DOI: 10.14798/72.2.729
Bibliography
MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF FISH SPECIES AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS IN MARINE COASTAL WATERS OF THE GULF OF GUINEA, SOUTHWEST NIGERIA
2014, 72 (2) p. 55-62
Dominic Olaniyi Odulate, Yemi Akegbejo-Samsons, Isaac Tunde Omoniyi
Abstract
The multivariate relationship between fish species and environmental variables was studied at three landing sites along the coast of the Gulf of Guinea, Southwest Nigeria. Fish species were sampled for abundance once per month per site for twenty-four months and eight environmental variables were measured. Five fish species (Sardinella maderensis, Ilisha africana, Pentanemus quinquarius, Chloroscombrus chrysurus, Ethmalosa fimbrata and Pterioscion peli) were observed to be very abundant, which contributed 77.6% of the total abundance. Fish species composition depicted tropical waters fishery with few dominant species having large number of individuals. Dendogram of cluster analysis revealed five fish communities. Canonical correspondence analysis was used to elucidate the relationships between assemblages of fish species and their environment. S. maderensis, the most abundant species, was observed to be influenced by pH, total dissolved solids (TDS) and nitrate. Clustering and ordination techniques provided very similar results based on the fish species composition. Water pH, total dissolved solids (TDS), nitrate and conductivity were shown to be most influencing environmental variables in decreasing order of vector projections, influencing fish assemblages in marine coastal waters of the Gulf of Guinea, Southwest, Nigeria.
Keywords
environmental variables, eigenvalues, species ordination, cluster