ECOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF FRESHWATER SNAIL SPECIES IN RIVER BENUE AT IBI SITE, TARABA STATE, NIGERIA
Water snail species are aquatic invertebrates found in freshwater and other aquatic environments worldwide and several factors such as physical, chemical and biological factors affects their ecology. This study was carried out to identify the freshwater snail species in River Benue at Ibi site; to determine their abundance, diversity and analyze the physicochemical properties influencing their population. Freshwater snail species and water samples were collected from November 2024 to January 2025, analysed in-situ and others taken to the laboratory for identification and analysis. The result showed that 267 snail species were collected and 10 species were identified from various families. The highest abundance was recorded in November (150). The Viviparidae family was the most abundance having higher number of species (2, 20%) and individuals (144, 53.93%). The Shannon–Weiner diversity index showed that the month with highest number of snail species were recorded in November with a value of 1.235 and evenness (0.768), while the most diverse month was seen in the month of January with a value of 1.216. The water remained colourless throughout the period, with pH, temperature, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, conductivity and total dissolved solids ranging from 6.75 to 7.45, 21.53 to 29.23°C, 0.25 NTU, 5.96 to 6.32 mg/L, 63.20 to 85.97 mg/L and 29.13 to 39.73 mg/L, respectively. This research serves as a baseline study for freshwater snail species in the River Benue at Ibi site and it shows the dynamic nature of the river ecosystem and the importance of environmental factors in shaping freshwater snail species populations. It is observed that regular monitoring of water quality parameters such as pH, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, electrical conductivity, and total dissolved solids should be conducted to identify potential threats early and maintain the health of the river ecosystem.
Keywords: Abundance, Ecology, Snail species, Physicochemical, Water quality, River
