PAN AFRICAN JOURNAL OF LIFE SCIENCES
e-ISSN: 2672-5924
Volume 9, No. 1, April 2025
Pages 337-342
DOI: 10.36108/pajols/5202/90.0150
Environmental Factors and Macroinvertebrate Diversity in the University of Abuja Aquatic Ecosystem
Rachel T. Idowu1 Ahmed S. Dan-kishiya1, Mofio M. Bintu1, Comfort Owolabi1, Ibhadon S. Edna1, Naomi P. Adelabu2, Jimmy Eze1,.
1Department of Biological Sciences, University of Abuja, FCT, Nigeria
2Department of Microbiology, University of Abuja, FCT, Nigeria.
Abstract
Background: Freshwater ecosystems are constantly changing and shaped by various physical and chemical fac-tors. Macroinvertebrates respond sensitively to environmental changes and serve as valuable water quality indi-cators. This study explores how different water parameters influence macroinvertebrate diversity in a freshwater stream at the University of Abuja, Nigeria.
Methods: Water samples were collected from ten locations along the stream over three months. Physical charac-teristics such as turbidity, temperature, and suspended solids were measured, while chemical parameters includ-ing dissolved oxygen (DO), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), pH, and total dissolved solids (TDS) were ana-lyzed. Macroinvertebrates were identified and classified, and statistical analysis was performed using IBM-SPSS version 25.0 and Python’s pandas library to assess correlations.
Results: Over time, turbidity declined, while suspended solids slightly increased. Temperature remained rela-tively stable, whereas DO levels were lowest in February. A strong negative correlation was found between tur-bidity and both pH (-0.963) and TDS (-0.957), while temperature showed a strong positive correlation with pH (1.000) and TDS (0.999). The most abundant macroinvertebrates were Bivalva (309.90 ± 64.85) and Malacostra-ta (300.00 ± 36.76), while Crustacea had the lowest count (107.50 ± 23.85).
Conclusion: Elevated turbidity negatively affected sensitive species like Gastropoda, Bivalva, and Insecta, while higher temperatures encouraged diversity in Oligochaeta, Malacostrata, and Crustacea. These findings highlight the critical role of water quality in shaping aquatic biodiversity. Maintaining good water quality is essential for preserving macroinvertebrate diversity in freshwater habitats. Long-term monitoring and studying human im-pacts will be key to developing better conservation strategies.
Keywords: Water quality, Macroinvertebrates, Aquatic biodiversity, Freshwater ecosystems, Bioindicators.