Journal Article

Water Quality and Algal Biodiversity of River Gbako Badeggi, Niger State, Nigeria

Abstract

Algae are significant component of biological monitoring programs for assessing water quality. They are eligible to water quality assessment due to their nutrients requirements, rapid reproduction rate, and very short life cycle. The physico-chemical and algal characteristics of River Gbako, Badeggi, Niger State Nigeria were studied in three stations over a period of six months from May to October 2017. Standard methods were used to determine the physico-chemical parameters such as temperature, depth, transparency, pH, [Electrical conductivity (EC), Total dissolved solids (TDS), Biological oxygen demand (BOD5), Dissolved oxygen (DO), phosphate and nitrate, while published keys were used to identify the algal distribution. The mean values of all the physicochemical parameters determined for the three sampling stations differ significantly (P ≤ 0.05) except for BOD5, TDS and water temperatures which were not significantly different between the stations sampled Algal abundance showed the following decreasing order: Heterokontophyta>Cyanophyta>>Chlorophyta>Euglenophyta>Cryptophyta. The algal frequency of occurence for the three sampled stations were Sp1 of 327 (individuals/ml), Sp2 of 563 (individuals/ml) and Sp3 335 (individuals/ml with the total algal density of 1215 individuls/ml. The surface water in the six sampling stations studied revealed the fluctuations of the investigated parameters along the sampling stations, which could be attributed to both anthropogenic and natural activities, consequently the diverse algal distribution. Cyanophyta have detrimental effects on various uses of water, hence there is the need to prevent River Gbako, natural water supplies from being taken over by the Cyanophyta.

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