Macroinvertebrate distribution in relation to water and habitat quality changes in Lake Kuriftu, Ethiopia
Downloads
This study aimed to determine whether habitat or other environmental factors were critical for assessing the ecological condition and macroinvertebrate community structure of a shallow lake exposed to multiple human pressures. The fieldwork was conducted in 2023 during the dry season. The lakeshore was categorized into six distinct sampling sites (S1–S6) to capture the gradient of anthropogenic influence and habitat heterogeneity. The habplot quality assessment (HabQA), based on the Lake Habitat Survey (LHS) and Lake Habitat Quality Assessment (LHQA) methods, was used to evaluate hydromorphological characteristics. In the littoral zone, physicochemical data were gathered using measuring probes and standard sampling procedures. Thus, a total of fifteen taxa were identified and categorized as follows: Odonata (Calopterygidae, Coenagrionidae, and Aeshnidae, Cordulidae), Hemiptera (Corixidae, Belostomatidae, Gerridae, Naucoridae, and Notonoctidae), Ephemeroptera (Baetidae, and Caenidae), and Diptera (Chironomidae, and Ceratopogenidae). Using Bray-Curtis UPGMA analysis, the sample sites were grouped based on benthic macroinvertebrate distributions. The sites that were most similar to one another were 5 and 6, according to the UPGMA analysis. Sites 3 and 4 were found to be the second most similar to one another. The intricacy of these sites' habitats and their littoral substrate provide an explanation for this phenomenon. TP, water temperature, and HabQA score were shown to be important contributors to the variance observed in the macroinvertebrate data. In contrast to other physicochemical factors, this study elucidated the larger significance of habitat quality parameters on the abundance of macroinvertebrate communities. To better understand the attributes crucial to macroinvertebrate abundance, we strongly recommend using the HabQA scoring technique to examine the structure of macroinvertebrate communities. Management efforts should also assess various shoreline changes and prioritize preserving the littoral zone's morphological diversity.
Downloads
APHA. (1999). Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater. Water Analysis, 20th ed. 2,671 p.
Attrill M.J., Strong J.A., Rowden A.A. (2000). Are macroinvertebrate communities influenced by seagrass structural complexity? Ecography, 23(1): 114-121.
Ayele T., Mengistou S. (2013). Major factors that structure the benthic fauna of a shallow, tropical lake, Lake Kuriftu, Ethiopia. Ethiopian Journal of Biological Sciences, 12(2): 151-168.
Barros M.P., Gayeski L.M., Tundisi J.G. (2016). Benthic macroinvertebrate community in the Sinos River drainage basin, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Brazilian Journal of Biology, 76(4): 942-950.
Brauns M., Gücker B., Wagner C., Garcia X.F., Walz N., Pusch M.T. (2011). Human lakeshore development alters the structure and trophic basis of littoral food webs. Journal of Applied Ecology, 48(4): 916-925.
Chibsa Y., Mengistou S., Kifle D. (2022). Distribution of benthic macroinvertebrates in relation to physicochemical parameters and macrophyte cover in the Ketar River, Ethiopia. Sinet: Ethiopian Journal of Science, 45(2): 192-204.
Clifford H.F. (1991). Aquatic invertebrates of Alberta.University of Alberta Press, 1991. 538 p.
Collier K.J., Ilcock R.J., Meredith A.S. (1998). Influence of substrate type and physicochemical conditions on macroinvertebrate faunas and biotic indices of some lowland Waikato, New Zealand, streams. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 32(1): 19.
Dalu T., Tambara E., Chari L.D., Moyo S., Nhiwatiwa T. (2016). A test of the lake habitat survey method in Cleveland Reservoir and Lake Chivero (Manyame River Basin, Zimbabwe). Water SA, 42(1): 102-111.
Dudgeon D., Arthington, A.H., Gessner M.O., Kawabata Z.-I., Knowler D.J., Lévêque C., Naiman R.J., Prieur-Richard A.-H., Soto D., Stiassny M.L.J., Sullivan C.A. (2006). Freshwater biodiversity: importance, threats, status and conservation challenges. Biological Reviews, 81(02): 163.
EPA. (2001). Parameters of water quality: Interpretation and standards. EPA, 2001.
Eshete A., Seyoum M. (2011). Seasonal variation of biomass and secondary production of Thermocyclops (Cyclopoida) and Brachionus (Rotifera) spp, in a shallow tropical Lake Kuriftu, Ethiopia. Sinet: Ethiopian Journal of Science, 34(2): 73-88.
Friday L.E. (1987). The diversity of macro invertebrate and macrophyte communities in ponds. Freshwater Biology, 18(1): 87-104.
Gezie A., Anteneh W., Dejen E. (2017). Effects of human-induced environmental changes on benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages of wetlands in Lake Tana. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 189: 1-14.
Gibtan A., Getahun A., Mengistou S., Ashagrie G., Abebe G., Seyoum M. (2008). Effect of stocking density on the growth performance and yield of Nile tilapia [Oreochromis niloticus (L., 1758 )] in a cage culture system in Lake Kuriftu. Agriculture Research, 39: 1450-1460.
Girum T., Seyoum M. (2013). Zooplankton Community grazing rates in a small crator lake, Lake Kuriftu, Ethiopia. Sinet: Ethiopian Journal of Science, 36(1): 1-8.
Heino J. (2000). Lentic macroinvertebrate assemblage structure along gradients in spatial heterogeneity, habitat size and water chemistry. Hydrobiologia, 418: 229-242.
Hussner A., Stiers I., Verhofstad M.J.J.M., Bakker E.S., Grutters B.M.C., Haury J., van Valkenburg J.L.C.H., Brundu G., Newman J., Clayton J.S., Anderson L.W.J., Hofstra D. (2017). Management and control methods of invasive alien freshwater aquatic plants: A review. Aquatic Botany, 136: 112-137.
Jones C., Somers K.M., Craig B., Reynoldson T. (2004). Ontario benthos biomonitoring network protocol manual. version 1.0. Ontario Ministry of Environment. 109 p.
Kouamé M.K., Dietoa M.Y., Edia E.O., Costa S.K. Da, Ouattara A. (2011). Macroinvertebrate communities associated with macrophyte habitats in a tropical man-made lake ( Lake Taabo, Côte d ’ Ivoire). Knowledge and Management of Aquatic Ecosystems, 400(3): 1-18.
Li R., Li X., Yang R., Farooq M., Tian Z., Xu Y., Shao N., Liu S., Xiao W. (2024). Bioassessment of macroinvertebrate communities influenced by gradients of human activities. Insects, 15(2): 1-15.
Masesea F.O., Omukotob J.O., Nyakeya K. (2013). Biomonitoring as a prerequisite for sustainable water resources?: a review of current status, opportunities and challenges to scaling up in East Africa. Ecohydrology and Hydrobiology, 18: 1-18.
Mcgoff E., Irvine K., Elaine M., Irvine K. (2009). A test of the association between Lake Habitat Quality assessment and macroinvertebrate community structure. Aquatic Conservstion Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 533: 520-533.
Melese H., Debella H.J. (2024). Temporal phytoplankton dynamics and environmental variables in four Ethiopian soda lakes. Environmental Systems Research, 13(3): 15.
Mereta S.T., Ambelu A., Ermias A., Abdie Y., Moges M., Haddis A., Hailu D., Beyene H., Kebede B., Mulat W.L. (2020). Effects of untreated industrial effluents on water quality and benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages of Lake Hawassa and its tributaries, Southern Ethiopia. African Journal of Aquatic Science, 45(3): 285-295.
Obolewski K., Gli?ska-lewczuk K., Strzelczak A. (2014). The use of benthic macroinvertebrate metrics in the assessment of ecological status of floodplain lakes. Journal of Freshwater Ecology, 29(2): 225-242.
Oscoz J., Galicia D., Miranda R. (2011). Identification guide of freshwater macroinvertebrates of Spain. In: O. Javier, G. David, M. Rafael (eds.). Springer Publisher Services. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1554-7.
Rowan J.S. (2008). Lake habitat survey in the United Kingdom. Field survey guidance manual. Version 4.
Shao M.-L., Xie Z.-C., Han X.-Q., Cao M., Cai Q.-H. (2008). Macroinvertebrate Community Structure in Three-Gorges Reservoir, China. International Review of Hydrobiology, 93: 175-187.
Shostell J.M., Williams B.S. (2007). Habitat complexity as a determinant of benthic macroinvertebrate community structure in cypress tree reservoirs. Hydrobiologia, 575: 389-399.
Singanan M., Wondimu L., Tesso M. (2008). Water quality of Wenchi Crater Lake in Ethiopia. Maejo International Journal of Science and Technology, 02(02): 361-373.
Somerfield P.J. (2008). Identification of the Bray-Curtis similarity index: Comment on Yoshioka (2008). Marine Ecology Progress Series, 372: 303-306.
Su P., Wang X., Lin Q., Peng J., Song J., Fu J., Wang S. (2019). Variability in macroinvertebrate community structure and its response to ecological factors of the Weihe River Basin , China. Ecological Engineering, 140: 1-13.
Tibebe D., Kassa Y., Melaku A., Lakew S., Tana L. (2019). Investigation of spatio-temporal variations of selected water quality parameters and trophic status of Lake Tana for sustainable management, Ethiopia. Microchemical Journal, 148(May): 374-384.
Copyright (c) 2026 International Journal of Aquatic Biology
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
