Preliminary assessment of aquatic insects biodiversity and water quality parameters of anya river, Umudike, South East, Nigeria

Abstract

Biodiversity of aquatic insects and physico-chemical water quality parameters of Anya River, Umudike, South East, Nigeria were assessed from June to August 2015. Three sampling stations were established. The samples were collected using standard methods. All the physico-chemical parameters were within acceptable limits except pH in station 2. The physico-chemical parameters also varied significantly in the three stations sampled except for nitrate, phosphate, Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) and water temperature. A total of 185 individuals of aquatic insects were collected during the study with Hemipterans being the most abundant. Station 2 showed better taxa richness and diversity while Station 3 showed better species evenness. The aquatic insects’ biodiversity and physico-chemical parameters showed that this segment of Anya River is not heavily polluted but an expanded study will give a true picture.

Keywords: Aquatic insects, Biodiversity, Water quality, Anya River Aquatic insects, Biodiversity, Water quality, Anya River