Dynamism in plankton species occurrence and diversity of an impacted aquatic ecosystem, Southeastern Nigeria

Authors

  • Chinedu Emeka Ihejirika Department of Environmental Management, Federal University of Technology, Owerri
  • Uwakwe Angelbert Orji Department of Environmental Management, Federal University of Technology, Owerri
  • Peter Ndu Okeke Department of Environmental Management, Federal University of Technology, Owerri
  • Ejeagba Okorie Imo Department of Microbiology, Federal University of Technology, Owerri
  • Joseph Ikechukwu Nwachukwu Department of Environmental Management, Federal University of Technology, Owerri

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.2281-4485/16298

Keywords:

Anthropogenic, Diversity , Occurrence, Otammiri River, Planktons, Species

Abstract

Anthropogenic activities in rivers have been a major ecological problem affecting river morphology, water hydraulics, aquatic bio-systems and processes, and general water quality. This study established the diversity of planktons and physicochemical properties of dredging site of Otammiri River, Imo State. Water samples were collected from upstream, dredging site and downstream, with the aid of clean water sampling bottles and immediately transported to the laboratory for analysis. Plankton net of 55µm mesh was used to collect plankton samples and immediately transferred to plastic containers for microscopic examination, enumeration and classification. Occurrences of phytoplankton and zooplankton species were determined while Index of Diversity was computed using Margalef’s model. Multivariate redundancy analysis and biplot were used to show association among the planktons and the proportion of their occurrences at the sampling points. Phytoplankton was classified into Bacillariophyceae (Diatoms) (51.19%), Cyanophyceae (26.62%), Chlorophyceae (14.68%), Euglenophyceae (2.05%), Chrysophyceae (3.07%), and Xanthophyceace (2.39%); while zooplanktons were classified into Protozoa (47.06%), Rotifera (35.29%) and Cladocera (17.65%). Index of Diversity for phytoplankton species were: upstream (4.82), dredging site (5.19) and downstream (5.82); while for zooplankton were (1.86), (0.91) and (1.37) respectively. Physicochemical parameters showed significant variation (P<0.05) at the different sampling points. Dredging and other anthropogenic activities might be responsible for alterations in physicochemical characteristics and diversity of planktons in Otammiri River with consequences of ecological imbalance in the aquatic ecosystem.

References

ADELAKUN K.M., MU’AZU M.M., AMALI R.P., OMOTAYO O.L. (2016) Diversity of Phytoplankton Communities in a Tropical River Basin, Nigeria. Hydro Nepal Journal of Water Energy and Environment, 19:52-56. https://doi.org/10.3126/hn.v19i0.15353

APHA - American Public Health Association (1998) Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater, 20th ed. APHA/AWWA/WEF, Washington DC.

ATICI T., AHISKA S., ALTINDAG A., AYDIN D. (2008) Ecological effects of some heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Hg, Cr) pollution of phytoplanktonic algae and zooplanktonic organisms in Sarıyar Dam Reservoir in Turkey. African Journal of Biotechnology, 7(12):1972-1979. ISSN:1684-5315

ATICI T., OBALI O., ALTINDAG A., AHISKA S., AYDIN D. (2010) The accumulation of heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Hg, Cr) and their state in phytoplanktonic algae and zooplanktonic organisms in Beysehir Lake and Mogan Lake, Turkey. African Journal of Biotechnology, 9 (4):475-487. ISSN: 1684-5315

BORGES, P., ANDRADE, C. AND FREITAS, M.C. (2002) Dune, Bluff and Beach erosion due to exhaustive sand mining – the case of Santa Barbara Beach, São Miguel (Azores, Portugal). Journal of Coastal Research., (ICS 2002 Proceedings) Special Issue., 36(1):89-95. https://doi.org/10.2112/1551-5036-36.

BREITBURG D.L., HONDORP D.W., DAVIAS L.A., DIAZ R.J. (2009) Hypoxia, nitro-gen, and fisheries: integrating effects across local and global landscapes. Annual Re-view of Marine Science, 1:329–349. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.marine.010908. 163754

COLES J.F., MCMAHON G., BELL A.H., BROWN L.R., FITZPATRICK F.A., SCUDDER EIKENBERRY B.C., WOODSIDE M.D., CUFFNEY T.F., BRYANT W.L., CAPPIELLA K., FRALEY-MCNEAL L., STACK W.P. (2012) Effects of urban development on stream ecosystems in nine metropolitan study areas across the United States: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1373, 138 p. Available online at http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/1373/

CUICUI L., WEIYING F., HAIYAN C., XIAOFENG L., FANHAO S., WENJING G., JOHN P. G., FUHONG S. (2019) Temporal variation in zooplankton and phytoplankton community species composition and the affecting factors in Lake Taihu—a large freshwater lake in China, Environmental Pollution, 245:1050-1057. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2018.11.007

EGBORGE A.B.M. (1994) Water Pollution in Nigeria Vol. 1: Biodiversity and Chemistry of Warri River. Ben Miller Books Nig. Ltd, pp. 313.

GUBBAY S. (2003) Marine, aggregate extraction and biodiversity. UK: Wildlife Trusts, WWF-UK.

HUISMAN J., MATTHIJS C.P., VISSER P.M. (2005) Harmful cyanobacteria. Springer, The Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-3022-3

ISADA T., HIRAWAKE T., SAITOH S.I. (2017) Influence of hydrography on the spatiotemporal variability of phytoplankton assemblages and primary productivity in Funka Bay and the Tsugaru Strait. Estuarine Coastal And Shelf Science, 188:199-211. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2017.02.019

JEJE C.Y., FERNANDO C.H. (1986) A practical guide to the identification of Nigerian zooplankton (Cladocera, copepoda and rotifera). Kainji Lake Research Institute, Nigeria.

JOLLIFFE I. T., CADIMA, J. (2016). Principal component analysis: a review and recent developments. Philosophical transactions. Series A, Mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences, 374(2065):20150202. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta. 2015.0202

KELLER B., WOLINSKA J., MANKA M., SPAAK P. (2008) Spatial, environmental and anthropogenic effects on the taxon composition of hybridizing Daphnia. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 363:2943-2952. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2008.0044

KIZHAKKE P. A., ANET A., SHILPA O., RESHMA R., SHANTHALA M., HUNASANAHALLY P. G. (2023) An Outlook on Marine Sponges and Associated Biodiversity Addressing Conservation Strategies, Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Bioresources, 15:373-389. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-5841-0

KOEHNKEN L., RINTOUL M.S., GOICHOT M., TICKNER D., LOFTUS A-C., ACREMAN M.C. (2020) Impacts of riverine sand mining on freshwater ecosystems: A review of the scientific evidence and guidance for future research. River Research and Applications, 36(3):362-370. https://doi.org/10.1002/rra.3586

KUMAR S., KUMAR S., MOHAPATRA T. (2021) Interaction Between Macro‐ and Micro-Nutrients in Plants. Frontiers in Plant Science. 12:665583. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2021.665583

KUNLASAK K., CHITMANAT C., WHANGCHAI N., PROMYA J., LEBEL L. (2013). Relationships of Dissolved Oxygen with Chlorophyll-a and Phytoplankton Composition in Tilapia Ponds. International Journal of Geosciences, 4:46-53. https://doi.org/10.4236/ ijg.2013.45B008

MBONDE A.S., SITOKI L., KURMAYER R. (2015) Phytoplankton composition and microcystin concentrations in open and closed bays of Lake Victoria, Tanzania Aquatic Ecosystem Health & Management, 18 (2):212–220. https://doi.org/10.1080/14634988. 2015.1011030

MIECZAN T., PAWLIK-SKOWROŃSKA B. (2018) Effects of Arcella vulgaris on microbial loop components of peat pools (an experimental approach). Fundamental and Applied Limnology / Archiv für Hydrobiolog. https://doi.org/10.1127/fal/2018/113

MISHRA S., SARKAR U., TARAPHDER S., DATTA S., SWAIN D., SAIKHOM R., PANDA S., LAISHRAM M. (2017) Principal Component Analysis. International Journal of Livestock Research,1. https://doi.org/10.5455/ijlr.20170415115235

MORRIS E. K., CARUSO T., BUSCOT F., FISCHER M., HANCOCK C., MAIER T. S., MEINERS T., MULLER C., OBERMAIER E., PRATI D., SOCHER S. A., SONNEMANN I., WASCHKE N., WUBET T., WURST S., RILLIG M.C. (2014) Choosing and using diversity indices: insights for ecological applications from the German Biodiversity Exploratories. Ecology and Evolution, 4(18):3514–3524. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.1155

NESHEIM M. C., ORIA M., YIH P.T. (2015) A Framework for Assessing Effects of the Food System. Committee on a Framework for Assessing the Health, Environmental, and Social Effects of the Food System; Food and Nutrition Board; Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources; Institute of Medicine; National Research Council.

OGBUAGU D.H., AYOADE A.A. (2012). Phytoplankton Assemblage along Gradients of the Imo River in Etche Local Government Area, Nigeria, Annals of Biological Research, 3 (4):1852-1862. ISSN 0976-1233

PECK YEN, T., ROHASLINEY, H. (2013). Status of water quality subject to sand mining in the kelantan river, kelantan. Tropical Life Science Research, 24(1):19-34. PMC3799407

PRASANNA, M. B., RANJAN, P. C. (2010). Physicochemical properties of water collected from Dhamra estuary. International Journal of Environmental Sciences, 1(3):334–343. ISSN:0976-4402

REISINGER A., GIBEAUT J.C., TISSOT P.E. (2017). Estuarine Suspended Sediment Dynamics: Observations Derived from over a Decade of Satellite Data. Front. Mar. Sci. 4:233. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2017.00233

RENAUD P.E., LØKKEN T.S., JØRGENSEN L.L., BERGE J., JOHNSON B.J. (2015). Macroalgal detritus and food-web subsidies along an Arctic fjord depth-gradient. Front. Mar. Sci. 2:31. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2015.00031

SALEM N., HUSSEIN S. (2019) Data dimensional reduction and principal components analysis. Procedia Comput. Sci., 163:292–299. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2019.12.111

SEDMAK, B AND ELERSEK, T. (2005). Microcystins induce morphological and physiological changes in selected representative phytoplanktons. Microbial Ecology, 50 (2):298-305. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-006-9045-9

SHEEBA S. (2009). Biotic environment and sand mining - a case study from Ithikkara River, South West coast of India. Journal of Industrial Pollution Control, 25(2):133-138

SUPRIHARYONO (2004) Effects of sand mining on coral reefs in Riau Islands. Journal of Coastal Development, 7(2):89–100. ISSN: 1410-5217

SURESH B., MANJAPPA S., PUTTAIAH E. T. (2009) The contents of zooplankton of the Tungabhadra River, near Harihar, Karanataka and the saprobiological analysis of water quality. Journal of Ecology and the Natural Environment, 1(9):196-200. ISSN 2006- 9847

SUTHERS I.M., RISSIK D. (2009). A Guide to their Ecology and Monitoring for Water Quality. 2nd edition. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood Victoria. 272p. ISBN: 97146308798

TER BRAAK C.J.F., SMILAUER P. (2012). CANOCO reference manual and canodraw for windows user’s guide: software for Canonical Community Ordination (version 5.0). [accessed 2021 July 15]. www.canoco.com.

ZAGHLOUL A., SABER M., GADOW S., AWAD F. (2020) Biological indicators for pollution detection in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Bulletin of the National Research Centre, 44:127. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42269-020-00385-x

Downloads

Published

2023-04-03

How to Cite

Ihejirika, C. E., Orji, U. A., Okeke, P. N., Imo, E. O., & Nwachukwu, J. I. (2023). Dynamism in plankton species occurrence and diversity of an impacted aquatic ecosystem, Southeastern Nigeria. EQA - International Journal of Environmental Quality, 53(1), 21–34. https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.2281-4485/16298

Issue

Vol. 53 (2023)

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2023 Chinedu Emeka Ihejirika, Uwakwe Angelbert Orji, Peter Ndu Okeke, Ejeagba Okorie Imo, Joseph Ikechukwu Nwachukwu

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.