CHAPTER 3;COLLECTION OF MACRO INVERETEBRATES AT RIVER SAMBUL.
Background information
Macro invertebrates are excellent biological indicators of water [Link] invertebrates are non-
native animals that lack a vertebrai column and spend the majority of their lives in freshwater marine or
estuarine environments and wetlands .Scentists track aquatic invertebrates to assess water
quality .Inveertebrates include insect larvae, worms snails and other animals without backbones,aquatic
invertebrates can be found in nearly any habitat from small pools to large lakes and small springs to
large rivers .Some of the more extreme habitats include highly saline water,pools of petroleum sewage
treatment plant lagoons and hotspring. Within a water body aquatic inverterbrates inhabit a variety of
[Link] lentic or standing [Link] invertebrates occur at the bottom of deep lakes,along
vegetated margin and in open [Link] lotic or flowing waters, aquatic organisms occur under stones or
woody debris buried in sand or sediment and crawling or sprawling on rocks leaf packs and [Link]
greatest diversity of aquatic invertebrates is found in medium-sized, forested streams with cobble and
gravel substrates.
There is great deal of diversity represented by aquatic [Link] the abundance and
diversity of aquatic invertebrates they are often inconspicuous and few people are aware of there
presence, much less their importance,current knowledge of the life history,ecology and geographic
range of aquatic invertebrates is limited in part by the huge diversity of aquatic [Link]
invertebrates are also used to access the health of streams, lakes and wetlands because different
species have different tolerance to a variety of [Link] example some invertebrates are usually
intolerant of pollution and are often the first organisms to die of dissaper if a water body becomes
polluted.
Study objectives
To collect macro invertebrates.
Count and record in tables the collected species.
Identify macro invertebrates.
Classify macro invertebrates.
Determine species abundance using diversity indices.
Materials and Methods
Study area
The study area was moi university,uasin Gishu. Daily temperature of the area ranges from 12 to 25
degrees celcius.
Selection of sampling points.
Sampling points were selected and comprised of the following. Sampling points SP1 which is the point of
the wetland where the effluent joins the sambul river sampling point two SP2 which is at downstream
of river sambul river where biologically treated effluent mixes with water from the rivers .Sampling point
three SP3 a point serves as a control.
Sampling technique.
Most invertebrates were collected through manual grabbing [Link] samples were then kept in
sterilized glass bottle in which they were taken to the laboratory for further evaluation.
Materials used.
Gloves for safety purposes
Formaline
Glass bottles
RESULTS.
Table 3.4.1 showing composition and relative abudance of microinvertebrates families in River sambul.
Discussion.
The results above represent macroinvertebrates in river sambul .Different organisms have higher
abundance than other organisms .This shows that the water in river sambul is not polluted because
many macroinvertebrates have thrived in the water as an indicator of the river water being clean
water.,sambul water has been treated to safe standards that do not cause harm to the
microinvertebrates at the river various formulas have been employed to calculate the species richness
at river [Link] index of richness is calculated using the following equation.
D=s-/in N
Where
D=margalefs index of richness
S=no of families of macroinvertebrates
N=total number of macro invertebrates
In=natural logarithm
Conclusion and recommendations
To conclude its evident that many macro invertebrates are found to survive in river sambul because the
water is safe, therefore the water must be kept safe so as to enhance their [Link] quality affects
where microinvertebrates live in river [Link] microinvertabrates have trouble surviving in their
habitats, then there might be less prey for the fish,which could cut the supply of food for [Link]
recommendation is for the study is to visit river sambul on one day to collect macroinvertebrates to do
chemical testing,
References.
Allan,D.A 1995 stream [Link]; Kluwer academic publishers.
Dodds,W.D 2002, freh water [Link] Diego; Academic press
Faulds ,A.F Murray C.M , Neville,K.N. Leaf pack experimemts stream ecology kit
Fore,L.S.1998.’’FIELD Guide to freshwater Invertebrates.”