Study on Freshwater Macroinvertebrates of Some Tanzanian Rivers as a Basis for Developing Biomonitoring Index for Assessing Pollution in Tropical African Regions

Abstract

Macroinvertebrates and physicochemical parameters were assessed at 15 sites along five rivers in Kilimanjaro region, Tanzania, with the aim of understanding their ecological status and setting a base to the development of a biological index for tropical regions. Investigated rivers that occur within Pangani basin include Karanga, Rau, Lumbanga, Sere, and Umbwe. Sampling sites were categorized according to the level of water and habitat quality as follows: reference or least impacted (4 sites), moderately impacted (5 sites), and highly impacted (6 sites) sites. A total of 12,527 macroinvertebrates belonging to 13 orders and 48 families were recorded. The highest total abundance of 4,110 individuals per m 2 was found in Karanga river, while Umbwe river had the lowest with 1,203 individuals per m 2 . Chironomidae was the most abundant family (2,588 individuals per m 2 ) and the least were Hydridae and Thiaridae, each having 5 individuals per m 2 . High numbers of taxa were noted among the orders: Ephemeroptera (8), Odonata (8), Diptera (7), and Trichoptera (6). In conclusion, orders with greater diversity of macroinvertebrate families offer a wide range of tolerance to pollution and, thus can potentially be used to develop a biomonitoring index for evaluating pollution in tropical African rivers.