The Taxa Structure and Composition of Zooplankton Communities of Bonny Estuary: A Bio-indication of Anthropogenic Activities

Uttah, Emmanuel and Ogbeche, Jude and Ukpong, George I. and Ajang, Raymond and Iboh, Cletus and Ayanda, Opeyemi Isaac (2013) The Taxa Structure and Composition of Zooplankton Communities of Bonny Estuary: A Bio-indication of Anthropogenic Activities. The Pacific Journal of Science and Technology, 14 (2). pp. 365-641.

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Abstract

This study was aimed at ascertaining the zooplankton taxa structure and composition as a way of assessing the environmental quality of the Bonny estuary. The plankton net of 55 μm meshsize was towed vertically, preserved in welllabeled 250 ml polyethylene bottles, and fixed with 10% formalin. In all, 2,928 zooplankton specimens were collected: Calanoid copepods were the most abundant constituting 55.3% of all collections, followed by Cyclopoida (10.2%), Harpacticoida (5.8%), Copepod larvae (17.0%); Annelida/Polychaeta larvae (1.9%); Chaetognatha (2.3%); Appendicularia (2.2%); Pisces larvae (2.6%); Tunicate larvae (0.6%); Cnidaria (0.1%); Ctenophora (0.1%); Echinodermata larvae (0.9%); Mollusca larvae (1.2%); Copepoda /Cladocera (0.03%); and Malacostraca (0.1%). A total of 119 species was collected, and Margalef’s diversity index ranged from 1.54 to 7.58. There was relatively higher abundance and diversity of zooplankton in the offshore sampling stations than in the near-shore sampling stations, probably due to impacts of natural, ecological, and anthropogenic factors. Mitigation measures to significantly check these anthropogenic activities among inhabitants of near-shore areas are recommended.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	zooplankton, relative abundance, diversity, species composition, estuary, anthropogenic impact, Nigeria
Subjects:	Q Science > QL Zoology
Divisions:	Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences > School of Biological Sciences
Depositing User:	Dr Isaac Opeyemi Ayanda
Date Deposited:	25 Feb 2016 13:04
Last Modified:	10 Apr 2019 11:31
URI:	http://eprints.covenantuniversity.edu.ng/id/eprint/5991

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