant communities and plant species distribution pattern using nested sample plots systematically established along transects. Six major vegetation communities with different biomass were found. Plant species diversity ranged from 2.5 to 3.3 and was high in scrub forests, riverine and thicketed habitats, although the difference among these habitats was not significant (P>0.05). About 61-90% of the woodland was affected and this influenced the plant …

Classification Of Plants According To Their Heavy Metal Content Around North Mara Gold Mine, Tanzania: Implication For Phytoremediation, N. Mganga, Mlk Manoko, Z. K. Rulangaranga

Tanzania Journal of Science

Plants like other living organisms respond differently under different environmental conditions. An elevated level of heavy metals is one of the stresses which results into three classes of plants depending on their heavy metal content. The classes of plant species according to their accumulated heavy metals around North Mara Gold Mine were not known. To study such classes, a line transect of 700m long was established opposite the gold mine wastes. A total of eight sampling points were systematically established each after every 100m in that transect. Fifteen plant species were sampled; at least one species per sampling point. Approximately …

Evaluation Of Single-Step Steam Pyrolysis-Activated Carbons From Lesotho Agro-Forestry Residues, I. Hapazari, V. Ntuli, W. Parawira

Tanzania Journal of Science

Activated carbon has been widely used worldwide as an effective filtration or adsorption material for removing biological and chemical contaminants from drinking water. The potential of producing activated carbon (AC) from local agroforestry residues by single-step steam pyrolysis processes was investigated. The research aims to promote innovative use of local raw materials and relatively low-cost techniques in production of activated carbon. Four varieties of activated carbons from four different agroforestry residues, pine (Pinus contorta) cones (PC), Abies (Abies cilicica) seeds (AS), maple (Acer ginnala) seeds (MS) and peach (Prunus persica) stones (PS), were prepared and evaluated. The ACs were evaluated …

A Study Of Sponge Aquaculture In Jambiani: Is Shallow Farming Feasible?, Sarah Friday

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In the village of Jambiani, Unguja, a Swiss NGO called Marine Cultures has established an experimental sponge farming initiative to improve local employment and support economic development. Currently, the main farming site is only accessible through SCUBA diving. This is consistent with experimental farm sites in other oceanic regions, as most are located in depths of at least five meters with sponges suspended vertically to maximize water flow exposure. Farms located in shallower water may not be conducive to sponge growth due to highly variable environmental conditions; however, no conclusive research has been conducted on this matter (Duckworth 2009). Nonetheless, …

Taxonomy, Identification, And Phylogeny Of The African And Madagascan Species Of The Tiger Beetle Genus Chaetodera Jeannel 1946 (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae), Jonathan R. Mawdsley

Insecta Mundi

The taxonomy of the African and Madagascan species of the tiger beetle genus Chaetodera Jeannel 1946 (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae) is reviewed based on studies of primary types and additional museum specimens. Six species are recognized: C. andriana (Alluaud 1900), C. antatsima (Alluaud 1902), C. blanchardi (Fairmaire 1882), C. maheva (Künckel d’Herculais 1887), C. perrieri (Fairmaire 1897), and C. regalis (Dejean 1831). All species are illustrated, including color variants, and a key to species and maps of species distributions are provided. A hypothesis of phylogenetic relationships is proposed for the nine worldwide species of the genus Chaetodera based on computerized parsimony analysis …

Effect Of Variable Transmission Rate On The Dynamics Of Hiv In Sub-Saharan Africa, Diego F. Cuadros, Phillip H. Crowley, Ben Augustine, Sarah L. Stewart, Gisela García-Ramos

Biology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: The cause of the high HIV prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa is incompletely understood, with heterosexual penile-vaginal transmission proposed as the main mechanism. Heterosexual HIV transmission has been estimated to have a very low probability; but effects of cofactors that vary in space and time may substantially alter this pattern.

METHODS: To test the effect of individual variation in the HIV infectiousness generated by co-infection, we developed and analyzed a mathematical sexual network model that simulates the behavioral components of a population from Malawi, as well as the dynamics of HIV and the co-infection effect caused by other infectious diseases, …

Importance Of Behavior And Morphological Traits For Controlling Body Temperature In Littorinid Snails, Luke Miller, Mark Denny

Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences

For organisms living in the intertidal zone, temperature is an important selective agent that can shape species distributions and drive phenotypic variation among populations. Littorinid snails, which occupy the upper limits of rocky shores and estuaries worldwide, often experience extreme high temperatures and prolonged aerial emersion during low tides, yet their robust physiology—coupled with morphological and behavioral traits—permits these gastropods to persist and exert strong grazing control over algal communities. We use a mechanistic heat-budget model to compare the effects of behavioral and morphological traits on the body temperatures of five species of littorinid snails under natural weather conditions. Model …

Influence Of Agricultural Stream Habitat Alterations On Mosquitoes And Amphibians: Patterns, Processes, And Predictions, Julia Sonn

Biology Theses

Changes to stream structure, riparian habitat, and water quality can alter ecosystem dynamics, resulting in an increase in mosquitoes, while weakening populations of amphibians. Therefore, it is necessary to understand how these components are affected by agricultural practices so that mosquito populations can be controlled and aquatic organisms can be protected. In this study, I examined changes in stream structure by measuring geomorphology at three riparian habitats that were anthropogenically impacted to varying degrees. I also compared water quality between the habitats. Mosquitoes and amphibians were surveyed at each riparian habitat, identified to species, and abundances were compared. Stream structure …

Habitat Use And Population Densities Of Rain Forest Chameleons In The East Usambara Mountains Of Tanzania [Poster], Philip Shirk, David A. Patrick, James R. Vonesh, Kim Howell

Biology Presentations

Conclusions:

• Chamaeleo dilepis and Ri. brevicaudatus are absent from forest at this elevation (852-1103m), while K. matschiei, K. vosseleri, K. tenuis, and R. spinosus are relatively scarce in the forest. Trioceros deremensis and R. temporalis are common, but density varies greatly.
• The endemic and scarce K. matschiei and K. vosseleri may be of concern given their scarcity in forest habitat. Density estimates in other habitat types are needed to determine status.
• For accurate density estimates, it is important to consider seasonal variation in density and animals too high to be observed in surveys.

Coping With Forest Fragmentation: A Comparison Of Colobus Angolensis Palliatus Dietary Diversity And Behavioral Plasticity In The East Sagara Forest, Tanzania., Noah T. Dunham

Honors Projects

Habitat destruction and forest fragmentation are perhaps the largest threats to primate species around the world. While national parks, games reserves, and primate sanctuaries are instrumental in primate conservation, research suggests that some non-governmentally protected forest fragments may also serve as viable habitats for primates. Of course not all primates respond to fragmentation in the same way, but a species’ ability to survive in a fragment relates to 1) home range size 2) degree of frugivory 3) dietary flexibility and behavioral plasticity and 4) ability to utilize matrix habitats. Here I describe these variables in relation to black and white …

Optimized Production Of Lignin Peroxidase, Manganese Peroxidase And Laccase In Submerged Cultures Of Trametes Trogii Using Various Growth Media Compositions, F. Patrick, G. Mtui, A. M. Mshandete, A. Kivaisi

Tanzania Journal of Science

A white-rot fungus, Trametes trogii, was isolated from coastal Tanzania and screened for crude lignolytic enzymes production using Rhemazol Brilliant blue R (RBBR) dye, 2,2-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzthiazoline)-6-sulfonate (ABTS) and guaiacol in a semi-solid medium. Lignin peroxidase (LiP), manganese peroxidase (MnP) and Laccase (Lac) were detected by pyrogallol and !- napthol solutions, respectively on the guaiacol supplemented solid media. The effect of temperature, pH, carbon, nitrogen, Cu2+, 2,5-xylidine, ferulic acid, varatryl alcohol and Mn2+ in submerged culture fermentations were investigated for maximum enzymes production. After 7 days of incubation, 72-100% oxidation of RBBR, ABTS and guaiacol was observed. With optimized culture conditions, …

Effects Of Mulching, Fertilizer, Seeding And Seedling Treatments On Plant Species Recovery In Kondoa Irangi Hills, Tanzania, H. V. M. Lyaruu

Tanzania Journal of Science

Fertilization, mulching, imported seed bank seeding and seedlings were applied to triplicates of 1m x1m plots at Chakwe and Gubali sites in Kondoa Irangi Hills, Tanzania. Responses tested were seedling recruitment, species turnover, species’ biomass, mortality of seedlings, total number of perennial and woody species recruited and leguminous species. There were high significant correlations of 0.85 and 0.87 between seedling recruitment and mortality in both sites, indicating that other factors, probably aridity, rather than prevailing site conditions were likely to be important determinants of mortality. Inorganic fertilization was not an efficient means of improving short-term productivity, seedling recruitment or increased …

Phylogenetic Relationships Of The Metazoan Parasites Of The Clariid Fishes Of Lake Victoria Inferred From Partial 18s Rdna Sequences, C. J. Mwita, G. Nkwengulila

Tanzania Journal of Science

Phylogenetic relationships among twenty two metazoan parasites recovered from seven species of clariid fish from Lake Victoria were analysed using partial 18S rDNA sequences. The 18S rDNA gene was amplified by polymerase chain reaction, directly sequenced, aligned and phylogenies inferred using maximum parsimony. Heuristic bootstrap MP searches yielded one most parsimonious tree (CI = 61%, HI = 39%), which showed that clariid parasites are monophyletic at higher taxonomic levels (Cestodea, Nematodea, Digenea and Crustacea). However the position of two trematodes (Allocredium mazoensis and Clinostomum sp.) and a nematode (Contracaecum sp.) were not stable. Despite the present findings, the study utilised …

Heavy Metal Levels In Paddy Soils And Rice (Oryza Sativa (L)) From Wetlands Of Lake Victoria Basin, Tanzania, J. F. Machiwa

Tanzania Journal of Science

A survey of paddy fields in Lake Victoria Basin (LVB) wetlands was conducted at a wider scale in different locations including closer to mining and within urbanized areas in Tanzania. The objective of the study was mainly to assess the present situation with regard to levels of heavy metals in O. sativa grains harvested locally as well as to set the baseline levels of some heavy metals in paddy fields. The results showed that the levels of Cadmium, Chromium, Copper, Lead, Zinc and total Mercury in brown rice are generally within the acceptable levels for human food. However, higher concentration …

Urban Dietary Heavy Metal Intake From Protein Foods And Vegetables In Dar Es Salaam, F. N. Ngassapa, O. C. Othman, E. Elisante

Tanzania Journal of Science

Contamination of food and food products by heavy metals has made dietary intake as one of the major routes of these harmful elements to human beings. The human dietary intake of heavy metals cadmium, copper, lead and zinc from protein-foods (beans, meat, fish, milk) and green vegetables consumed daily from restaurants and street food-vendor kiosks in Dar es Salaam were determined using the Total Diet Study (TDS) method. The cooked food was bought from the restaurants and street food-vendors at several city locations (i.e. Buguruni, Manzese, Mwenge, Temeke and Ubungo) over several months and analyzed. Heavy metal concentrations were determined …

Geomorphological Potential Of Coelacanth Habitat Across Mozambique-Tanzania Border, N. Nyandwi

Tanzania Journal of Science

The coelacanth is a new fish in Tanzania. It was first discovered in September 2003 after it was spotted by a tourist in a fish market. It was caught by fishermen in the deep waters off Songo Mnara Island offshore of Kilwa Masoko Town in Southern Tanzania. The find potentially added southern Tanzania to the list of known coelacanth areas of the southern Western Indian Ocean Region. Observed current conditions indicate that the waters are swept by strong (2 m/sec) northward flowing current. This suggests that there must exist hideouts for the fish, such as caves in canyons and overhangs. …

Economic Analysis Of Small Scale Sorghum Processing In Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, Jeremia Makindara, Joseph J. Mpagalile, Wenceslaus Ballegu

INTSORMIL Presentations

Due to small scale food processing initiatives, several entrepreneurs dealing in small scale sorghum processing have emerged in Tanzania and especially in urban centers such as Dar es Salaam. The recent initiative that has contributed to this is the SUA-INTSORMIL Project that started in 2005. However, despite such initiatives being received by many entrepreneurs, very few economic studies have been conducted to assess the benefits obtained by sorghum processing entrepreneurs and the challenges they face are not well explained. This study therefore assessed costs and benefits obtained by small scale sorghum processing entrepreneurs in Dar es Salaam and the challenges …

Developing Entrepreneurship, The Tanzania Experience: Sua-Intsormil Project, Joseph J. Mpagalile, Wenceslaus R. Ballegu

INTSORMIL Presentations

Project Title: Building a Sustainable Infrastructure for Product Development and Food Entrepreneur/Industry Technical Support: A Strategy to Promote Increased Use of Sorghum and Millet in East Africa.

Long Term Program Objectives: Development of successful entrepreneurial businesses that add-value to sorghum and millet such that:

~Farmers have an established outlet for cash sales of high-quality sorghum and millet

~Small businesses or cooperatives develop processing capabilities enabling the incorporation of sorghum and millet into a wide variety of food products

~Markets and market channels for sorghum and millet-based products develop.

Further develop research, extension and marketing expertise of National Agricultural Research Institutes …

Pesticide Use And Awareness On Pemba Island, Brooke Shorett, Lauren Crask

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Use and awareness of pesticides by 301 farmers on Pemba Island, Tanzania, were surveyed, in order to assess practices and perceptions of pesticide use. Surveys were conducted in both peri-urban farms and rural farms, which were either irrigated or rain-fed. Results showed that while the overwhelming majority of farmers on irrigated fields used pesticides frequently, farmers located in rain-fed irrigation largely farmed without pesticides. Likewise, peri-urban farmers made use of pesticides far more than rural farmers. Of the farmers who did use pesticides, an average of Tsh 17,219 was spent annually on Rogol, Satunil, Dimethoate, Simithion, Thionex and Dursban. Most …

Stop Pummeling My Primates: Effects Of Land Use Change On Behaviors Of Papio Anubis Near Lake Manyara National Park In Mto Wa Mbu, Tanzania, Hannah Young

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The ever-increasing human population means more land is required for housing and agricultural needs to sustain the growing population. This study involves a group of olive baboons living in and on the boundary of Lake Manyara National Park in Mto wa Mbu, Tanzania. They leave the park everyday and travel to surrounding areas. There are three different habitats near the baboons’ exit point of the park, a residential area with houses and some people, an undisturbed area without homes and residents, and an agricultural area, full of farms and the most densely populated area. The object of this study was …

Diversity Partitioning Of Stony Corals Across Multiple Spatial Scales Around Zanzibar Island, Tanzania, Robert Van Woesik, Assaf Zvuloni, Yossi Loya

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

The coral reefs of Zanzibar Island (Unguja, Tanzania) encompass a considerable proportion of the global coralreef diversity and are representative of the western Indian Ocean region. Unfortunately, these reefs have been recently subjected to local and regional disturbances. The objectives of this study were to determine whether there are potentially non-random processes forcing the observed coral diversity patterns, and highlight where and at which spatial scales these processes might be most influential. Methodology/Principal Findings: A hierarchical (nested) sampling design was employed across three spatial scales, ranging from transects (≤20 m), stations (<100 m), to sites (<1000 m), to examine coral diversity patterns. Two of the four sites, Chumbe and Mnemba, were located within Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), while the other two sites, Changuu and Bawe, were not protected. Additive partitioning of coral diversity was used to separate regional (total) diversity (γ) into local a diversity and among-sample β diversity components. Individual-based null models were used to identify deviations from random distribution across the three spatial scales. We found that Chumbe and Mnemba had similar diversity components to those predicted by the null models. However, the diversity at Changuu and Bawe was lower than expected at all three spatial scales tested. Consequently, the relative contribution of the among-site diversity component was significantly greater than expected. Applying partitioning analysis for each site separately revealed that the within-transect diversity component in Changuu was significantly lower than the null expectation. Conclusions/Significance: The non-random outcome of the partitioning analyses helped to identify the among-sites scale (i.e., 10's of kilometers) and the within-transects scale (i.e., a few meters; especially at Changuu) as spatial boundaries within which to examine the processes that may interact and disproportionately differentiate coral diversity. In light of coral community compositions and diversity patterns we strongly recommend that Bawe be declared a MPA.

Ecological Niche And Potential Geographic Distribution Of The Invasive Fruit Fly Bactrocera Invadens (Diptera, Tephritidae), M. De Meyer, M. P. Robertson, M. W. Mansell, S. Ekesi, K. Tsuruta, W. Mwaiko, J. F. Vayssières, A. T. Peterson

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Two correlative approaches to the challenge of ecological niche modeling (genetic algorithm, maximum entropy) were used to estimate the potential global distribution of the invasive fruit fly, Bactrocera invadens, based on associations between known occurrence records and a set of environmental predictor variables. The two models yielded similar estimates, largely corresponding to Equatorial climate classes with high levels of precipitation. The maximum entropy approach was somewhat more conservative in its evaluation of suitability, depending on thresholds for presence/absence that are selected, largely excluding areas with distinct dry seasons; the genetic algorithm models, in contrast, indicate that climate class as partly …

Retrieval Of Atmospheric Elemental Carbon Records Using Lake Sediments : Implications In Radiative Forcing, Tanveer Ahmed

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Elemental or black carbon (EC or BC) aerosols produced during incomplete combustion strongly absorb solar radiation and contribute to global warming, and cause cardiopulmonary disease. Long-term atmospheric EC measurements, [EC]_atm, are needed to validate global climate models to estimate the impact of EC on earth's temperature. Such data is sparse.

Tetrapod Fauna Of The Lowermost Usili Formation (Songea Group, Ruhuhu Basin) Of Southern Tanzania, With A New Burnetiid Record, Christian A. Sidor, Kenneth D. Angielczyk, D. Marie Weide, Roger M. H. Smith, Sterling J. Nesbitt, Linda A. Tsuji

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

Vertebrate fossils from the Ruhuhu Basin of southern Tanzania have been known for over 75 years, but the details of their stratigraphic distribution remain imperfectly understood. Recent fieldwork in the Upper Permian Usili Formation (Songea Group) has led to the discovery of a tetrapod assemblage in a conglomeratic unit at its base. The fossils are concentrated in matrix-supported intraformational clay pebble conglomerates interpreted as mass flow deposits in wide, shallow channels in the distal reaches of an alluvial fan. Included in this new collection are fossils representing the first record of a burnetiid therapsid from Tanzania. The anatomy of the …

A Phylogenetic Study Of The Old World Asclepiadinae (Apocynaceae) Based On Chloroplast And Nuclear Dna Sequence Data, David Chuba

Dissertations and Theses

Relationships within the African Asclepias generic complex (Asclepiadinae, Apocynaceae) have for a long time been only a matter of intuitive speculation and generic delimitations have been diverse and rather contentious. Generic delimitation in this group has been based on morphological characters that are usually not exclusive to any particular clade or genus. The difficulty of identifying taxonomically useful morphological characters for inferring generic delimitations has led to differences in the emphasized characters by different taxonomists. This study is aimed at understanding phylogenetic relationships of species within the African Asclepias complex based upon the nuclear PgiC and three chloroplast DNA regions, …

Summer/Fall 2009, Nsu Oceanographic Center

Currents

No abstract provided.

Serotonin Immunoreactive Cells And Nerve Fibers In The Mucosa Of The Rat Stomach, A P Gesase

Tanzania Journal of Science

The current study has showed the morphological features of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) immunoreactivity in the pyloric mucosa of the rat stomach. The immunoreactive elements included the endocrine cells, mast cells and mucosal nerve fibers in the lamina propria. The immunopositive endocrine cells were oval in shape and located mostly in the basal part of the gastric glands. The cell contained a central non-staining area and the peripheral staining zone. The mast cells stained homogenously and appeared to be oval-round in shape. They were located in the upper, middle and basal parts of the mucosa. Serotonin immunoreactive nerve fibers with varicosities were …

Morphological Features Of Tyrosine Hydroxylase Immunoreactive Cells In The Mouse Islets Of Langerhans, A P Gesase, Y -I Satoh

Tanzania Journal of Science

The current immunohistochemical study used the antibody against tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) to observe the immunoreactive elements in the mouse pancreas. The results indicated the presence of immunoreactive nerve fibers and endocrine cells. The immunopositive nerve fibers appeared as thick and thin bundles; thick bundles were seen to run along the blood vessels giving out fine fibers to the wall. Varicose nerve fibers were seen in the islets of Langerhans and also in close association with the exocrine endpieces. The TH immunoreactive cells were oval-round in shape and some showed the central non-staining area and the dense staining peripheral zone. More …