Distribution Profile of Benthic Macroinvertebrates in Some Rivers of Yaoundé City and Its Surroundings Using Self Organizing Map and Indicator value methods
Marie Anita Temgoua Zemo,
Samuel Foto Menbohan,
Bernard Tossou Atchrimi,
Delagnon Assou,
Belmond Eric Biram à Ngon,
Noel Christiane Wilfreid Betsi,
Serge Gwos Nhiomock,
Harissou,
Nathaniel Larry Lactio,
Bolivar Far Ndourwe,
Mathias Nwaha,
Donald l’or Nyame Mbia,
Laure Yvonne Tchouapi,
Ghislain Ulric Tchouta,
Blaise Rollinat Mboye,
Jean Dzavi
Affiliations
Marie Anita Temgoua Zemo
Regional Center of Excellence on Sustainable Cities in Africa (CERViDA-DOUNEDON), University of Lomé, Lomé 01BP 1515, Togo
Samuel Foto Menbohan
Laboratory of Hydrobiology and Environment, Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé 1, Yaounde P.O. Box 812, Cameroon
Bernard Tossou Atchrimi
Regional Center of Excellence on Sustainable Cities in Africa (CERViDA-DOUNEDON), University of Lomé, Lomé 01BP 1515, Togo
Delagnon Assou
Laboratory of Ecology and Ecotoxicology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lomé, Lomé 01BP 1515, Togo
Belmond Eric Biram à Ngon
Laboratory of Hydrobiology and Environment, Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé 1, Yaounde P.O. Box 812, Cameroon
Noel Christiane Wilfreid Betsi
Laboratory of Hydrobiology and Environment, Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé 1, Yaounde P.O. Box 812, Cameroon
Serge Gwos Nhiomock
Laboratory of Hydrobiology and Environment, Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé 1, Yaounde P.O. Box 812, Cameroon
Harissou
Laboratory of Hydrobiology and Environment, Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé 1, Yaounde P.O. Box 812, Cameroon
Nathaniel Larry Lactio
Laboratory of Hydrobiology and Environment, Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé 1, Yaounde P.O. Box 812, Cameroon
Bolivar Far Ndourwe
Laboratory of Hydrobiology and Environment, Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé 1, Yaounde P.O. Box 812, Cameroon
Mathias Nwaha
Laboratory of Hydrobiology and Environment, Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé 1, Yaounde P.O. Box 812, Cameroon
Donald l’or Nyame Mbia
Laboratory of Hydrobiology and Environment, Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé 1, Yaounde P.O. Box 812, Cameroon
Laure Yvonne Tchouapi
Laboratory of Hydrobiology and Environment, Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé 1, Yaounde P.O. Box 812, Cameroon
Ghislain Ulric Tchouta
Laboratory of Hydrobiology and Environment, Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé 1, Yaounde P.O. Box 812, Cameroon
Blaise Rollinat Mboye
Laboratoire d’Hydrobiologie et Ichtyologie de l’Institut de Recherches Agronomiques et Forestières (IRAF), Libreville BP 2246, Gabon
Jean Dzavi
Laboratory of Hydrobiology and Environment, Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé 1, Yaounde P.O. Box 812, Cameroon
Urban sprawl leads to the degradation of aquatic environments and, consequently, to the destruction of biodiversity. With the aim of highlighting the distribution profile of benthic macroinvertebrates in the city of Yaoundé and its surroundings according to the level of degradation, this study was carried out in seven rivers. A total of 144 taxa of benthic macroinvertebrates, belonging to 74 families, 15 orders, five classes, and three phyla, were collected from seven rivers in urban, peri-urban, and forest environments on Yaoundé and its surroundings. The self-organizing map (SOM) analysis tool was used to group the collected taxa from all stations into three clusters or affinity cores. The indicator value analysis (IndVal) method was employed to determine, based on their ecological preferences, which organisms were most likely to belong to each group. Out of the 144 collected taxa, only 44 were indicated to represent the three different groups. Thus, three communities were defined: the Hydropsyche community, with Hydropsyche sp. as the predominant taxon in Group III, characterizing well-oxygenated and low-mineralized stations; the Hydrocyrius community, where the species Hydrocyrius sp. predominates in Group I, describing stations with low oxygenation and moderate mineralization; and the Lumbriculidae community, where Lumbriculidae is the taxon associated with environments with high mineralization and critical oxygenation. These two methods contribute to the biomonitoring of tropical aquatic environments, firstly by grouping organisms by affinity and then identifying those that reflect the environment conditions. This facilitates the detection of changes in the quality of hydrosystems and guides management and conservation efforts.