Science Magazine highlights Post Lab research in article on The River Masters
Science magazine has just published an article on the role of hippos in altering aquatic ecosystems. The article highlights Post Lab research in the Mara River among other work on hippos in Kenya. The article explores the dual role that hippos can play in moving enough carbon and nutrients from terrestrial to aquatic systems to support productivity and the food web, yet in sometimes providing so much organic material that hippos may have detrimental effects.
The hippo loading estimates discussed in the Science magazine article are from:
Subalusky, A.L., C.L. Dutton, E.J. Rosi-Marshall, and D.M. Post. 2015. The hippopotamus conveyor belt: vectors of carbon and nutrients from terrestrial grasslands to aquatic systems in sub-Saharan Africa. Freshwater Biology in press. doi:10.1111/fwb.12474
For more information on Post Lab research in the Mara River, please visit our Mara Project web site.