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Lae Nakuru national Park has a number of ecosystems, the two major ones being the aquatic and terrestrial. LNNP has a large variety of animals and birds most of which the area permanently and others which migrate each year. Lake Nakuru National Park can provide all of the requirements for its wildlife. Within ecosystems there are a number of interactions between the organisms themselves and their environment. Since its inception in 1961, LNNP has expended to include the land adjacent to the lake, which is recognized to be crucial to the animals especially the mammals and birds that use the lake.
The Lake
Lake Nakuru is the lowest point in a catchment area of about 2,000sq.
Km. It has no outlet which means that whatever gets deposited in the Lake
from the rain or from the inflowing rivers stays there. The Lake therefore
has very high concentration of salt and minerals, especially sodium carbonate
which is very Alkaline (pH 10.4). As a result of this, there are very
few organisms that can survive in the lake. The animals include a few
species of insect larvae, crustacea and fish. The plants are dominated
by the Spirulina plantesis algae that grow at the bottom of the shallow
lake and eaten by the lesser flamingo and the breem fish (Tilapia). The
algae make up 95% of all total algal biomass.the lake’s nutrient
level is very high so that even though the lake supports just a few species
within, it supports large numbers of these plants and animals, which in
turn suppots wide variety of birds. The fish were introduced to the lake
to help control the mosquito population. It is interesting to note that
the fish instead are known to feed on the algae too.