Detecting Environmental Stress of Tropical Lagoon Using Abundance-Biomass Curve of Benthic Macroinvertebrate Assemblages (Ebrié lagoon, Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa)
Yao Saki Appiah *
Laboratory of Natural Environments and Biodiversity Conservation, Faculty of Biosciences, Félix Houphouët-Boigny University, Box 582 Abidjan 22, Côte d’Ivoire.
Yao Aristide Konan
Laboratory of Natural Environments and Biodiversity Conservation, Faculty of Biosciences, Félix Houphouët-Boigny University, Box 582 Abidjan 22, Côte d’Ivoire.
Raphael N’doua Etilé
Laboratory of Natural Environments and Biodiversity Conservation, Faculty of Biosciences, Félix Houphouët-Boigny University, Box 582 Abidjan 22, Côte d’Ivoire.
Zeré Marius Gogbé
Department of Animal Biology, UFR Biological Sciences, Peleforo Gon Coulibaly University, Box 1328 Korhogo, Côte d’Ivoire.
Essetchi Paul Kouamélan
Laboratory of Natural Environments and Biodiversity Conservation, Faculty of Biosciences, Félix Houphouët-Boigny University, Box 582 Abidjan 22, Côte d’Ivoire.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Sectors IV and V of the Ebrié lagoon are increasingly experiencing fish mortality. The abundance biomass comparison (ABC) is graphical method use to assess the level of environmental disturbance in this area. The aim of the study were to detect the environmental changes caused by anthropogenic activities using ABC curve of benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages presented in the studied areas. Results of the ABC analyses indicated that stations L, K and M are less stressed with biomass curve above abundance curve. Stations N and A recorded a stressed environment with abundance curve above biomass curve. The ABC plots showed that N and A stations could be classified as moderately disturbed and polluted. The Clarke's W index to the benthic macroinvertebrates data, confirmed this situation; it ranged from -0,129 (N) to 0,224 (L). The results of the present study can be extrapolated to other tropical wetland systems to predict the levels of disturbance and to identify characteristic organisms to predict the environmental conditions in the wetland health assessment program.
Keywords: Benthic macroinvertebrate, abundance biomass ABC method, sesectors IV and Vctors IV and V, Ebrié lagoon, Côte d’Ivoire.