The Plankton and Fishes of a Tropical Creek in South-Western Nigeria

Investigations on the physico-chemical characteristics, phytoplankton, zooplankton, finfish and shell fish component of an estuarine creek in South-western Nigeria was carried out for one year between March, 2003 and February, 2004. The study showed notable seasonal variation in the components investigated. Salinity regime seemed a major determinant of the composition, abundance and seasonal variation of encountered creek biota. Rain events associated with reducing salinities and tidal lagoonal inflow associated with increasing salinities may be key hydro-meteorological forcing operating in the creek. During the study, 82 species of phytoplankton, 18 species of zooplankton, 17 species for finfish, 4 species of shell fish and 7 categories of juvenile forms were recorded. In all, freshwater, estuarine and marine species of all trophic levels investigated were recorded in the creek at one time or the other during the survey. The array of juvenile forms recorded probably points to the suitability of the creeks characteristics to serve as breeding ground and place of refuge for diverse aquatic species.

[1]  R. Newell,et al.  Marine plankton,: A practical guide , 1963 .

[2]  K. Carpenter.  FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes , 2002 .

[3]  D. Nwankwo,et al.  Epiphyte community on water hyacinth Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms in coastal waters of southwestern Nigeria , 1992 .

[4]  W. Schneider.  Field guide to the commercial marine resources of the Gulf of Guinea , 1990 .

[5]  D. A. S. Beltrones,et al.  Structure of Benthic Diatom Assemblages from a Mangrove Environment in a Mexican Subtropical Lagoon 1 , 1999 .

[6]  R. Laë,et al.  Impact of fishing on fish assemblages in tropical lagoons: the example of the Ebrie lagoon, West Africa , 2003 .

[7]  D. Nwankwo.  Phytoplankton diversity and succession in Lagos Lagoon, Nigeria , 1996 .

[8]  Ruth Patrick,et al.  The diatoms of the United States exclusive of Alaska and Hawaii , 1966 .

[9]  P. Meire,et al.  Zooplankton in the Schelde estuary, Belgium and the Netherlands: spatial and temporal patterns , 2004 .

[10]  R. Kyle,et al.  Subsistence and recreational mussel (Perna perno) collecting in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: fishing mortality and precautionary management , 1998 .

[11]  M. B. Hill,et al.  The ecology of Lagos Lagoon II. The topography and physical features of Lagos Harbour and Lagos Lagoon , 1958, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences.

[12]  C. Powell.  Fresh and brackish water shrimps of economic importance in the Niger Delta , 1983 .

[13]  P. Calow,et al.  Invertebrates: a new synthesis. , 1988 .

[14]  Oceans,et al.  FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes, Eastern Central Atlantic, fishing areas 34,47(in part) , 1981 .

[15]  J. W. G. Lund,et al.  An Introductory Account of the Smaller Algae of British Coastal Waters. Part V. Bacillariophyceae (Diatoms). , 1965 .