DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY

This study was conducted in Eruvbi stream, Benin City Edo State, Nigeria, aimed at investigating community structure of cladocerans in Eruvbi stream. The sampling period was carried out from the early dry season in march 2023 to the early rainy season period of My 2023.Three sampling stations were selected. Water samples were collected in 3 replicates monthly. Fifteen (15) Physico-chemical parameters including, pH, Electrical Conductivity, Total Suspended Solids, Dissolved oxygen, Biochemical Oxygen Demand, Nitrate (NO3), Suphate (SO4), Phosphate (PO4), Calcium (Ca), and Magnesium (Mn) were analyzed using standard methods. Phosphate and Nitrate were the only two Physico-chemical parameters with significant difference(p<0.05) among all the physicochemical Parameters of the stations. Seven Species were uncovered within the Eruvbi stream wiz; Alonella excise, Bosmina longirostris, Moina
micrura, Pleuroxus hamatus hamatus, Acroperus harpae and moina macrocopa, Amongst which station two results appeared to have the highest diversity and evenness, while Station 1 has the lowest diversity but relatively even distribution of species. Station 3 falls in between in terms of diversity and evenness. Thus, the findings of the research study provides crucial in understanding the health and ecological dynamics of the Ervubi stream and may have
implications for conservation and management efforts.

In this study, the concentration dependent ovicidal effects of three botanicals were investigated on the eggs of Ephestia cautella. Three plants were selected for the experimental process, these include bitter leaf (Vernonia amygdalina), Neem leaf (Azadirachta indica) and Siam weed (Chromolaena odorata). Aqueous, alcohol and acetone extracts of the selected botanicals were prepared. Eggs of the insect Ephestia cautella were also collected and treated with the various extracts. The ovicidal activity of the various extract o the eggs of E. cautella was investigated after 96h and the percentage mortalities were estimated for the various extracts. Findings from the study revealed that for aqueous extract treatments, the highest percentage mortality 55.81% was recorded for treatments with aqueous extract of Siam weed while the lowest percentage mortality 6.97% was recorded for treatments with aqueous extract of Bitter leaf. For alcohol extracts treatments, the highest percentage mortality 20.00% was recorded for treatments with alcohol extract of Bitter leaf while the lowest percentage mortality 8% was recorded for treatments with alcohol extract of Neem leaf. Ovicidal effect of acetone extract on eggs of Ephestia cautella revealed that the highest percentage mortality 20.00% was recorded for treatments with acetone extract of Bitter leaf and Neem leaf. Aqueous extract of the botanicals were most effective in inhibiting the egg development of E. cautella. The study proved the efficacy of botanicals in preventing the growth and development of destructive plant pests such as Ephestia cautella. key words

This study evaluated the many waste streams produced at the University of Benin and its teaching hospital in Benin City, Nigeria. Additionally, it evaluated the health risks related to the heavy metal concentrations in the soil around the waste
dumps. Each of the waste dumps on the campus and hospital undergo waste characterization through material type sorting. The findings demonstrate that the waste produced has the potential to be recycled if it is separated, and it also demonstrate that Cadmium (Cd) is above the permissible limit of WHO (1996), FEPA (1991) and US EPA (2002) in refuse dumps 5, 8 and 9 which is 0.8 mg/kg, 1 mg/ kg and 0.48 mg/ kg respectively. The ten sampled sites has cadmium concentrations ranging from 0.05 to 2.70 mg/kg, with a mean of 0.49 + 0.810mg/kg. In refuse dump 5, the Zinc concentration was higher than the
50mg/kg acceptable limit established by WHO (1996). Chromium (Cr) concentrations in the ten sampled sites are higher than the permissible limit which is 0.20 mg/kg, according to the FEPA (1991) guideline. It’s concentration ranges from 1.70 mg/ kg to 8.05 mg/ kg with a mean of 4.28 + 2.23 mg/ kg in the ten sampled sites. The lead (Pb) threshold set by FEPA (1991) is 0.05 mg/ kg and it shows that the concentration of lead in refuse dumps 4, 8 and 10 exceed the threshold. Manganese was the metal with the highest concentrations with a range of 26.10 to 124.40 mg/ kg and a mean of 64.5 + 34.73 mg/ kg which was above the permissible limit of WHO (2004) and FEPA (1991) which are 12 mg/kg and 0.05 mg/ kg respectively.

This study was carried out to determine heavy metal levels and distribution in soils and earthworm in selected primary and nursery schools namely, Owina school, Olua school, Ubth staff school, Calvary crown and Impact academy, located in Benin City, Nigeria. A total of ten (10) soil sample and thirty (30) earthworms were collected from five school; particularly the playground area in Benin City, Nigeria. Seven (7) heavy metals were examined in this study namely: Iron, Zinc, Chromium, Copper, Lead, Nickel and Cadmium. The mean concentration of metals in soils ranged from 14.56-121.3 mg/kg for Fe, 5.98-43.22 mg/kg for Zn, 1.56 -15.44 mg/kg for Cr, 0.73 - 19.26 mg/kg for Cu, 0.38 - 1.44 mg/kg for Pb, 2.16 - 4.28 mg/kg for Ni and 0.012 - 0.04 mg/kg for Cd. While the mean concentration of metals in earthworm ranged from 49.45-95.73 mg/kg for Fe, 18.93 - 108.7 mg/kg for Zn, 1.86 - 5.74 mg/kg for Cr, 6.47 - 50.27 mg/kg for Cu, 0.23 - 0.63 mg/kg for Pb, 0.22 - 0.62 mg/kg for Ni and 0.04 - 0.14 mg/kg for Cd.The value recorded in soils were observed to be higher in comparison to the values in earthworms. The highest mean value in soils was recorded in Owina school and the lowest was recorded in Ubth staff school while the highest mean value in earthworm was recorded in Olua school and the lowest in Impact academy. Much attention should be given to heavy metals because oftheir high toxicity potential in children, their widespread use and their prevalenc

The world and human ecosystem has increasingly evolved with time; despite anthropogenic activities in tropical regions of the world leading to loss of plant and animal species. The impact of such activity poses a level of threat on the ecosystem. In the midst of these activities, fauna and flora are also kept intact through the structure of the Benin moat. Despite the encroachment of urban activities in Benin City into the moat, it is still a home for wide distribution of plants and animals. To preserve and keep proper record of ant species in that environment: sampling exercise was carried out within the moat using vials charged with ethyl acetate before taken to the laboratory for identification to provide a checklist. Diversity and abundance was computed using PAST software which revealed Componotus perrisinigeriensis (Formicinae) as the most abundant individual ant species and Tetramorium sericeiventre (Myrmicinae) as the least abundant ant species. This study revealed thirteen species of ants distributed among thirteen genera and four subfamilies (Formicinae, Myrmicinae, Dolichoderinae, and Ponerinae). According to the non-parametric estimates, Chao2 and Jackknife2 were between 98.9% and 100% of the ants species foraging within the moat were captured in this survey. This suggest that beating stick and tray method is an efficient technique to sample and monitor ant species occurrence within plants. In sum, the complete inventory observed here would allow subsequent studies to monitor the absence previous or presence of new ones within the moat for conservation purposes.

This study was conducted to investigate the dose relationship between thyroid hormone parameters in exposed juveniles of Clarias gariepinus and Cypermethrin using Thyroid function tests. Measuring the levels of Triiodothyronine (T3), Thyroxine (T4), and Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) are not only critical for diagnosing thyroid problems, but also in differentiating between a primary and secondary cause of a thyroid condition, for instance, an exposure to cypermethrin leading to hypothyroidism. The experimental fishes were exposed to 0, 15, 30, and 45µg/l of Cypermethrin fo96 hours in an acute toxicity experiment. At the end of the 96 hours, muscle tissue samples were harvested and prepared for biochemical analyses using standard procedures. Findings from this study confirm that cypermethrin is an Endocrine Disrupting Chemical (EDC) in fish and alters the thyroid hormone levels in C. gariepinus by targeting the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid axis. Furthermore, it provokes the inhibition of thyroid function in the fish so that the activity levels of T3 and T4 reduced significantly (p < 0.05). The levels of TSH increased in a dose-dependent trend, CYP 3 (0.85±0.05) > CYP 2 (0.81±0.01) > CYP 1 (0.75±0.05). A disruption in the normal thyroid function of the fish could impede the regulation of liver glycogen, protein metabolism, cell respiration, antioxidant system and the excitability of neurons and muscles, ultimately leading to deformities in juvenile fish and eventual death

Dipterans are excellent indicators of water quality; hence, they are routinely used as bioindicators during monitoring of aquatic ecosystems. The study was therefore, executed to investigate the physico-chemical water quality and dipteran aquatic insect larvae community. Both water and benthic samples were collected between August 2021 and January 2022 at four designated sampling stations along the Okhuahie River at Ikpe in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of Edo State, Nigeria, using standard procedures. A total of 22 physiochemical parameters were determined and measured. Among the physical and chemical parameters, Flow rate, Dissolved oxygen, and Phosphate showed highly significant differences (P<0.001) across the stations. A total of 3 taxa comprising 857 species were recorded. Abundance was highest in station 3 consisting of 146 individuals and the lowest in station 2 consisting of 77 individuals. The dominant taxon is Chironomid (98%), Culex (1.2%) and Tanyderidae (0.3%). Culex consisted of just 1 species and 11 individuals, Tanyderidae of 1 species and 3 individuals, whereas Chironomid comprised 5 species and 843 individuals. The diversity indices showed that station 3 was more diverse followed by station 4, while dipteran species in station 2 was least diverse. Culicidae and Tanyderidae showed positive critical correlation to sulphate and turbidity. The overall abundance showed no significant difference (p > 0.05) for all the four station. This study proved that Okhuaihe River is unperturbed and the Dipteran encountered are characteristics of a tropical freshwater habitat.

The stomach of 76 tree frogs belonging to one family (Hyperolidae), two genera (Afrixalus and Hyperolius) from the Okomu Oil Palm Plantation were examined for their food and feeding behaviour. The species examined included Afrixalus dorsalis, Hyperolius concolor, H. fusciventris, H. fusciventris burtoni, and H. picturatus. More males were collected than females and they accounted for 95% of the specimens collected. The stomach contents examined showed 20 individuals with empty stomachs, 23 with prey items and 33 stomachs with already digested prey items. The diet of the 5 species consisted of insects belonging to the order Hymenoptera, Coleoptera, Diptera, Orthoptera and members of the Araneidae. Hymenoptera constituted 16 .92% of the total prey items ingested by the tree frogs, followed by Diptera (7.69%), Coleoptera (6.15%), Araneida (4.62%) and Orthoptera (1.54%). Unidentified prey items and digested preys accounted for 12.31% and 50.77% respectively. Hymenoptera was a common diet among the Hyperolius species accounting for 75% of the prey items recovered from H. concolor, while Dipterans constituted a major portion (42%) of the prey items ingested by Afrixalus dorsalis. Although there were variations in feeding rate among these species, it was not statistically significant (p>0.05). The diet of the tree frogs in the plantation were a reflection of the prey items available rather than selective feeding

The issue of water pollution by nanometals in aquatic bodies has become of increasing concern since the rapid development of metal nanoparticles (NPs). Despite the usage of these nanoparticles, they also have negative impacts on fish. This study sought to assess the acute combined effect of Aluminium and Zinc Oxide nanoparticles on Superoxide Dismutase and Malondialdehyde activities of x catfish (Clarias garienpinus) embryo/lavae The Organization for Economic Development (OECD) Fish Embryo Acute Toxicity Test (OECD 236) was employed. Superoxide Dismutase and Malondialdehyde activities were assessed using standard procedures. Fertilized embryos were exposed to different concentrations of Aluminium and Zinc Oxide nanoparticles (0, 0.5, 1, 10 μg/L) for 48 h. The results showed a significant (p < 0.05) dose-dependent decrease in MDA and SOD activities in fish embryo/larvae, indicating that nanoparticles-induced a significant reduction in MDA and SOD activities. The findings suggest that Aluminium Oxide and Zinc Oxide nanoparticles could potentially impact the MDA and SOD activities of fish which could invariably affect the survival of aquatic life, especially catfish'

This study was conducted in Eruvbi stream, Benin City Edo State, Nigeria, aimed at investigating community structure of cladocerans in Eruvbi stream. The sampling period was carried out from the early dry season in march 2023 to the early rainy season period of My.Three sampling stations were selected. Water samples were collected in 3 replicates monthly. Fifteen (15) Physico-chemical parameters including, pH, Electrical Conductivity, Total Suspended Solids, Dissolved oxygen, Biochemical Oxygen Demand, Nitrate (NO3), Suphate(SO4), Phosphate (PO4), Calcium (Ca), and Magnesium (Mn) were analyzed using standard
methods. Phosphate and Nitrate were the only two Physico-chemical parameters with significant difference(p<0.05) among all the physicochemical Parameters of the stations. Seven Species were uncovered within the Eruvbi stream wiz; Alonella excise, Bosmina longirostris, Moina micrura, Pleuroxus hamatus hamatus, Acroperus harpae and moina macrocopa, Amongst which station two results appeared to have the highest diversity and evenness, while Station 1 has the lowest diversity but relatively even distribution of species. Station 3 falls in between in terms of diversity and evenness. Thus, the findings of the research study provides crucial in understanding the health and ecological dynamics of the Ervubi stream and may have implications for conservation and management efforts