Abstract
Some aspects of the environmental biology of the amphibious gobiid, Periophthalmus barbanis, were studied to evaluate the impacts on the fish of the aggressive successional replacement of the native mangroves (Rhizophora mangle, Rhizophora racemosa, Rhizophora harrizonii, Avicenia afticana, Laguncularia racemosa) by the alien nipa palm (Nypa fruticans) in the estuarine swamps of Imo River, Nigeria. The unimpacted biotope with mangroves was referred to as ‘mangrove swamp’ while the impacted biotope with nipa palm was designated ‘nipa swamp’. This vegetational succession resulted in decreases in the nipa swamp of the sizes of the fish, diet diversity, foraging performance, reproductive investment and length-weight regression coefficient. Mean and intrapopulational variability in hepatosomatic index increased in the nipa swamp. No significant spatial variation was evident in body condition albeit intrapopulational variability was higher in nipa swamp than mangrove swamp
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