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On the Age and Origin of Lake Ejagham, Cameroon, and Its Endemic Fishes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 July 2017

Jay Curt Stager ,
Kenneth Alton ,
Christopher H. Martin ,
David T. King Jr. ,
Lucille W. Petruny ,
Brendan Wiltse  and
Daniel A. Livingstone
Jay Curt Stager*
Affiliation:
Natural Sciences, Paul Smith’s College, Paul Smiths, New York 12970, USA
Kenneth Alton
Affiliation:
Natural Sciences, Paul Smith’s College, Paul Smiths, New York 12970, USA
Christopher H. Martin
Affiliation:
Biology Department, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27514, USA
David T. King Jr.
Affiliation:
Department of Geosciences, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama 36849, USA
Lucille W. Petruny
Affiliation:
Department of Geosciences, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama 36849, USA
Brendan Wiltse
Affiliation:
Natural Sciences, Paul Smith’s College, Paul Smiths, New York 12970, USA
Daniel A. Livingstone
Affiliation:
(deceased) Department of Zoology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27706, USA
*
*Corresponding author at: Natural Sciences, Paul Smith’s College, Paul Smiths, New York 12970, USA. E-mail address: cstager@paulsmiths.edu (J.C. Stager).
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Abstract

Lake Ejagham is a small, shallow lake in Cameroon, West Africa, which supports five endemic species of cichlid fishes in two distinct lineages. Genetic evidence suggests a relatively young age for the species flocks, but supporting geologic evidence has thus far been unavailable. Here we present diatom, geochemical, mineralogical, and radiocarbon data from two sediment cores that provide new insights into the age and origin of Lake Ejagham and its endemic fishes. Radiocarbon ages at the base of the longer core indicate that the lake formed approximately 9 ka ago, and the diatom record of the shorter core suggests that hydroclimate variability during the last 3 millennia was similar to that of other lakes in Cameroon and Ghana. These findings establish a maximum age of ca. 9 cal ka BP for the lake and its endemic species and suggest that repeated cichlid speciation in two distinct lineages occurred rapidly within the lake. Local geology and West African paleoclimate records argue against a volcanic, chemical, or climatic origin for Lake Ejagham. Although not conclusive, the morphometry of the lake and possible signs of impact-induced effects on quartz grains are instead more suggestive of a bolide impact.

Keywords

AfricaCameroonCichlidDiatomLake EjaghamEvolutionWest African monsoonSpeciation
Type
Tribute to Daniel Livingstone and Paul Colinvaux
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 89 , Issue 1: Tribute to Daniel Livingstone and Paul Colinvaux , January 2018 , pp. 21 - 32
Copyright
Copyright © University of Washington. Published by Cambridge University Press, 2017 

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