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80-489: The lake's abundance of algae used to attract a vast quantity of flamingos that famously lined the shore. Other birds also flourish in the area, as do warthogs , baboons and other large mammals . Eastern black rhinos and southern white rhinos have also been introduced. About 10,000 years ago, Lake Nakuru, together with neighboring Lake Elementaita and Lake Naivasha (60 km further south), formed one single, deep freshwater lake that eventually dried up, leaving

160-571: A and b . Their chloroplasts are surrounded by four and three membranes, respectively, and were probably retained from ingested green algae. Chlorarachniophytes , which belong to the phylum Cercozoa , contain a small nucleomorph , which is a relict of the algae's nucleus . Euglenids , which belong to the phylum Euglenozoa , live primarily in fresh water and have chloroplasts with only three membranes. The endosymbiotic green algae may have been acquired through myzocytosis rather than phagocytosis . (Another group with green algae endosymbionts

240-408: A and c , and phycobilins. The shape can vary; they may be of discoid, plate-like, reticulate, cup-shaped, spiral, or ribbon shaped. They have one or more pyrenoids to preserve protein and starch. The latter chlorophyll type is not known from any prokaryotes or primary chloroplasts, but genetic similarities with red algae suggest a relationship there. In the first three of these groups ( Chromista ),

320-462: A demand for land and resources leading to unplanned infrastructure growth. The weak cash economy creates a need to further subdivide the outlying ranch areas. These new owners have converted some land away from traditional grazing fields, negatively affecting wildlife migration. A rise in fencing exacerbates the restriction in free movement for migration, and grazing opportunities are diminished. The Mara Conservancy encourages conservation efforts in

400-539: A form and capabilities not possessed by the symbiont species alone (they can be experimentally isolated). The photobiont possibly triggers otherwise latent genes in the mycobiont. Trentepohlia is an example of a common green alga genus worldwide that can grow on its own or be lichenised. Lichen thus share some of the habitat and often similar appearance with specialized species of algae ( aerophytes ) growing on exposed surfaces such as tree trunks and rocks and sometimes discoloring them. Coral reefs are accumulated from

480-598: A lineage that eventually led to the higher land plants. The innovation that defines these nonalgal plants is the presence of female reproductive organs with protective cell layers that protect the zygote and developing embryo. Hence, the land plants are referred to as the Embryophytes . The term algal turf is commonly used but poorly defined. Algal turfs are thick, carpet-like beds of seaweed that retain sediment and compete with foundation species like corals and kelps , and they are usually less than 15 cm tall. Such

560-428: A possible future expansion of habitat for the rhinos and the only remaining wildlife corridor to Lake Naivasha . The park now (2009) has more than 25 eastern black rhinoceros , one of the largest concentrations in the country, plus around 70 southern white rhinos . There are also a number of Rothschild's giraffe , again relocated for safety from western Kenya beginning in 1977. Waterbuck are very common and both

640-423: A prominent examples of algae that have primary chloroplasts derived from endosymbiont cyanobacteria. Diatoms and brown algae are examples of algae with secondary chloroplasts derived from endosymbiotic red algae , which they acquired via phagocytosis . Algae exhibit a wide range of reproductive strategies, from simple asexual cell division to complex forms of sexual reproduction via spores . Algae lack

720-483: A red dye derived from it. The Latinization, fūcus , meant primarily the cosmetic rouge. The etymology is uncertain, but a strong candidate has long been some word related to the Biblical פוך ( pūk ), 'paint' (if not that word itself), a cosmetic eye-shadow used by the ancient Egyptians and other inhabitants of the eastern Mediterranean. It could be any color: black, red, green, or blue. The study of algae

800-463: A sanctuary to protect giraffes as well as both black and white rhinos . The park has recently been enlarged partly to provide a sanctuary for black rhinos. This endeavour has necessitated a fence - to keep out poachers rather than to restrict the movement of wildlife. The park stretches for 12.1 km (7.5 mi) on the south eastern boundary with the Soysambu conservancy , which represents

880-464: A small (varying from 5 to 45 square kilometres [1.9 to 17.4 sq mi]) shallow alkaline lake on the southern edge of the town of Nakuru lies about 164 kilometres (102 mi) north of Nairobi . It can therefore be visited in a day tour from the capital or more likely as part of a circuit including the Masai Mara (Also Maasai Mara) or Lake Baringo and eastwards up to Samburu . The lake

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960-468: A turf may consist of one or more species, and will generally cover an area in the order of a square metre or more. Some common characteristics are listed: Many algae, particularly species of the Characeae , have served as model experimental organisms to understand the mechanisms of the water permeability of membranes, osmoregulation , turgor regulation , salt tolerance , cytoplasmic streaming , and

1040-534: Is a significant rainfall gradient: around 800 mm (31 in)/year in the east to 1200 mm /year in the west. Elevation: 1500 - 2180 m ; Rainfall: 83 mm /month; Temperature range: 12–30 °C (54–86 °F) Blue wildebeest are the dominant inhabitants of the Maasai Mara. Around July of each year, these animals migrate north from the Serengeti plains in search of fresh pasture, and return to

1120-413: Is best known for its thousands, sometimes millions of flamingos nesting along the shores. The surface of the shallow lake is often hardly recognizable due to the continually shifting mass of pink. The number of flamingos on the lake varies with water and food conditions and the best vantage point is from Baboon Cliff . Also, of interest is an area of 188 km (117 mi)around the lake fenced off as

1200-550: Is most commonly called phycology (from Greek phykos  'seaweed'); the term algology is falling out of use. One definition of algae is that they "have chlorophyll as their primary photosynthetic pigment and lack a sterile covering of cells around their reproductive cells ". On the other hand, the colorless Prototheca under Chlorophyta are all devoid of any chlorophyll. Although cyanobacteria are often referred to as "blue-green algae", most authorities exclude all prokaryotes , including cyanobacteria, from

1280-544: Is quite different from those of reds and browns, because they have distinct nodes, separated by internode 'stems'; whorls of branches reminiscent of the horsetails occur at the nodes. Conceptacles are another polyphyletic trait; they appear in the coralline algae and the Hildenbrandiales , as well as the browns. Most of the simpler algae are unicellular flagellates or amoeboids , but colonial and nonmotile forms have developed independently among several of

1360-546: Is rich in other bird life too. There are over 400 resident species on the lake and in the surrounding park. Thousands of both little grebes and white winged black terns are frequently seen as are stilts , avocets , ducks , and in the European winter the migrant waders. Zooplankton : The monogonont rotifer species Brachionus sp. Austria (belonging to the Brachionus plicatilis cryptic species complex) occurs in

1440-528: Is the Latin word for 'seaweed' and retains that meaning in English. The etymology is obscure. Although some speculate that it is related to Latin algēre , 'be cold', no reason is known to associate seaweed with temperature. A more likely source is alliga , 'binding, entwining'. The Ancient Greek word for 'seaweed' was φῦκος ( phŷkos ), which could mean either the seaweed (probably red algae) or

1520-423: Is the dinoflagellate genus Lepidodinium , which has replaced its original endosymbiont of red algal origin with one of green algal origin. A nucleomorph is present, and the host genome still have several red algal genes acquired through endosymbiotic gene transfer. Also the euglenid and chlorarachniophyte genome contain genes of apparent red algal ancestry) These groups have chloroplasts containing chlorophylls

1600-556: Is the only protected area in Kenya with an indigenous black rhino population unaffected by translocations. Due to its size, the Mara can support one of the largest populations in Africa. The population of black rhinos was fairly numerous until 1960, but it was severely depleted by poaching in the 1970s and early 1980s, dropping to a low of 15 individuals. Numbers have been slowly increasing, but

1680-583: Is thus protected from predators; the sponge is provided with oxygen and sugars which can account for 50 to 80% of sponge growth in some species. Masai Mara Maasai Mara , also sometimes spelt Masai Mara and locally known simply as The Mara , is a large national game reserve in Narok , Kenya , contiguous with the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania . It is named in honour of

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1760-455: Is world-famous as the location of one of the greatest bird spectacle on earth – myriads of fuchsia pink flamingos , of which there are often more than a million, or even two million. They feed on the abundant algae , which thrives in the warm waters. Scientists reckon that the flamingo population at Nakuru consumes about 250,000 kg (550,000 lb) of algae per hectare of surface area per year. There are two types of flamingo species:

1840-526: The Charophyta , a division of green algae which includes, for example, Spirogyra and stoneworts . Algae that are carried passively by water are plankton , specifically phytoplankton . Algae constitute a polyphyletic group since they do not include a common ancestor , and although their chlorophyll -bearing plastids seem to have a single origin (from symbiogenesis with cyanobacteria ), they were acquired in different ways. Green algae are

1920-751: The Calymmian period , early in Boring Billion , but it is difficult to track the key events because of so much time gap. Primary symbiogenesis gave rise to three divisions of archaeplastids , namely the Viridiplantae ( green algae and later plants ), Rhodophyta ( red algae ) and Glaucophyta ("grey algae"), whose plastids further spread into other protist lineages through eukaryote-eukaryote predation , engulfments and subsequent endosymbioses (secondary and tertiary symbiogenesis). This process of serial cell "capture" and "enslavement" explains

2000-753: The Great Migration , which secured it as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa , and as one of the ten Wonders of the World . The Greater Mara ecosystem encompasses areas known as the Maasai Mara National Reserve, the Mara Triangle , several Maasai group ranches, and Maasai Mara conservancies . When Maasai Mara was originally established in 1961 as a wildlife sanctuary, it covered only 520 km² of

2080-614: The Infusoria (microscopic organisms). Unlike macroalgae , which were clearly viewed as plants, microalgae were frequently considered animals because they are often motile. Even the nonmotile (coccoid) microalgae were sometimes merely seen as stages of the lifecycle of plants, macroalgae, or animals. Although used as a taxonomic category in some pre-Darwinian classifications, e.g., Linnaeus (1753), de Jussieu (1789), Lamouroux (1813), Harvey (1836), Horaninow (1843), Agassiz (1859), Wilson & Cassin (1864), in further classifications,

2160-612: The International Association for Lichenology to be "an association of a fungus and a photosynthetic symbiont resulting in a stable vegetative body having a specific structure". The fungi, or mycobionts, are mainly from the Ascomycota with a few from the Basidiomycota . In nature, they do not occur separate from lichens. It is unknown when they began to associate. One or more mycobiont associates with

2240-610: The Kenyan subspecies are found here. Among the predators are lions , cheetahs and leopards , the latter being seen much more frequently in recent times. The park also has large sized pythons that inhabit the dense woodlands, and can often be seen crossing the roads or dangling from trees. As well as flamingos, there are a myriad of other bird species that inhabit the lake and the area surrounding it, such as African fish eagle , Goliath heron , hamerkop , pied kingfisher and Verreaux's eagle among others of their kind. Lake Nakuru,

2320-589: The Late Cambrian / Early Ordovician period, from sessile shallow freshwater charophyte algae much like Chara , which likely got stranded ashore when riverine / lacustrine water levels dropped during dry seasons . These charophyte algae probably already developed filamentous thalli and holdfasts that superficially resembled plant stems and roots , and probably had an isomorphic alternation of generations . They perhaps evolved some 850 mya and might even be as early as 1  Gya during

2400-579: The Maasai language . Lake Nakuru National Park, close to Nakuru town, was established in 1961. It started off small, only encompassing the famous lake and the surrounding mountainous vicinity, but has since been extended to include a large part of the savannahs . Lake Nakuru is protected under the Ramsar Convention on wetlands. Lake Nakuru National Park (188 km, 73 mi), was created in 1961 around Lake Nakuru , near Nakuru Town. It

2480-516: The Maasai people , the ancestral inhabitants of the area, who migrated to the area from the Nile Basin. Their description of the area when looked at from afar: "Mara" means "spotted" in the local Maasai language , because of the short bushy trees which dot the landscape. Maasai Mara is one of the wildlife conservation and wilderness areas in Africa, with its populations of lions , leopards , cheetahs and African bush elephants . It also hosts

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2560-986: The Vindhya basin have been dated to 1.6 to 1.7 billion years ago. Because of the wide range of algae types, they have increasingly different industrial and traditional applications in human society. Traditional seaweed farming practices have existed for thousands of years and have strong traditions in East Asia food cultures. More modern algaculture applications extend the food traditions for other applications, including cattle feed, using algae for bioremediation or pollution control, transforming sunlight into algae fuels or other chemicals used in industrial processes, and in medical and scientific applications. A 2020 review found that these applications of algae could play an important role in carbon sequestration to mitigate climate change while providing lucrative value-added products for global economies. The singular alga

2640-601: The apicomplexans are also parasites derived from ancestors that possessed plastids, but are not included in any group traditionally seen as algae. Algae are polyphyletic thus their origin cannot be traced back to single hypothetical common ancestor . It is thought that they came into existence when photosynthetic coccoid cyanobacteria got phagocytized by a unicellular heterotrophic eukaryote (a protist ), giving rise to double-membranous primary plastids . Such symbiogenic events (primary symbiogenesis) are believed to have occurred more than 1.5 billion years ago during

2720-435: The apicomplexans , are also derived from cells whose ancestors possessed chlorophyllic plastids, but are not traditionally considered as algae. Algae have photosynthetic machinery ultimately derived from cyanobacteria that produce oxygen as a byproduct of splitting water molecules , unlike other organisms that conduct anoxygenic photosynthesis such as purple and green sulfur bacteria . Fossilized filamentous algae from

2800-545: The calcareous exoskeletons of marine invertebrates of the order Scleractinia (stony corals ). These animals metabolize sugar and oxygen to obtain energy for their cell-building processes, including secretion of the exoskeleton, with water and carbon dioxide as byproducts. Dinoflagellates (algal protists) are often endosymbionts in the cells of the coral-forming marine invertebrates, where they accelerate host-cell metabolism by generating sugar and oxygen immediately available through photosynthesis using incident light and

2880-424: The diatoms , to multicellular macroalgae such as the giant kelp , a large brown alga which may grow up to 50 metres (160 ft) in length. Most algae are aquatic organisms and lack many of the distinct cell and tissue types, such as stomata , xylem and phloem that are found in land plants . The largest and most complex marine algae are called seaweeds . In contrast, the most complex freshwater forms are

2960-415: The lesser flamingo (shorter and lighter) and the greater flamingo (taller and darker). The lesser flamingos are more commonly pictured in documentaries mainly because their larger numbers. The number of flamingos has been decreasing recently, possibly due to too much tourism or by pollution resulting from industrial waste dumping into the water sources in the surrounding area - changes in water quality make

3040-720: The "algae" are seen as an artificial, polyphyletic group. Throughout the 20th century, most classifications treated the following groups as divisions or classes of algae: cyanophytes , rhodophytes , chrysophytes , xanthophytes , bacillariophytes , phaeophytes , pyrrhophytes ( cryptophytes and dinophytes ), euglenophytes , and chlorophytes . Later, many new groups were discovered (e.g., Bolidophyceae ), and others were splintered from older groups: charophytes and glaucophytes (from chlorophytes), many heterokontophytes (e.g., synurophytes from chrysophytes, or eustigmatophytes from xanthophytes), haptophytes (from chrysophytes), and chlorarachniophytes (from xanthophytes). With

3120-538: The Esoit Siria Escarpment are probably the best area for game viewing, in particular regarding lion and cheetah. Large carnivores are found in the reserve. Lions are the most dominant and are found here in large numbers. Spotted hyenas are another abundant carnivore, and will often compete with lions for food. Leopards are found anywhere in the reserve where there are trees for them to escape to. East African cheetahs are also found in high numbers on

3200-685: The Greater Maasai Mara ecosystem amounts to almost 1,510 km (580 sq mi). It is the northernmost section of the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem , which covers around 25,000 ha (62,000 acres) in Tanzania and Kenya. Maasai pastoral ranches are to the north, east and west. To the south is the Serengeti Park, the Siria/Oloololo escarpment is to the west. The Mara River , along with its tributaries

3280-652: The Greatest Maasai Mara Photographer of the Year competition, showcasing the Mara as a year-round destination and raise funds for conservation initiatives active in the Mara. The competition ran for six years, ending in 2023. The inaugural winner was British photographer Anup Shah. The 2019 winner was Lee-Anne Robertson from South Africa. Paolo Torchio won in 2020, Harry Collins in 2021, Preeti and Prashant Chacko in 2022, and Shravan Rao in 2023. Between 1989 and 2003, ungulates were monitored in

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3360-518: The Maasai Mara on a monthly basis; the survey revealed a decline of giraffes by 75%, of common warthogs by 80%, of hartebeest by 76%, and of impala by 67%, attributed to the increased number of livestock grazing in the park and an increase in poaching. The rise of local populations in areas neighbouring the reserve has led to the formation of conservation organisations such as the Mara Elephant Project. The project aims to ensure

3440-485: The Mara Triangle and their counterparts in the eastern part of the Mara. A flow assessment and trans-boundary river basin management plan between Kenya and Tanzania was completed for the river to sustain the ecosystem and the basic needs of 1 million people who depend on its water. The Mara Predator Conservation Programme also operates in the Maasai Mara, cataloging and monitoring lion populations throughout

3520-720: The Sand and Talek rivers, are the major rivers draining the reserve. Shrubs and trees run along most drainage lines and cover the hills. The terrain of the reserve is primarily open grassland with seasonal riverlets. In the south-east region are clumps of the distinctive acacia tree. The western border is the Esoit (Siria) Escarpment of the East African Rift , which is a system of rifts some 5600 km long, from Ethiopia 's Red Sea through Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and into Mozambique . Wildlife tends to be most concentrated here, as

3600-675: The abandonment of plant-animal dichotomous classification, most groups of algae (sometimes all) were included in Protista , later also abandoned in favour of Eukaryota . However, as a legacy of the older plant life scheme, some groups that were also treated as protozoans in the past still have duplicated classifications (see ambiregnal protists ). Some parasitic algae (e.g., the green algae Prototheca and Helicosporidium , parasites of metazoans, or Cephaleuros , parasites of plants) were originally classified as fungi , sporozoans , or protistans of incertae sedis , while others (e.g.,

3680-451: The carbon dioxide produced by the host. Reef-building stony corals ( hermatypic corals ) require endosymbiotic algae from the genus Symbiodinium to be in a healthy condition. The loss of Symbiodinium from the host is known as coral bleaching , a condition which leads to the deterioration of a reef. Endosymbiontic green algae live close to the surface of some sponges, for example, breadcrumb sponges ( Halichondria panicea ). The alga

3760-420: The chloroplast has four membranes, retaining a nucleomorph in cryptomonads , and they likely share a common pigmented ancestor, although other evidence casts doubt on whether the heterokonts , Haptophyta , and cryptomonads are in fact more closely related to each other than to other groups. The typical dinoflagellate chloroplast has three membranes, but considerable diversity exists in chloroplasts within

3840-624: The composition of the three major groups of algae. Their lineage relationships are shown in the figure in the upper right. Many of these groups contain some members that are no longer photosynthetic. Some retain plastids, but not chloroplasts, while others have lost plastids entirely. Phylogeny based on plastid not nucleocytoplasmic genealogy: Cyanobacteria Glaucophytes Rhodophytes Stramenopiles Cryptophytes Haptophytes Euglenophytes Chlorarachniophytes Chlorophytes Charophytes Land plants (Embryophyta) These groups have green chloroplasts containing chlorophylls

3920-654: The county, while the County Government of Narok manages the Narok Sector. The more visited eastern part of the park, known as the Maasai Mara National Reserve, is managed by the Narok County Council. The Mara Triangle in the western part is managed Mara Conservancy, on behalf of the county, since the early 2000s. The outer areas were administered by ranches of the Maasai community. The land

4000-423: The current area, including the Mara Triangle. The area was extended to the east in 1961 to cover 1821 km² and converted to a Game Reserve. The Narok County Council took over management of the reserve at this time. Part of the reserve was given National Reserve status in 1974, and the remaining area of 159 km² was returned to local communities. An additional 162 km² were removed from the reserve in 1976, and

4080-436: The definition of algae. The algae contain chloroplasts that are similar in structure to cyanobacteria. Chloroplasts contain circular DNA like that in cyanobacteria and are interpreted as representing reduced endosymbiotic cyanobacteria . However, the exact origin of the chloroplasts is different among separate lineages of algae, reflecting their acquisition during different endosymbiotic events. The table below describes

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4160-411: The distinctive Masai giraffe . The large roan antelope and the nocturnal bat-eared fox , rarely present elsewhere in Kenya, can be seen within the reserve borders. The area has been named an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International. More than 500 species of birds have been identified in the park, many of which are migrants, with almost 60 species being raptors . It is an important area for

4240-425: The diversity of photosynthetic eukaryotes. Recent genomic and phylogenomic approaches have significantly clarified plastid genome evolution , the horizontal movement of endosymbiont genes to the "host" nuclear genome , and plastid spread throughout the eukaryotic tree of life . Fossils of isolated spores suggest land plants may have been around as long as 475  million years ago (mya) during

4320-432: The first to divide macroscopic algae into four divisions based on their pigmentation. This is the first use of a biochemical criterion in plant systematics. Harvey's four divisions are: red algae (Rhodospermae), brown algae (Melanospermae), green algae (Chlorospermae), and Diatomaceae. At this time, microscopic algae were discovered and reported by a different group of workers (e.g., O. F. Müller and Ehrenberg ) studying

4400-425: The flamingos' food, Cyanobacteria , or blue-green algae, causing them to migrate to the nearby Lakes, more recently lakes Elementaita , Simbi Nyaima and Bogoria . Local climate changes have also been hypothesized to contribute to the changing environmental conditions in the lakes catchment. Recent media reports indicate increasing concern among stakeholders, as mass flamingo migrations and deaths could spell doom to

4480-538: The genera Volvox and Corallina , and a species of Acetabularia (as Madrepora ), among the animals. In 1768, Samuel Gottlieb Gmelin (1744–1774) published the Historia Fucorum , the first work dedicated to marine algae and the first book on marine biology to use the then new binomial nomenclature of Linnaeus. It included elaborate illustrations of seaweed and marine algae on folded leaves. W. H. Harvey (1811–1866) and Lamouroux (1813) were

4560-446: The generation of action potentials . Plant hormones are found not only in higher plants, but in algae, too. Some species of algae form symbiotic relationships with other organisms. In these symbioses, the algae supply photosynthates (organic substances) to the host organism providing protection to the algal cells. The host organism derives some or all of its energy requirements from the algae. Examples are: Lichens are defined by

4640-538: The green algae Phyllosiphon and Rhodochytrium , parasites of plants, or the red algae Pterocladiophila and Gelidiocolax mammillatus , parasites of other red algae, or the dinoflagellates Oodinium , parasites of fish) had their relationship with algae conjectured early. In other cases, some groups were originally characterized as parasitic algae (e.g., Chlorochytrium ), but later were seen as endophytic algae. Some filamentous bacteria (e.g., Beggiatoa ) were originally seen as algae. Furthermore, groups like

4720-571: The group, and a number of endosymbiotic events apparently occurred. The Apicomplexa , a group of closely related parasites, also have plastids called apicoplasts , which are not photosynthetic, but appear to have a common origin with dinoflagellate chloroplasts. Linnaeus , in Species Plantarum (1753), the starting point for modern botanical nomenclature , recognized 14 genera of algae, of which only four are currently considered among algae. In Systema Naturae , Linnaeus described

4800-453: The groups. Some of the more common organizational levels, more than one of which may occur in the lifecycle of a species, are In three lines, even higher levels of organization have been reached, with full tissue differentiation. These are the brown algae, —some of which may reach 50 m in length ( kelps ) —the red algae, and the green algae. The most complex forms are found among the charophyte algae (see Charales and Charophyta ), in

4880-565: The hip), and spots and rings on the tail. Collected over the years, photographic data allows the project team to trace kinship between generations and build Mara cheetah pedigree. The data collected helps to reveal parental relationship between individuals, survival rate of cubs, cheetah lifespan and personal reproductive history. The resilience of the game park model and the impact of the covid pandemic have also been evaluated so as to include consideration of issues of equality, and environmentalism. The BBC Television show titled "Big Cat Diary"

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4960-498: The lake temporarily inhospitable for flamingoes. Usually, the lake recedes during the dry season and floods during the wet season. In recent years, there have been wide variations between the dry and wet seasons' water levels. It is suspected that this is caused by increasing watershed land conversion to intensive crop production and urbanization, both which reduce the capacity of soils to absorb water, recharge ground water and thus increase seasonal flooding. Pollution and drought destroy

5040-477: The lake. (listed alphabetically) Algae Algae ( UK : / ˈ æ l ɡ iː / AL -ghee , US : / ˈ æ l dʒ iː / AL -jee ; sg. : alga / ˈ æ l ɡ ə / AL -gə ) is an informal term for any organisms of a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotes , which include species from multiple distinct clades . Such organisms range from unicellular microalgae such as Chlorella , Prototheca and

5120-417: The late phase of the Boring Billion . A range of algal morphologies is exhibited, and convergence of features in unrelated groups is common. The only groups to exhibit three-dimensional multicellular thalli are the reds and browns , and some chlorophytes . Apical growth is constrained to subsets of these groups: the florideophyte reds, various browns, and the charophytes. The form of charophytes

5200-844: The open savanna, hunting gazelle and wildebeest. African wild dogs are quite rare here due to the widespread transmission of diseases like canine distemper and the heavy competition they face with lions, who can often ravage their populations. Their packs also roam and travel far distances throughout the plains, making it hard to track them. Smaller carnivores that don't directly compete with the latter include African wolves , black-backed jackals , African striped weasels , caracals , servals , honey badgers , aardwolves , African wildcats , side-striped jackals , bat-eared foxes , Striped polecats , African civets , genets , several mongoose species, and African clawless otters . Antelopes can be found, including Grant's gazelles , impalas , duikers and Coke's hartebeests . The plains are also home to

5280-408: The park was reduced to 1510 km² in 1984. The Maasai people make up a community that spans northern, central and southern Kenya and northern parts of Tanzania. The Maasai rely on their lands to sustain their cattle, as well as themselves and their families. Before the reserve's establishment, the Maasai were forced to move out of their native lands. Some of this was due to smallpox outbreaks among

5360-421: The peaceful and prosperous co-existence of humans alongside wildlife. According to the project, human wildlife conflict is seen as a leading threat to the reserve as the population continues to grow. Tourism has increased exponentially. Less than 10 lodges were in the area in the late 1970s. The end of the moratorium saw facilities increase to 140 in 2008, and nearly 200 in 2016. The growth in population creates

5440-475: The people as well as rinderpest outbreaks among the cattle . Tradition continues to play a major role in the lives of modern-day Maasai people, who are known for their tall stature, patterned shukas and beadwork. In 2008, an estimated half a million individuals spoke the Maa language . This number includes not only the Maasai but also Samburu and Ilchamus people in Kenya. The total area under conservation in

5520-464: The population was still only up to an estimated 23 in 1999. The Mara Conservancy, one of the managing bodies of the reserve, reported 120 black rhinos in 1971 and 18 in 1984. They claimed one black rhino in 2001 when they began management and a stable 25-30 in 2023. Hippopotamuses and Nile crocodiles are found in large groups in the Mara and Talek rivers. The plains between the Mara River and

5600-563: The predator impact and human activity on cheetah behavior and survival. The head of the Project, Elena Chelysheva, was working in 2001–2002 as Assistant Researcher at the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) Maasai-Mara Cheetah Conservation Project. At that time, she developed original method of cheetah identification based on visual analysis of the unique spot patterns on front limbs (from toes to shoulder) and hind limbs (from toes to

5680-485: The region. Concentrating on the northern conservancies where communities coexist with wildlife, the project aims to identify population trends and responses to changes in land management, human settlements, livestock movements and tourism. Since October 2012, the Mara-Meru Cheetah Project has worked in the Mara monitoring cheetah population, estimating population status and dynamics, and evaluating

5760-405: The same phycobiont species, from the green algae, except that alternatively, the mycobiont may associate with a species of cyanobacteria (hence "photobiont" is the more accurate term). A photobiont may be associated with many different mycobionts or may live independently; accordingly, lichens are named and classified as fungal species. The association is termed a morphogenesis because the lichen has

5840-445: The south around October. The Great Migration is one of the most impressive natural events worldwide. It involves some 1,300,000 blue wildebeest, 500 000 Thomson's gazelles , 97 000 topi , 18 000 common elands , and 200 000 Grant's zebras . All members of the " Big Five " – lions , African leopards , African bush elephants , African buffaloes , black and white rhinos – are found all year round. The Maasai Mara

5920-574: The swampy ground means that access to water is always good, while tourist disruption is minimal. The easternmost border is 224 km (139 mi) from Nairobi , and hence it is the eastern regions which are most visited by tourists. It has a semi-arid climate with biannual rains and two distinct rainy seasons. The 'long rains' last around six to eight weeks in April and May and the 'short rains', in November and December, last around four weeks. There

6000-415: The threatened birds that call this area home for at least part of the year. These include: vultures , marabou storks , secretary birds , hornbills , crowned cranes , ostriches , long-crested eagles , African pygmy-falcons and the lilac-breasted roller , which is the national bird of Kenya. The resident Martial eagle is endangered. As of 2023, Mara Conservancy manages the Mara Triangle on behalf of

6080-654: The three lakes as remnants. Water levels in Lake Nakuru have since varied considerably, with the lake almost drying up several times over the past 50 years.  The latest significant drop happened in the early 1990s. In 2013, levels again increased rapidly, leading to the migration of many flamingos to Lake Bogoria in search of food supply. Between 2010 and 2020 Lake Nakuru increased in surface area from 40 to 68 square kilometres (15 to 26 sq mi). 677 households, parts of Nakuru town and some National Park areas had been flooded. Nakuru means "Dust or Dusty Place" in

6160-408: The tourism industry. The flamingos feed on algae , created from their droppings into the warm alkaline waters, and plankton . But flamingo are not the only avian attraction; also present are two large fish eating birds, pelicans and cormorants . Despite the tepid and alkaline waters, a diminutive fish, Alcolapia grahami has flourished after being introduced in the early 1960s. The lake

6240-842: The various structures that characterize plants (which evolved from freshwater green algae), such as the phyllids (leaf-like structures) and rhizoids of bryophytes ( non-vascular plants ), and the roots , leaves and other xylemic / phloemic organs found in tracheophytes ( vascular plants ). Most algae are autotrophic , although some are mixotrophic , deriving energy both from photosynthesis and uptake of organic carbon either by osmotrophy , myzotrophy or phagotrophy . Some unicellular species of green algae, many golden algae , euglenids , dinoflagellates , and other algae have become heterotrophs (also called colorless or apochlorotic algae), sometimes parasitic , relying entirely on external energy sources and have limited or no photosynthetic apparatus. Some other heterotrophic organisms, such as

6320-653: Was filmed in the Maasai Mara. The show followed the lives of the big cats living in the reserve. The show highlighted scenes from the Reserve's Musiara marsh area and the Leopard Gorge, the Fig Tree Ridge areas and the Mara River, separating the Serengeti and the Maasai Mara. In 2018, the Angama Foundation, a non-profit affiliated with Angama Mara, one of the Mara's luxury safari camps, launched

6400-537: Was then subdivided, though some members received greater benefits than the majority of landowners. This weakened regulatory system threatens sustainable management of the Mara. The Maasai Mara is a major research centre for the spotted hyena. With two field offices in the Mara, the Michigan State University based Kay E. Holekamp Lab studies the behaviour and physiology of this predator, as well as doing comparison studies between large predators in

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