Keywords
organic matter
estuarine ecosystem
Abstract
Temporal variations in benthic macro-invertebrate community and biomarkers of organic matter and their relationships were investigated in the Lagos Lagoon. A pattern where relatively higher values of biomarkers of organic matter were observed in the rainy season was particularly evident in this study. Ranges observed for a biomarker of organic matter investigated were; 0.14-6.3 µg/L for Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), 146 -135133 mg/g for total organic matter, 63.833 - 83.33mg/g for total organic content, 1.2 – 222.13% for protein, 0.85 – 1.3% for lipids and 1.5 - 2.4% of carbohydrate. A total of 241 individuals of benthic macrofauna was collected in this study. Monthly abundance varied between 22 and 75 individuals. Monthly record of benthic macro-fauna species observed in the study area was relatively stable, values fluctuated between four and six individuals. The results of correlation analysis indicated that, variations in biomarkers of organic matter had a strong influence on the abundance of benthic macrofauna, suggesting that the quality and quantity of organic matter in the aquatic system are important factors affecting benthic macro-fauna community.
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