E.g. Lake Zaysan (Kazakhstan), Lake Baikal (Siberia), Lake Ochrid and Lake Prespa
(Albania, North Macedonia, Greece), Lake Malawi, Lake Victoria and Lake Tanganyika (East Africa), and Lake Titicaca (South America) belong to the putative
oldest lakes on Earth. Many large and old lakes are inhabited by endemic animal and
rarely plant species. The obvious difference between the amount of endemics in
animals and plants in old lakes has to do with the fact that animal species can use
more space of the whole water column whereas plants only use the surface water,
preferably where the lake is shallow and where they are able to catch enough light.
Especially the surface is often more impacted by wind, weather and other influences
than the deeper zones. Thus, the possibility and space for an uninterrupted evolution
at the surface or in the littoral zone of a lake is much smaller than for deeper zones or
the whole water body.
4.1 Endangered Species of Wetlands
Because of a growing world population of humans, enlargement of settlements
including building of houses, dams and barrages, and intensification of agriculture,
for example, the pressure to freshwater habitats is high and might regionally increase
in the future (e.g. Janssen et al. 2016; IUCN 2019).
Fig. 3 Karst spring of River Cetina, Croatia (photographed by Michaela Moro-Richter)
Wetlands: Challenges and Possibilities
321
(Albania, North Macedonia, Greece), Lake Malawi, Lake Victoria and Lake Tanganyika (East Africa), and Lake Titicaca (South America) belong to the putative
oldest lakes on Earth. Many large and old lakes are inhabited by endemic animal and
rarely plant species. The obvious difference between the amount of endemics in
animals and plants in old lakes has to do with the fact that animal species can use
more space of the whole water column whereas plants only use the surface water,
preferably where the lake is shallow and where they are able to catch enough light.
Especially the surface is often more impacted by wind, weather and other influences
than the deeper zones. Thus, the possibility and space for an uninterrupted evolution
at the surface or in the littoral zone of a lake is much smaller than for deeper zones or
the whole water body.
4.1 Endangered Species of Wetlands
Because of a growing world population of humans, enlargement of settlements
including building of houses, dams and barrages, and intensification of agriculture,
for example, the pressure to freshwater habitats is high and might regionally increase
in the future (e.g. Janssen et al. 2016; IUCN 2019).
Fig. 3 Karst spring of River Cetina, Croatia (photographed by Michaela Moro-Richter)
Wetlands: Challenges and Possibilities
321