The global use of glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) and release of glyphosate residues in soil environment have over the years been a major concern. In this study, we aim to evaluate the biochemical response and vermiremediation potential of three indigenous earthworm species; namely Alma millsoni, Eudrilus eugeniae and Libyodrilus violaceus in GBH treated soils. Study design: Three weed plants (Tridax procumbense, Ludwigia pasturis and Pannicum maximum) were transplanted into 140 plastic pots and 20 adult individual earthworms of each species were later introduced into 60 pots. In total, each earthworm species treatments representing 20 pots and 20 pots without earthworm were sprayed with 115.49 mL/m 2 (equivalent to 83.2 g a.i/m 2) of Roundup® Alphée. The remaining 60 pots with earthworm species were left unsprayed. Activities of glutathione-S-transferase (GST), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), metallothionine (MT), acetylcholinesterase (AChE), antioxidant defense system and lipid peroxidation (MDA) were monitored at the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 6th and 8th weeks Post Herbicide Application (PHA) using standard methods. Glyphosate residues in the soil and earthworm species were quantified with a High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detector. Bioaccumulation Factor (BAF) was also calculated. Results: Higher activities of GST and LDH and reduction in MT activities were observed in the three earthworm species exposed to GBH compared to the unexposed while AChE activity was insensitive to the herbicide. The antioxidant defence system was able to protect E. eugeniae and L. violaceus against oxidative stress. The presence of earthworms reduced glyphosate residues in the soil. E. eugeniae and L. violaceus were bioaccumalators and biomagnifiers of glyphosate as indicated by the BAF (> 1) obtained after 8th week PHA. Relationships exist between glyphosate BAF in E. eugeniae and L. violaceus and exposure duration as well as between glyphosate residues in tissues of the earthworm species and their biochemical parameters. Conclusions: Alterations in the enzymatic activities and antioxidant defence of the earthworm species could be an index for GBH contaminated soil monitoring and assessment; both E. eugeniae and L. violaceus showed potential to vermiremediate soils contaminated with GBH.

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The knowledge of length-weight relationship parameters has numerous practical applications in fishery research and management. Currently, there is a dearth of information on the growth pattern and state of well-being of Parachanna africana in Ijede and Agbowa Lagoons. This study period was between December 2017, and June 2018 investigated the allometry and condition factor of P. africana inhabiting the Ijede and Agbowa Lagoons, South-western Nigeria. Two hundred fish samples of P. africana was gotten from fishermen at both locations. The length and weight measurements were taken to the nearest centimetres and grams. Descriptive, correlation and regression tools, was used to 2analyse the data collected. Results obtained showed that the length-weight relationship had r values of  0.186, 0.196, 0.191 and 0.341, 0.001, 0.098 for Ijede and Agbowa respectively, at a significant level of  P<0.05 for male, female and combined sexes. The b values of 0.193 for Ijede and 0.165 for Agbowa were not significantly different (P> 0.05). The mean condition factors of 0.365 ±0.141 and 0.329±0.169 were obtained in Ijede and Agbowa, respectively. It was observed that the species in both lagoons exhibited negative allometric growth patterns with values 0.365 and 0.330 for Ijede and Agbowa lagoons respectively with no variations in the condition factors of both locations which indicate the need to assess human and domestic activities surrounding these water bodies.

There are no available data on the level of atrazine in drinking water from rural agricultural areas in Nigeria and its potential health implications. Here, we measured atrazine residue in 69 hand-dug wells (HDW), 40 boreholes (BH), and four major streams from the six communities (Ago-Iwoye, Ijebu-Igbo, Oru, Awa, Ilaporu, and Mamu) in Ijebu North Local Government Area, Southwest Nigeria. Values of atrazine obtained were further used for the evaluation of non-carcinogenic risk associated with ingestion and dermal contact in adults and children as well as reproductive toxicity evaluation. A total of 41 HDW, 22 BH, and the four streams showed varying concentrations of atrazine, which was higher in HDW than BH and stream. Ago-Iwoye recorded the highest concentration of 0.08 mg/L in its HDW while the lowest concentration of 0.01 mg/L was recorded in HDW from Oru. Although the Hazard Index (HI) values associated with ingestion and dermal contact for children were higher than in adults, the values were below the acceptable limit for all the communities. Significant (p &lt; 0.05) alterations in the oxidative stress parameters, reproductive hormones, sperm parameters, and mild testicular lesions were only observed in rats exposed to atrazine at 0.08 mg/L compared to control. But atrazine at 0.01, 0.03, and 0.04 mg/L triggered a defence mechanism capable of protecting the structural integrity of the testes and preventing reproductive dysfunction.

Honeybee Apis mellifera adansonii, dominant honey producing species in Nigeria was subjected to genetic variability studies using Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) in other to provide the baseline data in Nigeria. Nine (9) Simple Sequence Repeats (SSR) primers were used to assess the genetic diversity in Two (2) worker bees each collected from 22 colonies found in the four apiaries in Ijebu environs of Ogun State. Data collected were subjected to analysis and results showed that six (6) out of nine primers produced 80 reproducible, polymorphic bands while the remaining three (3) were monomorphic. Gene diversity (H ) in total population and magnitude of differentiation among T populations (FST) was 0.430 and 0.340, respectively. Analysis of Molecular Variance (AMOVA) partitioned the total genetic variation as 70% within, 30% among populations. The cluster analysis showed that Ipari-Oke 3 and Odo-Epo 1-8 populations diverged from others which showed they are closer in genetic distances while Ipari-Oke 1 and Odo-Epo 2-5 were newly observed subcluster which represents another subspecies. In conclusion, genetic variations existed amongst the honey worker bees populations in Ogun State.