Some Aquatic Macrophytes and Water Quality Parameters of River Guma, Benue, Nigeria
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Keywords

Aquatic macrophytes
Water quality parameters
River Guma

Abstract

The study was conducted between July and August 2012 to identify some aquatic macrophytes of River Guma in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State taking from four sites (A,B,C, and D) as a case study. The identification was done by visually observing and assessing the aquatic macrophyte growth on the sites. In addition, some physicochemical parameters associated with their distribution in river Guma were studied and analyzed. The four sites studied had some macrophytes in common, namely, Cyperus alopcuroides, Thalia genuculata, Corypha umbraculifera, Ludwigia leptocarea, Ludwigia erecta while Azolla africana were found in site A, Ceratophyllum dermersun and Eichornia crassipies were found in site B and C. The result of the physicochemical parameters taken revealed that there was a significant difference (p < 0.05) in all the parameters taken with free carbon dioxide ranging from 3.38±0.13- 4.03±0.03, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) values ranged from 2.47±0.09 - 3.53 ± 0.03, DO2 ranged from 4.63±0.08-4.00±0.10 between July and August. pH ranged from 7.03±0.03 - 7.38±0.13, turbidity ranged from 23.25±0.25 - 24.25±0.25, temperature ranged from 25.25±0.25 - 25.59±0.09 while total alkalinity ranged from 21.03±1.03 - 22.03±0.98 between July and August. 

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