Abstract
The continuous input of petroleum-based and other industrial pollutants along with heightened navigational activities in the inland and coastal waters of the Niger Delta region of Nigeria has contributed tremendously towards petroleum pollution of the aquatic environment. Standard analytical methods were employed in sample collection and analysis. The results showed the mean values of Total Heterotrophic Bacteria [THB] for tidal water 1.44±0.20 (x107), 1.42±0.62 (x107)and 1.82±0.61 (x107)for upstream, midstream and downstream respectively, while the mean values for CUB 1.06±0.12 (x106), 1.30±0.54 (x106) and 1.28±0.46 (x106) for upstream, midstream and downstream respectively. Similarly, the mean values for Total Fungi (TF) and Crude oil-Utilizing Fungi (CUF) were 1.08±0.12 (x106), 1.12±0.21 (x106), 1.18±0.20 (x106) and 8.2±0.78 (x104), 9.2±0.20 (x104), 8.8±0.26 (x104) for upstream, midstream and downstream respectively. For intertidal water, the mean values obtained for upstream, midstream and downstream were 1.24±0.82 (x107), 1.77±0.57 (x107) and 1.40±0.32 (x107) for THB, 1.08±0.92 (x106), 1.08±0.22 (x106) and1.13±0.21 (x106) for CUB, 1.00±0.60 (x107), 1.26±0.30 (x106) and 1.11±0.18 (x106) for Total fungi [TF] and 7.2±0.81 (x104), 9.6±0.4 (x104), 9.0±0.27 (x104) for CUF). While the values for benthic sediment were 1.55±0.38 (x108), 1.68±0.32 (x108), 2.24±0.34 (x108) for THB, 1.14±0.32 (x107), 1.24±0.88 (x107), 1.48±0.90 (x107) for CUB, 1.12±0.31 (x107), 1.20±0.52 (x107), 1.40±0.16 (x107) for TF and 8.2±0.12 (x105), 6.2±0.43 (x105), 1.01±0.12 (x106) for CUF. The results showed that there was no significant difference (p> 0.05) in the mean values of each physicochemical parameter across the different microhabitats and stations. This result revealed the massive impacts of anthropogenic gradients on the biology and physicochemistry of Iko River estuary.
Highlights
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open ocean
The results showed the mean values of Total Heterotrophic Bacteria [Total heterotrophic bacteria (THB)] for tidal water 1.44±0.20 (x107), 1.42±0.62 (x107)and 1.82±0.61 (x107)for upstream, midstream and downstream respectively, while the mean values for Crude oil-utilizing bacteria (CUB) 1.06±0.12 (x106), 1.30±0.54 (x106) and 1.28±0.46 (x106) for upstream, midstream and downstream respectively
The results showed that anthropogenic variations influence greatly the microbial proliferation as significantly (p
Summary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open ocean. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and ocean environments and are subject to both marine influences, such as tides, waves, and the influx of saline water, and riverine impacts, such as flows of fresh water and sediment [1]. The inflow of both seawater and freshwater provide high levels of nutrients in both the water column and sediment, making estuaries among the most productive natural habitats in the world [2]. There is extreme spatial variability in salinity, with a range of near zero at the tidal limit of the tributary river to 3.4% at the estuary mouth [2]
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