Biodiversity of gutters in Lagos Metropolis, Nigeria

Abstract

A survey of the gutters in Lagos metropolis was conducted to determine the biodiversity of gutters and possibility of secondary contamination of the bursted pipes embedded within them. The biodiversity indicated that only species tolerant to organic pollution colonized the habitat. The macrofauna was represented by six taxa in order of dominance Diptera > Poecillidae > Annelida > Mollusca > Ephemeroptera > Trichoptera. The phytoplankton were represented by 17 taxa belonging to five major groups, Bacillariophyta > Chlorophyta > Cyanophyta > Dinophyta > Euglenophyta. The zooplankton was represented by a total of 18 taxa belonging to 4 major groups Cladocera > Copepoda > Rotifera > Annelida. Secondary contamination of water occurred as very minute traces of the fauna were found in the domestic water supply. It is hoped that the practice of laying pipes in gutters will be discontinued as it can endanger the health of the consumers. © 2006 Asian Network for Scientific Information.