Fryer G
Institute of Environmental and Natural Sciences, University of Lancaster, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK.
Proc Biol Sci. 2001 Jun 7;268(1472):1147-52. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2001.1601.
Recent suggestions concerning the age and origin of the flock of haplochromine cichlid fishes in Lake Victoria (East Africa) are considered. These accept as proven the suggestion that Lake Victoria dried out completely in the Late Pleistocene, was dry for several thousand years, and refilled ca. 12400 years ago. Apart from the fact that other geophysical evidence contradicts this claim, its biological implications, which do likewise, have never been considered by those who have accepted it. Like those of all previous authors who have seized on the presence of the haplochromine flock of perhaps more than 600 species as evidence of extremely rapid evolution since the lake allegedly refilled, the account completely overlooks the fact that any such desiccation must have eliminated not only the haplochromine cichlids but the entire biota of the lake. Nevertheless, its present fauna not only includes the haplochromines but many other endemic organisms that would not be expected, and whose presence and history demand an explanation if the lake did indeed dry out. No such explanation has been offered, nor does such seem possible. The recent interpretation of events is questioned and rejected.
本文探讨了近期有关东非维多利亚湖丽鱼科鱼类种群的年龄和起源的观点。这些观点认为，维多利亚湖在晚更新世完全干涸，历经数千年，大约在12400年前重新蓄水，这一观点被视为已得到证实。然而，除了其他地球物理证据与这一说法相矛盾之外，那些接受该观点的人从未考虑过其生物学意义，而生物学意义同样与之相悖。与所有此前抓住可能超过600个物种的丽鱼科种群的存在，作为自该湖据称重新蓄水以来极端快速进化证据的作者一样，这种说法完全忽略了这样一个事实，即任何此类干涸不仅必定消灭了丽鱼科丽鱼，还消灭了该湖的整个生物群。尽管如此，其目前的动物群不仅包括丽鱼科鱼类，还包括许多其他预期中不会出现的特有生物，如果该湖确实干涸过，那么它们的存在和历史就需要一个解释。但目前并没有给出这样的解释，而且似乎也不可能给出这样的解释。近期对这些事件的解释受到质疑并被否定。
