The abundance and diversity of meiofauna as bioindicator of water quality and health status of Tombia segment of the New Calabar River, Niger Delta, Nigeria was studied. Sediment samples from the respective stations were collected monthly in replicates between July and September,2023 using a handheld perplex corer at a depth of 10cm and analysed in the Laboratory following standard method of APHA. The data obtained were subjected to descriptive and inferential statistics using Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25 and PAST 4.04. The results showed that a total of 199 individuals and 20 species of meiofauna were encountered from the six taxonomic classes, annelida (26%),oligochaeta (18.593%), arthropoda (13.065%), and coleoptera (12.060%), while the least was diptera (7.035%). The area was dominated by the class annelida in the order of occurrence, annelida> oligochaeta>polychaeta>arthropoda>coleoptra > dipthera. Neresis Niren, Plesiopora species, Nototropis swamidomi Donacia species and Hirundo medicinalis, Capitella capitata, Lumbriculus variegatus (Mudworm). Spatio-temporally, station 3 had the highest number of fauna (90) in the month of July while the least (28) were observed in station 2 in the the month of August. Some of the diversity indices included, dominance (0.076 and 0.099), Shannon wiener (2.636) and 2.390), evenness (0.956 and 0.909) and Margalef (4.405 and 3.150). It could be therefore recommended that anthropogenic activities be checkmated in the area to avoid further threats.

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1. Ajao AA, Fagade SO. The ecology of the mangrove ecosystem in Lagos, Nigeria. Niger J Ecol. 1990;1:1–10.
2. Bouchet VMP, Martins MVA. Domestic sewage outfall severely altered environmental conditions, foraminiferal communities, and ecological quality statuses in front of the nearshore beach of Cigarras (SE Brazil). Water. 2023;15(3):405. doi: 10.3390/w15030405.
3. Alagoa EM, Ugwumba AAA. Assessment of the impact of anthropogenic activities on the water quality of a tropical lagoon in Nigeria. Environ Monit Assess. 2017;189(5):1–12. doi: 10.1007/s10661-017-5868-9.
4. Chao A, Shen TJ. Nonparametric estimation of Shannon’s index of diversity when there are unseen species in sample. Environ Ecol Stat. 2003;10(3):429–443.
5. Chiu GS, Guttorp P, Westveld AH, Khan SA, Jun L. Latent health factor index: A statistical modeling approach for ecological health assessment. Environmetrics. 2011;22(3):243–255.
6. Chukunda FA, Benibo BSC, Otene BB, Osele E. Comparative assessment of meiofauna abundance and diversity on sediment and mangrove roots in Buguma Forest, Rivers State, Nigeria. Int J Microbiol Appl Sci. 2025;4(2):121–129.
7. De-Hoog GS, Guarru J, Gene J, Figueras MJ. Atlas of Clinical Fungi. Mycopathologia. 2000;110:1003–1010.
8. Devi S. Meiona Laboratory Analysis: Techniques and Applications. J Environ Sci Technol. 2012;5(2):123–130.
9. Ekpo IE, Essien JP. Spatial distribution of meiofauna in the mangrove sediments of the Qua Iboe estuary, southern Nigeria. Niger J Ecol. 2016;15(1):72–81.
10. Essien-Ibok MA, Ntekim EE, Effiong GS. Distribution and abundance of meiofauna in mangrove sediments of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Niger J Agric Food Environ. 2019;15(3):103–110.
11. Gibson RN, Robb L. Environmental factors influencing biodiversity in the Niger Delta. Biodivers Conserv. 2012;21(13):3467–3480. doi: 10.1007/s10531-012-0328-1.
12. González JA, Lobo FJ, Fernández JA. Meiofauna as indicators of environmental quality in coastal ecosystems. Mar Pollut Bull. 2020;160:111610. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111610.
13. Iderimah ST, Alagoa KJ, Ngodigha SA. Analyses of community attributes of meiofauna under a pollution regime in the Lower Bonny Estuary, Rivers State, Nigeria. Int J Environ Agric Res. 2017;21(5):5–11.
14. Jolliffe IT. Principal Component Analysis. 2nd ed. New York: Springer-Verlag; 2002.
15. Krebs CJ. Ecological Methodology. New York: University of British Colombia Press; 1989.
16. Malloch D. The Plectomycete Centrum. In: Reynolds DR, editor. Ascomycete Systematics: The Luttrellian Concept. New York: Springer-Verlag; 1981.
17. Margalef R. Diversity and stability: A practical proposal and a model of meiofaunal biodiversity and prokaryotic heterotrophic production in different tropical habitats and oceanic regions. PLoS One. 1967;9(3):e91056.
18. Menhinick EF. A comparison of some species-individuals diversity indices applied to samples of field insects. Ecology. 1964;45:859.
19. Mohamed Ahmed Reda Hamed. Application of surface water quality classification models using principal components analysis and cluster analysis. J Geosci Environ Prot. 2019;7(6).
20. Murray JM, Laing AL, Smith CR. The role of meiofauna in ecosystem functioning: A review. Freshw Biol. 2019;64(5):1001–1015. doi: 10.1111/fwb.13273.
21. Nwankwoala HO, Angaya YB. An evaluation of heavy metals concentration in the Choba section of the New Calabar River, Eastern Niger Delta. Biodivers Int J. 2017;1(6):62–68.
22. Otene BB, Amachree D, Tambari I. Diversity of meiofauna as bioindicator of water quality in Luubara Creek, Rivers State, Nigeria. Res J Pure Sci Technol. 2025;8(2).
23. Otene BB, Alfred-Ockiya JF, Ejiko EO. Bio-indices of bacteria loads in water and mangrove oyster (Crassostrea gasar) of Woji/Trans-Amadi Creek, Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Int J Res Innov Appl Sci. 2020;5(3):104–110.
24. Otene BB, Alfred-Ockiya JF, Amadi F. Physicochemical properties and zooplankton community structure of Okamini Stream, Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Int J Res Innov Appl Sci. 2019;4(6):100–107.
25. Otene BB, Ejiko EO, Deekae SN. Fungal diversity in water and mangrove oyster (Crassostrea gasar), Woji/Trans-Amadi Creek, Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Int J Res Innov Appl Sci. 2021;6(2).
26. Ravera O. A comparison between diversity, similarity and biotic indices applied to the macroinvertebrate community of a small stream: The Ravella River (Como Province, Northern Italy). Aquat Ecol. 2001;35:97–107.
27. Ugwumba AAA, Esenowo EE. Meiofauna community structure and diversity in a tropical lagoon, Lagos, Nigeria. Biologia. 2020;77(2):457–467. doi: 10.2478/s11756-022-00345-5.
28. Vezzulli L, Ingrid B, Elisabetta P, Philip CR. Long-term effects of ocean warming on the prokaryotic community: Evidence from the vibrios. ISME J. 2013:21–30.
29. Vezzulli L, Fabian M. The role of meiofauna in the functioning of marine ecosystems. Mar Ecol Prog Ser. 2006;321:1–12. doi: 10.3354/meps321001.
30. Vincx M. Meiofauna in marine and freshwater sediments. In: Hall GS, editor. Methods for the Examination of Organismal Diversity in Soils and Sediments. 1996. p. 187–195.
31. Yusal MS, Marfai MA, Hadisusanto S, Khakim N. The ecological analysis of meiofauna as a water quality bioindicator in the coast of Losari Beach, Makassar. IOP Conf Ser Earth Environ Sci. 2024;256:012024.
32. Zhigila DA, Ummulkhursum B, Hussaini, Nuru Adamug Arkuwa. Taxonomy, distribution and diversity of planktonic algae at Pindiga Dam, Nigeria. Bima J Sci Technol. 2022;6(3).

The abundance and diversity of meiofauna as bioindicator of water quality and health status of Tombia segment of the New Calabar River, Niger Delta, Nigeria was studied. Sediment samples from the respective stations were collected monthly in replicates between July and September,2023 using a handheld perplex corer at a depth of 10cm and analysed in the Laboratory following standard method of APHA. The data obtained were subjected to descriptive and inferential statistics using Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25 and PAST 4.04. The results showed that a total of 199 individuals and 20 species of meiofauna were encountered from the six taxonomic classes, annelida (26%),oligochaeta (18.593%), arthropoda (13.065%), and coleoptera (12.060%), while the least was diptera (7.035%). The area was dominated by the class annelida in the order of occurrence, annelida> oligochaeta>polychaeta>arthropoda>coleoptra > dipthera. Neresis Niren, Plesiopora species, Nototropis swamidomi Donacia species and Hirundo medicinalis, Capitella capitata, Lumbriculus variegatus (Mudworm). Spatio-temporally, station 3 had the highest number of fauna (90) in the month of July while the least (28) were observed in station 2 in the the month of August. Some of the diversity indices included, dominance (0.076 and 0.099), Shannon wiener (2.636) and 2.390), evenness (0.956 and 0.909) and Margalef (4.405 and 3.150). It could be therefore recommended that anthropogenic activities be checkmated in the area to avoid further threats.

🔒 This is a subscription article

Full text is available to subscribers and institutional members. Please choose an option below to access it.

1. Ajao AA, Fagade SO. The ecology of the mangrove ecosystem in Lagos, Nigeria. Niger J Ecol. 1990;1:1–10.
2. Bouchet VMP, Martins MVA. Domestic sewage outfall severely altered environmental conditions, foraminiferal communities, and ecological quality statuses in front of the nearshore beach of Cigarras (SE Brazil). Water. 2023;15(3):405. doi: 10.3390/w15030405.
3. Alagoa EM, Ugwumba AAA. Assessment of the impact of anthropogenic activities on the water quality of a tropical lagoon in Nigeria. Environ Monit Assess. 2017;189(5):1–12. doi: 10.1007/s10661-017-5868-9.
4. Chao A, Shen TJ. Nonparametric estimation of Shannon’s index of diversity when there are unseen species in sample. Environ Ecol Stat. 2003;10(3):429–443.
5. Chiu GS, Guttorp P, Westveld AH, Khan SA, Jun L. Latent health factor index: A statistical modeling approach for ecological health assessment. Environmetrics. 2011;22(3):243–255.
6. Chukunda FA, Benibo BSC, Otene BB, Osele E. Comparative assessment of meiofauna abundance and diversity on sediment and mangrove roots in Buguma Forest, Rivers State, Nigeria. Int J Microbiol Appl Sci. 2025;4(2):121–129.
7. De-Hoog GS, Guarru J, Gene J, Figueras MJ. Atlas of Clinical Fungi. Mycopathologia. 2000;110:1003–1010.
8. Devi S. Meiona Laboratory Analysis: Techniques and Applications. J Environ Sci Technol. 2012;5(2):123–130.
9. Ekpo IE, Essien JP. Spatial distribution of meiofauna in the mangrove sediments of the Qua Iboe estuary, southern Nigeria. Niger J Ecol. 2016;15(1):72–81.
10. Essien-Ibok MA, Ntekim EE, Effiong GS. Distribution and abundance of meiofauna in mangrove sediments of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Niger J Agric Food Environ. 2019;15(3):103–110.
11. Gibson RN, Robb L. Environmental factors influencing biodiversity in the Niger Delta. Biodivers Conserv. 2012;21(13):3467–3480. doi: 10.1007/s10531-012-0328-1.
12. González JA, Lobo FJ, Fernández JA. Meiofauna as indicators of environmental quality in coastal ecosystems. Mar Pollut Bull. 2020;160:111610. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111610.
13. Iderimah ST, Alagoa KJ, Ngodigha SA. Analyses of community attributes of meiofauna under a pollution regime in the Lower Bonny Estuary, Rivers State, Nigeria. Int J Environ Agric Res. 2017;21(5):5–11.
14. Jolliffe IT. Principal Component Analysis. 2nd ed. New York: Springer-Verlag; 2002.
15. Krebs CJ. Ecological Methodology. New York: University of British Colombia Press; 1989.
16. Malloch D. The Plectomycete Centrum. In: Reynolds DR, editor. Ascomycete Systematics: The Luttrellian Concept. New York: Springer-Verlag; 1981.
17. Margalef R. Diversity and stability: A practical proposal and a model of meiofaunal biodiversity and prokaryotic heterotrophic production in different tropical habitats and oceanic regions. PLoS One. 1967;9(3):e91056.
18. Menhinick EF. A comparison of some species-individuals diversity indices applied to samples of field insects. Ecology. 1964;45:859.
19. Mohamed Ahmed Reda Hamed. Application of surface water quality classification models using principal components analysis and cluster analysis. J Geosci Environ Prot. 2019;7(6).
20. Murray JM, Laing AL, Smith CR. The role of meiofauna in ecosystem functioning: A review. Freshw Biol. 2019;64(5):1001–1015. doi: 10.1111/fwb.13273.
21. Nwankwoala HO, Angaya YB. An evaluation of heavy metals concentration in the Choba section of the New Calabar River, Eastern Niger Delta. Biodivers Int J. 2017;1(6):62–68.
22. Otene BB, Amachree D, Tambari I. Diversity of meiofauna as bioindicator of water quality in Luubara Creek, Rivers State, Nigeria. Res J Pure Sci Technol. 2025;8(2).
23. Otene BB, Alfred-Ockiya JF, Ejiko EO. Bio-indices of bacteria loads in water and mangrove oyster (Crassostrea gasar) of Woji/Trans-Amadi Creek, Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Int J Res Innov Appl Sci. 2020;5(3):104–110.
24. Otene BB, Alfred-Ockiya JF, Amadi F. Physicochemical properties and zooplankton community structure of Okamini Stream, Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Int J Res Innov Appl Sci. 2019;4(6):100–107.
25. Otene BB, Ejiko EO, Deekae SN. Fungal diversity in water and mangrove oyster (Crassostrea gasar), Woji/Trans-Amadi Creek, Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Int J Res Innov Appl Sci. 2021;6(2).
26. Ravera O. A comparison between diversity, similarity and biotic indices applied to the macroinvertebrate community of a small stream: The Ravella River (Como Province, Northern Italy). Aquat Ecol. 2001;35:97–107.
27. Ugwumba AAA, Esenowo EE. Meiofauna community structure and diversity in a tropical lagoon, Lagos, Nigeria. Biologia. 2020;77(2):457–467. doi: 10.2478/s11756-022-00345-5.
28. Vezzulli L, Ingrid B, Elisabetta P, Philip CR. Long-term effects of ocean warming on the prokaryotic community: Evidence from the vibrios. ISME J. 2013:21–30.
29. Vezzulli L, Fabian M. The role of meiofauna in the functioning of marine ecosystems. Mar Ecol Prog Ser. 2006;321:1–12. doi: 10.3354/meps321001.
30. Vincx M. Meiofauna in marine and freshwater sediments. In: Hall GS, editor. Methods for the Examination of Organismal Diversity in Soils and Sediments. 1996. p. 187–195.
31. Yusal MS, Marfai MA, Hadisusanto S, Khakim N. The ecological analysis of meiofauna as a water quality bioindicator in the coast of Losari Beach, Makassar. IOP Conf Ser Earth Environ Sci. 2024;256:012024.
32. Zhigila DA, Ummulkhursum B, Hussaini, Nuru Adamug Arkuwa. Taxonomy, distribution and diversity of planktonic algae at Pindiga Dam, Nigeria. Bima J Sci Technol. 2022;6(3).