A Review on the Effects of Crude Oil Spill on Aquatic Life (Fish) in The Niger Delta, Nigeria (Published)
The discovery of crude oil in commercial quantities in the Niger Delta was echoes of riches and wealth to the region and the country, Nigeria but the Niger Delta environment and aquatic ecosystems suffers great anthropogenic pollutions to its biodiversity: birds, animals, plants and crops; fishes and wildlife. This article has reviewed the effects of crude oil spill on the aquatic life (fish) in the Niger Delta, examining cases of oil spill incidences, impacts of oil exploration and exploitation on the environment, management of oil spill on living aquatic resources; biomagnification and threat to biodiversity and food security. It also examined the extent of crude oil removal techniques, and finally proffer possible mitigations and compensations for oil spills incidences in the Niger Delta. We are left with a great question: can gas flaring and illegal refineries be stopped, in the Niger Delta? The Niger Delta waters and the aquatic biodiversity should be protected; the government and multi-national oil companies should launch a clean-up programme on the affected areas/the region, and the management of spills (both of catastrophic and local dimensions) will play a leading role by enacting and enforcing stringent environmental laws that will protect the oil producing communities/areas. Government should be able to identify natural resources (such as wetlands and coastal zones) in Nigeria and monetary investment in environmental protection of vulnerable areas should be seriously looked into.
Keywords: Biodiversity, Bioremediation, Fish, Mitigation, Pollution, Wetland, aquatic resources, biomagnification
ECOLOGY, DISTRIBUTION AND DIVERSITY OF PHYTOPLANKTON IN TEETHA WETLAND, TUMAKURU DISTRICT, KARNATAKA, INDIA (Published)
In the present experiment, phytoplankton belonging to 41 species under 23 genera was observed from Teetha wetland ecosystem during the period of investigation from June 2011 to May 2013. Results revealed that, Bacillariophyceae was found to be the dominant group of phytoplankton (39.13 %) followed by Chlorococcales and Cyanophyceae each with (21.74 %), desmids (13.04 %) and Euglenoids (4.35 %). Teetha Lake is found to be rich in phytoplankton diversity and hence productive. Summer period marked an increase in phytoplankton density. Physicochemical factors like Temperature, pH, Sulphate, Potassium, Nitrate nitrogen, Ammonical nitrogen and Silica were found to be the important factors influencing the growth of phytoplankton and they exhibited significant positive correlation with total phytoplankton. Based on Nygaard’s trophic state indices the wetland is said to be oligotrophic. Inter-relationship of various physicochemical factors and their role with seasonal dynamics of phytoplankton is here by discussed.
Keywords: Correlation, Diversity, Physicochemical factors, Phytoplankton, Wetland