Macro invertebrate diversity and abundance in relation to human activities in Lubigi wetland

Abstract

A wetland is an area that is permanently or seasonally saturated with water, it includes mashes, swamps, and bogs. Lubigi wetland is one of the wetlands in Uganda facing pressure from human activities for example road construction, sewage treatment, farming and car wash and these human activities have an effect on macroinvertebrate diversity and abundance on macroinvertebrates. The study was carried out with ageneral objective of identifying the relationship between macroinvertebrate diversity and abundance and human activities in Lubigi wetland which has constantly undergone pressure from human activities. This work involved assesing of the different human activities that are carried out at the different sites of the wetland,measurements of physical-chemical parameters like temperature,dissolved oxygen,biochemical oxygen demand and pH and also collection of macroinvertebrates at those given sites. The parameters were later related to the abundance and diversity of macroinvertebrates at the selected sites (site A-road construction, site B-farming, site C-sewage treatment, siteD-car washing). The study showed that water temperature was highest at site D where car washing was the main human activity, pH was highest at site D(7.8) and lowest at site C (6.8) ,the dissolvd oxygen levels were highest at site B and lowest at site C with a low velocity of 0.18m/s,0.22m/s,0.16m/s and 0.20m/s respectively. Biochemical oxygen Demand was highest at site B and lowest at site A. The study revealed different species of macroinvertebrates at the different sites were collected with site B having the highest Shannon wiener diversity index (0.6) and site C and D having the lowest (0.3). However site C had the highest number of individuals, followed by site A, site, site B and site D had the lowest.