Name: Paul Lenos
Aquatic Ecology of the Tropics (Spring 2011)-EEES 4980-008
Lake Atitlan (Guatemala, Central America)
Objective:
Provide information on the ecological richness, as well as management issues that dictate Lake
Atitlan’s future with a special concentration on the degradation of water quality, as well as the
effects look at the introduction of a piscivore, the largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides).
Introduction:

Lake Atitlan with a surface area of 130 sq. km is considered the third largest lake in
Guatemala. Lake Atitlan lies within a northwest and southeast chain of volcanoes
(LaBastille,1974).

Lake Atitlan is surrounded by three volcanoes: San Pedro (3,026 m), Toliman (3,150 m),
Atitlan (3,550 m) giving the lake semi-oval shape.

Water volume = 24.4 cubic kilometers, prevailing winds Northeast trade wind
(LaBastille,1974). Altitude = 1560 m above sea level, 12 km wide 10 km long, max depth = 325m
(G.N.F.,2002). Mean depth = 183 m. LaBastille (1974) classifies Lake Atitlan as a warm
monomictic lake with temps never dipping below 4 C

Lake stratification is profound during the wet season creating a well defined metalimnion
and thick epilimnion (Dorris and Summerfelt, 1967).
Selected Publication:
Research has been conducted by Fure-Slocum (2010) documenting the effects of the collapse of
the Lake Atitlan ecosystem has on the lifestyle of the indigenous inhabitants. Prior to the
introduction of largemouth bass, a large portion of the able body men of the indigenous peoples
and Maya villages surrounding the lake were fishermen. But when the largemouth bass ferociously
spread, it became difficult for the people to provide substance from the remaining fish population.
Selected Management Problem:
Following the introduction of the largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) in 1958, the lakes’
ecosystem began to unravel under the predatory pressure of the introduced species. The
largemouth is disassembling Lake Atitlan’s food web eating freshwater crab that would feed large
birds, raiding the nesting sites of other rare fish and helping extirpate fish species. Furthermore,
this is having an economic impact on the inhabitants of the Lake Atitlan basin who, before the
introduction of the largemouth bass, depended largely on small fish to make up the protein portion
of their diet. While largemouth bass do get big enough to be of nutritional value, the larger fish
remain in the deep depths of the lake all year except when they spawn making it near impossible
for the poor village residents to assess their protein potential.
Glossary:
Epilimnion: the surface-mixed layer of less dense, more or less uniform circling water in a
stratified lakes.
Hypolimnion: The deep cool layer of water in a stratified lake consisting of more dense water
laying below the epilimnion.
Metalimnion: the transition layer of water between epilimnion and hypolimnion usually exhibiting
a marked thermal change known as thermocline.
Monomictic: lake only mixes once a year.
Thermocline: A layer of water where temperature changes rapidly over depth.
Warm monomictic: lake mixes in winter.
References:
Birdlife.org. "The Extinction Website - Species Info - Atitlan Grebe." PeterMaas.nl. 13 Mar. 2010. Web.
16 Mar. 2011. <http://www.petermaas.nl/extinct/speciesinfo/atitlangrebe.htm>.
Coop, Dwight W. "The Blooming of Lake Atitlán." Revue Magazine. 1 Nov. 2009. Web. 16 Mar. 2011.
<http://revuemag.com/2009/11/the-blooming-of-lake-atitlan/>.
Dorris, T. C., and R. C. Summerfelt. 1967. The fishery of Lake Atitlan, Guatemala, a preliminary report.
Reser. Res. Found., Okla. St. Univ., Stillwater, Okla. 47 pp. (Mimeographed.).
Fure-Slocum, Anna. "Carleton College: Sociology and Anthropology - Guatemala: Field Research Paper."
Carleton College: A Private Liberal Arts College in Northfield, Minnesota. Carleton College, 10 Mar.
2010. (https://apps.carleton.edu/curricular/ocs/guatemala/program_archive/paperarchives/>. Web. 16
Mar. 2011.
"GNF - Lake Atitlán." Willkommen Beim Global Nature Fund. Global Nature Fund, n.d. Web. 16 Mar.
2011. <http://www.globalnature.org/24447/Living-Lakes/America/Atitln/02_vorlage.asp>.
LaBastille, Anne. "Ecology and Management of the Atitlán Grebe, Lake Atitlán, Guatemala." JSTOR.
Allen Press. Web. 16 Mar. 2011. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/3830373>.
Riebeek, H. "Harmful Algal Bloom in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala." Geology.com - Earth Science News,
Maps, Dictionary, Articles, Jobs. Nov. 2009. Web. 16 Mar. 2011.