Skip to content
Research Article Open access CC BY 4.0

The Distribution and Seasonal Variation of Zooplankton Species of the Great Kwa River, Calabar, Nigeria: A Reassessment Approach

Paul Bassey Ekpo, Anthony John Umoyen, Nseobong Godwin Akpan, Inyang Paul Ekpo, Cecilia James Sunday, Gabriel Abu, Blessing Bassey Ekpenyong

Annual Research & Review in Biology · pp. 10–20 · Published 19 Jul 2022

10.9734/arrb/2022/v37i830523

Abstract

Background: Human activities adversely affect the distribution and diversity of zooplankton. They are diverse group of organisms with little or no locomotive ability and quickly respond to changes in their environment. This research was aimed at providing updated information on the distribution and seasonal variation of zooplankton in Great Kwa River. Materials and Methods: Two sampling stations (S1- Obufa Esuk and S2- Esuk Atu) were mapped along the river bank, samples were collected using plankton net of 55µm mesh size and preserved in 4% formalin. Species were identified using taxonomic keys. Data were analyzed using ecological indices. Results: The results revealed 12 taxa; belonging to 38 species. Tintinnida, Protozoa, Cladocera, Copepoda were 23.1%, 18.5%, 15.4% and 13.3% respectively. The lowest taxonomic groups were Diptera, Foraminitera, Atenatadata and Trichoptera having 1.85% for each order. The highest species was recorded in S2 having 31 species. In both Stations Ascampbelliella acuta was dominance over other species. Shannon-Weiner index (H) were 2.997 and 2.40 in S2 and S1 respectively. The evenness index were 0.576 and 0.547 for S1 and S2 respectively. Margalef,s diversity index were 8.171 and 4.111 for Esuk Atu-S2 and Obufa Esuk-S1 respectively. Zooplankton species were abundant in wet season than dry season. Conclusion: This present study provide updated information on the zooplankton distribution, diversity and seasonal variations of the Great Kwa River. The high dominance of Tintinnida in this study indicates a natural linkage between nano-planktons and macro-planktons in the food webs of the river.

Distribution seasonal variation zooplankton Kwa river dominance

References (35)

  1. 1 Influence of partially known parameter on flaw characterization in Eddy Current Testing by using a random walk MCMC method based on metamodeling [DOI]
  2. 2 Impacts of pollution on coastal and marine ecosystems including coastal and marine fisheries and approach for management: a review and synthesis [DOI]
  3. 3 Physiological responses of the European cockle Cerastoderma edule (Bivalvia: Cardidae) as indicators of coastal lagoon pollution [DOI]
  4. 4 Invertebrate community patterns in Mediterranean temporary wetlands along hydroperiod and salinity gradients [DOI]
  5. 5 Marine Plankton: A practical guide [DOI]
  6. 6 Cyanobacteria dominance influences resource use efficiency and community turnover in phytoplankton and zooplankton communities [DOI]
  7. 7 Environmental factors as indicators of dissolved oxygen concentration and zooplankton abundance: Deep learning versus traditional regression approach [DOI]
  8. 8 The importance of bioconcentration into the pelagic food web base for methylmercury biomagnification: A meta-analysis [DOI]
  9. 9 Strong Spatial Influence on Colonization Rates in a Pioneer Zooplankton Metacommunity [DOI]
  10. 10 Genetic diversity and evolution in eukaryotic phytoplankton: revelations from population genetic studies [DOI]
  11. 11 Phytoplankton Diversity Effect on Ecosystem Functioning in a Coastal Upwelling System [DOI]
  12. 12 The influence of habitat complexity on littoral invertebrate distributions: patterns differ in shallow prairie lakes with and without fish [DOI]
  13. 13 The "neutral" community structure of planktonic herbivores, tintinnid ciliates of the microzooplankton, across the SE Tropical Pacific Ocean [DOI]
  14. 14 Seasonal variations of species composition and abundance of zooplankton in Ehoma Lake, a floodplain lake in Nigeria [DOI]
  15. 15 Plankton community and the relationship with the environment in saline lakes of Onon-Torey plain, Northeastern Mongolia [DOI]
  16. 16 Influence of Seasons on Water Quality, Abundance of Fish and Plankton Species of Ikwori Lake, South-Eastern Nigeria [DOI]
  17. 17 Food and feeding habits of some Nile River fish and their relationship to the availability of natural food resources [DOI]
  18. 18 Feeding habits and trophic levels of cichlid species in tropical reservoir, Lake Nasser, Egypt [DOI]
  19. 19 Assessment of phytoplankton community structure and water quality in the Eastern Harbor of Alexandria, Egypt [DOI]
  20. 20 Ecological investigation of zooplankton abundance in the river Haraz, northeast Iran: Impact of environmental variables [DOI]
  21. 21 Influence of environmental factors on the population dynamics of key zooplankton species in the Gulf of Gdańsk (southern Baltic Sea) [DOI]
  22. 22 Zooplankton-based assessment of the trophic state of a tropical forest river [DOI]
  23. 23 Zooplankton Composition and Abundance and its Relationship with Physico-chemical Parameters in Manila Bay [DOI]
  24. 24 The relative importance of regional and local factors in shaping zooplankton diversity in high-altitude tropical shallow lakes [DOI]
  25. 25 Community structure and grazing impact of mesozooplankton during late spring/early summer 2004/2005 in the vicinity of the Crozet Islands (Southern Ocean) [DOI]
  26. 26 Short-term variation of zooplankton community in Cintra Bay (Northwest Africa) [DOI]
  27. 27 Species composition and distribution of zooplankton in the lower cross river estuary [DOI]
  28. 28 Imbabura and Chimborazo at the cradle of Biogeography in the South American Andes [DOI]
  29. 29 Ecology and Diversity of Phytoplankton in the Great Kwa River, Cross River State, Nigeria
  30. 30 Abundance and distribution of zooplankton in the South China Sea, Area III: Western Philippines
  31. 31 The Taxa Structure and Composition of Zooplankton Communities of Bonny Estuary: A Bio-indication of Anthropogenic Activities.
  32. 32 ZOOPLANKTONS ASSEMBLAGE ALONG JEBBA UPPER BASIN, NIGERIA
  33. 33 American Journal of Engineering Research [DOI]
  34. 34 International Journal of Pure and Applied Zoology [DOI]
  35. 35 Data on diversity and abundance of zooplanktons along the northern part of the Persian Gulf, Iran [DOI]

Cited by 7

An Assessment of the Effect of Pollution on Zooplanktons in Calabar Great Kwa River, Nigeria

Paul B. Ekpo, Reuben C. Agu, Chinyere Osondu-Anyanwu, Augusta A. Nwachukwu, Nkoyo A. Nkang, Inyang P. Ekpo · Journal of Advances in Biology & Biotechnology · 2023

A georeferenced dataset for occurrence records of the phylum Rotifera in Africa

Zacarias Fresno Lopez, T. Cancellario, D. Fontaneto · Journal of Limnology · 2023

Dominance And Fluctuations Of Key Fish Species In The Great Kwa River, Cross River State, Nigeria

Allison Nneka L, Ifon Honor T, Opeh Patience B · Global Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences · 2025

Showing 4 of 7 known citations — external sources report more than can currently be individually listed.

Article metrics

Real usage data collected on this platform.

68

Page views

0

PDF downloads

17

Outbound clicks

7

Citations

Views over time

Views by country

Approximate, from request IP at view time — not citizenship or institution. Countries with fewer than 5 views are grouped as "Other".

Traffic sources

Referring site, by host.

Views and downloads exclude known bots/crawlers. Citations combines this platform's own DOI-resolved index with each external source's own reported total — see Cited by above for individually listed citing works. Last refreshed 0 seconds ago.