Temporal and Spatial Variations in Abundance and Diversity of Zooplankton Fauna of Opa Reservoir, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Southwest Nigeria

• Main Authors: Oluseun Peter BOLAWA, Adebukola Adenike ADEDEJI, Yetunde Folasade TAIWO
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Cluj-Napoca 2018-06-01
• Series: Notulae Scientia Biologicae
• Subjects: Opa reservoir occurrence; spatial variation; species richness; temporal variation zones; trophic state index
• Online Access: https://www.notulaebiologicae.ro/index.php/nsb/article/view/10170

The present study investigated the ecological status of Opa reservoir, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Nigeria, based on the spatial and temporal variations in abundance and distribution of zooplankton. 72 samples were collected monthly with a quantitative net zooplankton from both the surface and bottom levels in three stations established at the dam site (Lacustrine), mid-lake (Transition) and inflow (Riverine) over a period of an annual cycle. A total of fifty-four (54) species were recorded from the reservoir comprising Rotifera (57.41%) > Arthropoda (33.33%) > Protozoa (5.56%) > Ciliophora (1.85%) = Cnidaria (1.85%), in the order of abundance. The least number of species (47) was recorded at the Transition station, while the highest number of species (49) occurred at the Lacustrine zone. Of all the zooplankton recorded, four species had significant spatial variation, while nine displayed seasonal variations during the study period (p ≤ 0.05). The highest species richness was observed in Transition surface station (4.18), followed by Lacustrine surface station (3.80) and Riverine surface station (3.23). Shannon’s index showed that zooplankton species were more diverse during the rainy season than dry season. The highest Trophic State Index (TSICR) with respect to Rotifer abundance occurred in Transition surface, followed by Riverine surface and the least occurred in Transition bottom portion. The mean TSICR value obtained was 65.20, indicative of hyper-eutrophic, while the mean TSICL value with respect to cyclopoida-calanoida obtained was 58.07 also revealing eutrophic status of the study area. Opa reservoir comprises mainly Rotifers and its TSICR showed the lake as eutrophic, tending towards becoming hyper-eutrophic, which could speed up the aging of the lake.