Abstract
The Okavango delta in Botswana, where vast areas of savannah annually are flooded and set under shallow water, is among the most diverse ecosystems on Earth. Crucial for the exceptional biodiversity are the complex land-water interactions, where terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems interact during different seasons. Most of these interactions have only been superficially investigated. Several anthropogenic activities represent potential threats to the ecosystems involved, and make intensified research an urgent task. The project intends to investigate some of the important interactions between the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, and their synergisms, as reflected in the semi-aquatic food web, and plankton diversity and dynamics in particular. This zone makes up a crossroad of energy transfer between the terrestrial and aquatic compartments. As a ecosystem level research project, it will improve our understanding of highly diverse tropical ecosystem interactions, with special regards to a sustainable use and management in the future. The study is a co-project of the University of Oslo (UiO) and the University of Botswana (UoB). It will be carried out as an integrated part of a research programme on food web structure and fish production, run from the Ministry of Agriculture (Gaborone), in co-operation with the Okavango Research Centre/UoB.
Norway