Littoral <i>Microcrustacean</i> In Cross River Estuary, Nigeria: Ecological Assessment
Keywords:
Littoral, Microcrustaceans, Cross River Estuary, NigeriaAbstract
This study aimed at examining the abundance, composition and distribution of littoral microcrustacean in the three respective habitats of the Cross River Estuary. A total of 324 individual littoral microcrustaceans belonging to 56 species and 10 taxonomic groups were recorded in the course of the study. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that there was no significant difference in the littoral microcrustacean abundance between the three stations. The number of individuals in stations 1 and 2 correlate very strongly with the sediment substrate whereas station 3 was negatively correlated with the sediment substrate. The relatively low habitat specificity of the littoral microcrustacean in the Cross River Estuary indicates that their broader use as bioindicators for various anthropogenic stressors should be investigated.
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