Organism
Lake Tanganyika Cichlids
TL;DR
Lake Tanganyika's 200 cichlid species represent another dramatic example of adaptive radiation, diversifying in Africa's oldest lake to fill available ecological niches.
Lake Tanganyika's 200 cichlid species represent another dramatic example of adaptive radiation, diversifying in Africa's oldest lake to fill available ecological niches. Like Darwin's finches, cichlids show how a single ancestor can radiate into hundreds of specialized forms when encountering environments with open niches.
Notable Traits of Lake Tanganyika Cichlids
- 200 species from adaptive radiation
- Africa's oldest lake
- 200+ species from single ancestor
- Rapid speciation
- Diverse ecological roles