Lakes Tanganyika and Baikal
- Lakes Tanganyika and Baikal are the oldest, and best-known, freshwater lakes on the globe.
- Because of their ages (respectively 9-20 Myr and 28 Myr), the sediments of these lakes are rich sources of information on past climate changes in their respective regions.
- Both lakes are also famous biodiversity hotspots. Combined they harbour more than 7000 animal and several thousand plant species and subspecies of which more than 50% are endemic.
- Despite the fact that several of the major faunal components of these lakes have been studied over the last decades, the taxonomy of many of these groups remains poorly known.
Last modified :
April
23,
2007
