Seasonal changes in the abundance of benthic macroinvertebrates & physico-chemical condition of Moussa Stream Bida, Nigeria

Abstract

Seasonal changes in the abundance of benthic macroinvertebrates and physico-chemical condition of Moussa Stream, Bida Nigeria, were studied monthly from January to August 2017. Macroinvertebrates were sampled using modified kick sampling techniques. Three different sampling stations were selected along the course of the Stream. The results from the stream showed that water temperature (24.9-27.50C), Depth (14.7-45.8cm), Flow velocity (0.14-0.23m/s), Biochemical oxygen demand (2.0-7.0mg/L), pH (6.33-8.6), Conductivity (20-63μ/cm), Alkalinity (8-30mg/L), Turbidity (61-285NTU), Nitrate (0.87-3.85mg/L) and Phosphate (0.31-1.01mg/L) were within the maximum permissible limit (WHO, SON) except Dissolved oxygen (3.1-10mg/L). Most of the parameters investigated with the exception of depth and flow velocity showed no significant difference (p>0.05) among all the sampling stations. Temperature, depth and flow velocity showed no significant differences with season. pH, DO, BOD5, Turbidity, Conductivity, Alkalinity, Nitrate, and Phosphate were significantly higher during wet season. A total of 471 individuals from 30 species and 20 families of invertebrates were recorded. The overall macroinvertebrates recorded from station 1, 2 and 3 were 166(35.24%), 149(31.63%) and 156(33.12%). Overall, there was significant difference (P<0.05) in number of individuals among the sampling stations. The abundance according to the Orders revealed that Coleopterans, Odonata and Hemipterans were the most common groups encountered. Ephemeroptera Diptera, Mollusca and Oligochaeta were sparingly found in all stations. The percentage and total number of individuals of macroinvertebrates recorded during the study period shows 67.09% (316 individuals) in dry season and the remaining 32.90% (155 individuals) were recorded in rainy season. CCA result correlated positively between species abundances and measured environmental variables. Low density of pollution sensitive macro invertebrates groups and the deteriorating water quality were implications of pollution stress caused by anthropogenic activities.
 Key words: seasonal changes, macroinvertebrates, stream, Bida.

Assessment of some physical, chemical and biological parameters of Lake Dangana, Nigeria

“…and Coegnoridae comprising of Coenagrion sp. and Pseudogrian sp., Similar ndings have also been reported in some freshwater bodies of Nigeria (Arimoro and Ikomi 2008;Emere and Nasiru 2009;Edegbene et al, 2015;Mohammed et al 2020;Mohammed et al 2021). The Coleopterans were also presence and were represented by the family Hydrophilidae consisting of Hydrophylus sp.…”

“…Higher Dissolved oxygen values were recorded in wet season than in the dry season; this could be due to increase in water volume during wet season and lower temperatures (Mustapha, 2008;Mohammed et al 2020). Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD 5 ) ranged from 3.00 to 3.12mg/l.…”

“…The physical, chemical and biological characteristics knowledge of a water body is of great value as it helps in determining its productivity and usefulness (Mohammed et al 2020). Access to clean and healthy drinking water is now recognized as a fundamental right of human beings (UN-WATER, 2013).…”

Spatio-temporal Assessment of Phytoplankton and Physicochemical Parameters of Dangana Lake, Lapai, Niger State Nigeria

“…Lakes are widely utilized by Mankind over the centuries because they constitute a very important part of our heritage [2]. Interaction occurs between living and non-living components of an aquatic basis environment [3,4].…”

“…The physical and chemical characteristics of a lake determine the occurrence, diversity and density of both flora and fauna of any aquatic habitat [10,11]. Changes in the physicochemical characteristics of provide valuable information on water quality of an aquatic environment [10,12] In Nigeria, most aquatic ecosystem is threatened by different anthropogenic activities [4,6,10,13]. Planktons are sensitive to the environment in which they live and any change in the environment leads to change in their communities in view of tolerance abundance, diversity and dominance in a particular habitat [1].…”