Ichthyological terms, not general ones.
Narrow fissure or zone of faulting formed via tensional stress in the earth's crust. When such forces are strong or prolonged enough to split the crust apart a central section will typically drop down or subside, sometimes forming a rift valley with steep walls as the gap widens. Water may become impounded in the valley, forming a rift lake.
Used in 5 profiles
Fissure in rock; a shallow or rocky place in a stream resulting in a riffle or rapid.
Type of lake that forms in a rift zone or rift valley and often very deep with steep cliffs around the margins, also known as a rift valley lake, sag pond, or fault-trough lake. The largest freshwater lakes in the world are all of this type. Also used in the aquarium hobby in reference to the Rift Valley lakes of the East African rift.
Used in 32 profiles
Generic term for any lake formed in a rift valley, but often used in specific reference to a group located in the East African rift, particularly those lying in its western and southern sections, i.e., the African Great Lakes. In the aquarium hobby the meaning of the term is typically restricted even further to include just lakes Malawi, Tanganyika, and Victoria, the latter of which is not in fact a rift lake and is located in a shallow depression between the eastern and western branches of the main rift. These three lakes are famous for the high number of endemic fish species inhabiting them, especially members of the family Cichlidae.
Speciation of a taxonomic group into several forms, each specialised to fill a previously vacant ecological niche, as exemplified by Rift Lake cichlids, for example.
Used in 60 profiles
Series of water bodies mostly located in the East African rift including some of the oldest and deepest in the world, specifically lakes Victoria, Tanganyika, Malawi, Turkana, Albert, Kivu and Edward.
Any organism, or more typically, collection of organisms drifting freely in a body of water. Used in reference to both microscopic, e.g. algae, fish larvae, and larger, e.g. jellyfish, organisms.
Used in 15 profiles