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European Journal of Applied Sciences – Vol. 12, No. 1
Publication Date: February 25, 2024
DOI:10.14738/aivp.121.16532
Kuforiji, T. S., Ayandiran, T. A., Fawole, O. O., Balogun, H. A., Olanipekun, A. S., & Adeyemi, O. O. (2024). Bioaccumulation of Heavy
Metals in Some Selected Benthic Macro-Invertebrates of River Owo, Agbara, Ogun State, Nigeria. European Journal of Applied
Sciences, Vol - 12(1). 531-543.
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
Bioaccumulation of Heavy Metals in Some Selected Benthic
Macro-Invertebrates of River Owo, Agbara, Ogun State, Nigeria
Kuforiji, Titilope Shakirat
Department of zoology, Faculty of science,
Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, Nigeria
Ayandiran, Tolulope Akinpelu
Environmental Biology Unit, Department of Pure and Applied Biology,
Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Nigeria
Fawole, Olatunde Olubanjo
Environmental Biology Unit, Department of Pure and Applied Biology,
Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Nigeria
Balogun, Hassan Adewale
Environmental Biology Unit, Department of Pure and Applied Biology,
Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Nigeria
Olanipekun, Abimbola Stephen
Environmental Biology Unit, Department of Pure and Applied Biology,
Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Nigeria
Adeyemi, Oluwatosin Olajumoke
Environmental Biology Unit, Department of Pure and Applied Biology,
Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Nigeria
ABSTRACT
Increasing Industrialization, and urbanization, along with the violation of the
effluent disposal norms, has caused heavy contamination of water bodies. Macro- invertebrates and other aquatic biota in the vicinity of industrial areas and estates
are a good indicated for monitoring the level of pollutions. Heavy metals like
cadmium (cd), chromium (cr) have proven to be persistent pollutants. Though
present in traces and being lipophilic, heavy metals tend to bioaccumulate and
biomagnified. Their accumulation and biotic tissues cause toxic effects. The study
was carried out the current levels of total cadmium, chromium, Zinc, copper, Nickel,
lead, mercury, and cobalt accumulated in the body of selected macro-invertebrates.
Four groups of aquatic macro invertebrates group A; Dragonfly larvae (hagenius
sp); group B; crawling water beetle (Elmidae spp.); group C; Freshwater prawn
(Parastacidae spp.); group D; Freshwater snail (gastropoda spp.) all were analyzed
for their content of these heavy metal. The total Arsenic was ranged from 0.008 to
0.34 (mg/l), cadmium ranges 0.18 to 0.08 (mg/l), lead ranged from 0.019 to 0.72
(mg/l), copper. Ranged from 0.146 to 0.340 (mg/l), chromium ranged from 0.003 to
0.012 (mg/l) of the four samples (A, B, C and D) Concentrations slightly exceeded
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Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom 532
European Journal of Applied Sciences (EJAS) Vol. 12, Issue 1, February-2024
the prescribes Legal Limits of Lagos state Environmental protection Agency
(LASEPA, 2001). The bioaccumulation level of heavy metals investigated in macro- invertebrate shows a little deviation from WHO (2001), FEPA, (1991).
Keywords: Industrial and domestic effluent, Heavy metals, monitoring, pollution,
bioaccumulation, benthic macro-invertebrates.
INTRODUCTION
From an environmental point of view, Nigeria’s freshwater ecosystems are of great importance
for the survival of a large variety of plants, animals and macro-invertebrates’ species (Castro et
al.,1999; Liton and Tasnim, 2022). Metal pollution of the freshwater and marine water
environment continues to attract the attention of a large amount of metal pollution from
industrial areas or towns, industrial effluents, refuse dumps etc. Pollution by heavy metals is a
serious problem due to their toxicity and their ability to accumulate in the biota (Islam and
Tanaka, 2004). The progressive and irreversible accumulation of these metals in various organs
of marine creatures ultimately leads to mental –related diseases in the long run because of their
toxicity, thereby endangering the aquatic biota and other organism. Factories and
manufacturing industries are frequently sited near surface water bodies. Today in Lagos, there
are few industrial layouts. These layouts often show no visible pattern of distribution as
secondary (manufacturing) and tertiary (service and repairs) industries spring up side by side.
Each layout thus houses a wide range of industries between residential houses. The wastewater
output of such layout is thus very complex and varied. Population increase, industrialization
and pollution go hand in hand (Edegbene and Akamagwuna, 2022).
Streams, rivers, wetlands and lakes are homes for many small animals called macro- invertebrates. Macro-invertebrates are ideal indicator organisms as various taxa are associated
with different levels of water quality. Macro-invertebrates also inhabit a vital position in the
food chain of aquatic systems and therefore can be used to make estimates of ecosystem health
(Bode and Novak 1995). Analysis of macro-invertebrate assemblages is also time and cost
efficient compared to chemical and physical assessments of water quality which provide little
insight into temporal variation in conditions (Bode et al., 1996). These animals are important
in food chains. They are used in the assessment of the quality of water courses, in
environmental monitoring and surveillance and as biological indicators of aquatic pollution
(Chapman, 1996; Water and River commission, 2001). Their popular choice as indicator in the
biological assessment of water quality is due to their ubiquity, large number of species,
sedentary nature and long-life cycle compared to other aquatic groups (Rosenberg and
Reish,1993). Chemical assessment, being intermittent, may not detect chemical pollution
indicators where effluent discharges are intermittent. Benthic macro-invertebrates are used in
biomonitoring, because they accumulate organic and in-organic pollutants composition. These
characteristics is necessitated by their wide distribution, sessile or sedentary laid forms and
their predisposition to quantitatively re-sample studies independent of time space (Pen, 1999).
Industrialization and urbanization have proceeded rapidly during past years in Agbara
Industrial Estate, of Lagos state. The Estates houses wide range of industries with residential
houses and the waste generated are channel through underground sewers into the river Owo.
These pollutants wastes released into the river owo contain harmful chemicals, such as heavy
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Kuforiji, T. S., Ayandiran, T. A., Fawole, O. O., Balogun, H. A., Olanipekun, A. S., & Adeyemi, O. O. (2024). Bioaccumulation of Heavy Metals in Some
Selected Benthic Macro-Invertebrates of River Owo, Agbara, Ogun State, Nigeria. European Journal of Applied Sciences, Vol - 12(1). 531-543.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/aivp.121.16532
metals, oil, settleable solids, nutrients and Ammonia. These pollutants have harmful effects on
the organism in the receiving water body. And are also responsible for specific signs of the
toxicity on macro- fauna as reduction in their population, physiology of the macro-fauna is an
affected; poor swimming performance, which many finally results to death of such organisms.
(Mc clugge, 1991).
However, this study was carried out to Identify the benthic macro-invertebrates, the level and
type of heavy metals accumulated in selected benthic macro-invertebrates’ fauna of River Owo.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Agbara Industrial Estate the Study Area
Agbara Industrial Estate is located between latitude 3°00l and 3°151 and longitude 6°151 and
63O5l
. It is approximately 31 kilometers West of Lagos on the Badagry Expressway. It is first
privately developed new town in Nigeria. It covers an area of 454 hectares which consists of
industrial commercial and private housing areas in a place that previously was only a forest.
Clubs, shopping complexes school and medical facilities were incorporated in the master plan
(Agbara Estate Limited, 1982).
Physicochemical Properties at the Effluent Discharge Point
The physicochemical properties of river Owo was also carried out basically at the effluent
discharge point, according to APHA, (1988).
Collection of Benthic Macro-Invertebrates
The benthic macro-organism was sampled with the aid of D-frame aquatic net. A D-frame
aquatic net was held against the streambed. It was moved forwards and sideways within the
area. Vegetation and objects upstream of the open net were disturbed to dislodge any adhering
macro-invertebrates. The procedure was repeated for about 5mins, before lifting the net out of
water to a suitable spot at the bank by putting the collected materials consisting of sediments,
stones, decaying plants and benthic fauna. The D. frame aquatic net was also deep to the bottom
of the water in which the water was scoped to collect the benthic macro-invertebrates. Animals
were sorted in the laboratory, preserved in alcohol, and identified to the lowest possible
taxonomic level.
Laboratory Analysis of Sample
The materials collected from the site were sorted out property to remove the macro- invertebrates. During the sorting, the leaves, stones, mu and particles were washed out using
the sieve with mesh size 1mm. The organism left behind on the sieve were then collected and
transferred to plastic specimen bottle with formalin in it for preservation and examined under
the binocular microscope with built in light. Identification was done with the aid of standard
taxonomic diagrams and keys, Johannsen (1969) and Quigsley (1977). The important of
identification macro-organism will help to determine the presence of the most sensitive
faunistic group also to identify macro-organism to the family level.
Digestion and Preparation of Micro- invertebrates Samples for Heavy Metals Analysis
The sample macro-invertebrates were weighed using the beam-balance to get the accurate
weight of the macro-invertebrates, after which was subjected to equal amount of Nitric-acid for