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Journal of Applied Sciences and Environmental Management
World Bank assisted National Agricultural Research Project (NARP) - University of Port Harcourt
ISSN: 1119-8362
Vol. 19, No. 4, 2015, pp. 779-784
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Bioline Code: ja15097
Full paper language: English
Document type: Research Article
Document available free of charge
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Journal of Applied Sciences and Environmental Management, Vol. 19, No. 4, 2015, pp. 779-784
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Impact of Livestock Grazing on Abundance and Community Structure of Macroinvertebrate fauna of Ovia River, Edo State, Nigeria
AGANMWONYI, IGIOGBE; IRIABGONSE, FASIPE & EMERIBE, CHUKWUDI
Abstract
A survey of the impact of cattle grazing on macro invertebrate fauna of Ovia
River was carried out between January and June 2004. Macro invertebrate and water samples
were collected from three sampling locations; station I (new grazing area for cattle), station II
(initial grazing area) and station III (control location). A total of 33 taxa of macro invertebrates
with 831 individuals were encountered in the study. The overall abundance of macro
invertebrates was highly significantly different (p<0.01) among the study stations. A posteriori
Dunnett’s T3 test showed that the abundance was significantly higher in stations I and III. The
low species abundance in station II is an indication of the grazing effect of the herds of cattle,
which resulted in the loss of riparian vegetation and eventually the continuous sedimentation of
the station during rainfall events. In view of this, governments at all levels should make efforts
to establish dedicated pasture lands for livestock grazing across the country.
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© Copyright 2015 - Journal of Applied Sciences and Environmental Management
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