The impact of water quality on the biodiversity of macroinvertebrates in river Mpanga Kabarole district, western Uganda

Abstract

In this current study, water samples were collected from three course of the River Mpanga (upper, middle and lower) using clean labelled bottles, which were then placed in a cooler box and then taken to the Department of Chemistry, Makerere University for water quality testing. The parameters tested included pH, turbidity, electric conductivity, dissolved oxygen and nitrates. Macroinvertebrates were also collected from the three courses of the River Mpanga using a D-net and identified using an identification guide. A total of 23 species of macroinvertebrates were identified. The data collected on macroinvertebrates were used to compute their diversity and relative abundance at the three courses. The results showed that the upper course of the River Mpanga had the lowest Shannon diversity index. The results also showed that some water parameters such as nitrates were above the standard levels set by Uganda National Environmental Management Authority for a healthy river ecosystem. Therefore, species biodiversity has a direct linkage to water quality of a given aquatic ecosystem.