Pages: (13-36 )
Abstract
Most coastal waters are exposed to high influx of pollutants due to elevated human activities. In order to adequately evaluate the extent of toxicity of contaminants in the marine ecosystem, and their synergistic effects, marine ecologists prefer biomonitoring to chemical approach. The benthic macroinvertebrates, due to their sedentary life and residence at the sediment-water microcosm, are regarded as the most veritable tool for biomonitoring of the aquatic ecosystem health. This is because these organisms are impacted by the interstitial forces of the sediment-water interface in the marine ecosystem and also serve as the main channel for the interchange of biomass. However, most biomonitoring studies of these organisms at the suborganismal and organismal levels are not well developed, and this poses great challenges to holistic biomonitoring of the Nigerian coastal waters. This review focuses on the biomonitoring status and prospects of a coastal lagoon with reference to the benthic macroinvertebrates.
Keywords: Bioindicators; Benthic Macroinvertebrates; Pollution; Lagoon; Biodiversity.,