The study assessed the species composition, distribution, and diversity of macrophytes in the Upper Awash River during dry and wet seasons across seven sampling sites from October 2019 to April 2020. Macrophytes were collected manually using the quadrat method, and environmental factors were measured in situ using YSI 556 multi probe system. Nutrients (SRP, TP, TN, Nitrate) were analyzed from water and sediment. A total of 26 macrophyte species from 15 families were identified, with low species diversity (H' = 2.56). Emergent macrophytes dominated (92%), followed by free-floating and rooted floating types (4% each). Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) revealed that Nitrate, SRP, TP, and flow velocity significantly impacted macrophyte diversity and distribution. Cyperus articulatus L., Echinochloa colona L., Solanum incanum L., Pontederia crassipes, Persicaria senegalensis, Rorripa nasturtium aquaticum, Ipomoea aquatica and Phragmites mauritianus were almost restricted to sites where there was higher Nitrate, SRP and TP while Ludwigia spp., Sida schimperiana, Alternanthera sessilis, Lagarosiphon cordofanus, Brachiaria mutica, Juncus effuses, Ludwigia abyssinica, Cyperus latifolius, and Cyperus papyrus were limited to sites where there was higher DO,TN and Silt. Half of the macrophyte diversity was explained by environmental factors like nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment texture. Further investigation of unexplained factors is needed for sustainable river management. This factor is crucial for developing strategies to enhance the river's ecological health and resource utilization.
Awash River, canonical correspondence analysis, flow velocity, Macrophyte, principal component analysis, water hyacinth
Temesgen Tigab.
Ali, A. D. and Kushi, Z. N. (2001) Aquatic macrophyte composition of some tropical tin– mined ponds in Jos, Nigeria. Journal of Aquatic Sciences, 16(2): 83–90.
APHA (American Public Health Association) (1999). Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater, 20th ed. Washington D.C.
Ansari, A.A. & Saggu, S., (2017). Aquatic plant biodiversity: A biological indicator for the monitoring and assessment of water quality. CAB International, 3. https://doi.org/10.1079/9781780646947.0218
Birk, S., & Willby, N. (2010). Towards harmonization of ecological quality classification: establishing common grounds in European macrophyte assessment for rivers. Hydrobiologia, 652, 149–163. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-010-0327-3
Burlakoti, C., & Karmacharya, S. (2004). Quantitative analysis of macrophytes of Beeshazar Tal, Chitwan, Nepal. Him. J. Science, 2, 37–41. https://doi.org/10.3126/hjs.v2i3.229
Chambers, P., Lacoul, P., Murphy, K.J., & Thomaz, S.M. (2008). Global diversity of aquatic macrophytes in freshwater. Hydrobiologia, 595, 9–26. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-007-9154-6
Daddy, F., Adesina, G. O, Bankole, N. O., Isah, U. & Owotunse, S. (1993). Flora and fauna resources associated with Kainji, Jebba, and Shriroro and Wuya water bodies. Niffr Annual Report.
Degefu, F. Lakew, A. Tigabu, Y. & Teshome, K. (2013). The water quality degradation of upper Awash River, Ethiopia. Ethiopian Journal of Environmental Studies and Management, 6(1), 58–66. https://doi.org/10.4314/ejesm.v6i1.7
Degefu, F. Teshome, K. & Lakew, A. (2011). Some limnological aspects of Koka reservoir, a shallow tropical artificial lake, Ethiopia. Journal of Recent Trends Bioscience, 1(1), 94–100.
Dienye, P. O., Birabi, B. N., Diete-Spiff, K. O., & Dienye, N. P. (2016). The burden of low back pain among fishermen: A survey in a rural fishing settlement in Rivers State, Nigeria. American Journal of Men’s Health, 10(6), 89–98. https://doi.org/10.1177/1557988315584375
Edwards, S., Mesfin, T. & Hedberg, I. (1995). Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea, Volume 2 Part 2, Canellaceae to Euphorbiaceae. The National Herbarium, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and Uppsala, Sweden, 420pp.
Ekpo, Essien-Ibok, & U.R. Ekpenyong. (2016). Abundance, distribution and biotic indices of aquatic macrophyte community of a riparian stream in Odot, Niger Delta, Nigeria. FUTA Journal of Research in Sciences, 12 (2), 195 – 205.
Gaudet, J. J., & Muthuri, F. M. (1981). Nutrient relationships in shallow water in an African Lake, Lake Naivasha. Oecologia, 49(1), 109–118. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00376907
Hughes, R.H., & Hughes, J.S. (1992). A directory of African wetlands, world conservation union (IUCN), gland (Switzerland); UNEP, Nairobi (Kenya); world conservation monitoring center. Cambridge (UK) 104–109.
Johnson, R. K., & Hering, D. (2009). Response of taxonomic groups in streams to gradients in resource and habitat characteristics. Journal of Applied Ecology, 46, 175- 86. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2664.2008.01583.x
Kassa, Y. Mengistu, S. Wondie, A. & Tibebe, D. (2021). Distribution of macrophytes in relation to physico- chemical characters in the southwestern littoral zone of Lake Tana, Ethiopia. Journal of Aquatic Botany, 170, Volume 170, 103351. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquabot.2020.103351
Lacoul, P. & Freedman, B. (2014). Environmental influences on aquatic plants in freshwater ecosystems. Environmental Reviews, 14(2), 89-136. https://doi.org/10.1139/A06-001.
Magurran (2004). Measuring biological diversity. Black well science Ltd.
Mechore, S., Kuhar, U., & Germ, M. (2010). Environmental assessment and macrophytes of the watercourses Bloscica and Cerkniscica. Acta Biologica Slovenica, 53, 33–43. https://doi.org/10.14720/abs.53.2.15503
Michigan. Warfe, D. M., & Barmuta, L. A. (2006). Habitat structural complexity mediates food web dynamics in a freshwater macrophyte community. Journal of Oecologia, 150(1), 141–154. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442- 006-0505-1
Mishra, B. K., Tajbakhsh, M., Ningthoujam, P. S., Sharma, M., & Singh, N. (2013). A new slope mass rating in mountainous terrain, Jammu and Kashmir Himalayas: Application of geophysical technique in slope stability studies. Landslides, 10(3), 255–265. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-012-0323-y
Pompeo, M. L., & Moschini- Carlos, V. (1996). Seasonal variations in the density of the macrophyte Scirpus cubensis in the Lagoa do Inferno, State of Sao Paul. Brazil. Limnetica, 12, 17–23.
Roger, P. M., Fernando, A. F., Thaisa, S. M., Priscillia, C., Marcio, J. S. & Sidinei, M. T. (2010). Aquatic macrophytes in the large, subtropical Itaipu Reservior, Brazil. Rev Biol Trop. 58(4), 1437-51. https://doi.org/10.15517/rbt.v58i4.5422
Rolon, A., & Maltchik, L. (2006). Environmental factors as predictors of aquatic macrophyte richness and composition in wetlands of southern Brazil. Hydrobiologia 556, 221–231. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-005-1364-1
Shannon, C.E., & Weiner, W. (1963). The mathematical theory of communication. University of Illinois Press.
Singh, R. P., Dubey, C. S., Singh, S. K., Shukla, D. P., Sineshaw, Y. & Legesse, S. (2015). Flood hazard assessment and mapping of flood inundation area of the Awash River Basin in Ethiopia. Journal of Civil & Environmental Engineering, 5(4). https://doi.org/10.4172/2165-784x.1000179
Smith, M. D. (2011). The ecological role of climate extremes: Current understanding and future prospects. Journal of Ecology, 99(3), 651–655. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2745.2011.01833.x
Tamire, G. & Mengistou, S. (2012). Macrophyte species composition, distribution and diversity in relation to some physicochemical factors in the littoral zone of Lake Ziway, Ethiopia. African Journal of Ecology, 51, 66–77. https://doi.org/10.1111/aje.12007
Tikssa, M. Bekele, T. & Kelbessa, E (2010). Plant community distribution and variation along the Awash River corridor in the main Ethiopian rift. African Journal of Ecology, 48(1), 21–28. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2028.2009.01116.x
Ward, J. V., & Stanford, J. A. (1983). The intermediate disturbance hypothesis an explanation for biotic diversity patterns in lotic systems. Ann Arbor Science Publisher.
Weber-Oldecop, D. W. (1969). Wasserp flanzenge sellschaftenim östlichen Niedersachsen. Dissertation, University of Hannover.
Wondimu, L. (2014). Studies on hydro biological features of Koka Reservoir and Awash River in Ethiopia. International Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Studies, 1(3), 158–162.
Cite this article:
Tigab, T. (2024). Macrophyte species, composition, abundance and diversity in relation to some environmental factors in Upper Awash River basin, Ethiopia. International Journal of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, 4(4), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.53378/ijstem.353118
License:
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) International License.
