Zooplankton and benthic fauna composition of Isaka-bundu mangrove swamp, Niger delta, Nigeria: A polluted tidal mangrove tropical creek

Abstract

The study was aimed at examining the impact of untreated discharges from artisanal refineries (illegal bunkering), loading and other related activities on the composition, abundance, distribution, and diversity of zooplankton and macrobenthic fauna from four creek channels of the Isaka-Bundu waterfront in Rivers State, a polluted tidal mangrove wetland. Zooplankton and benthic fauna samples were collected monthly from each of the sampling stations for six months (July to December 2021 using standard sampling methods. Margalef (D), Shannon Wienner (H), and Evenness indices were tools used to determine the species richness and diversity respectively using the SPSS statistical package. This study shows that illegal refining activities and other discharges from industrial and human wastes had an unfavourable impact on the zooplankton and macro-benthic fauna community in Isaka-Bundu waterfronts. The effects are reflected in the spatial variations in the composition with more agitation, especially in station 2 in zooplankton and station 3 in macrobenthic fauna, which has a lower number of species and abundance. The majority of indicator species is a validation of this study, the community structure is an insight into the adverse effects of individual and cumulative activities. More impact was observed on the benthos and benthic fauna and this could be due to their exceptional features and location in the aquatic environment. While therefore, this is an indication that creeks are polluted and regular monitoring should be carried out to report the special degradation level of this creek.