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EFFECTS OF SEASONAL CHANGES ON THE DISTRIBUTION AND ABUNDANCE OF INSECT FAUNA IN THREE HABITAT TYPES IN UMUDIKE AREA, ABIA STATE, NIGERIA

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Product Category: Projects

Product Code: 00009437

No of Pages: 97

No of Chapters: 1-5

File Format: Microsoft Word

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ABSTRACT

The study was conducted to investigate the effect of seasonal changes on distribution and abundance of insects in three habitat types in Umudike Area, of Abia State, Nigeria.  The specific objectives were to:  to investigate the seasonal changes in insect diversity of three habitat types in Umudike Area, Abia State, to compare the abundance of selected key insect species during the wet and dry seasons in three habitat types, to determine the status and distribution of different insect groups in the study sites, to generate baseline data for kick-starting long-term monitoring of the insect’s life of the area. Insects sample were collected weekly from each sampling sites using locally made sweep net, picking was done with hands or forceps. Data were collected for five months with two months wet season (June and July) two months dry season (November and December) and period one month as transition (April) 2018. The results obtained were presented using descriptive statistics such as graphs, tables and chats. A total of 1264 insects spread across nine (9) orders, twenty-eight (28) families and forty-three (43) species were recorded. The different insects sampled, were higher during the wet season as compared to the dry season. Although insect species were significantly most abundant in the Fish farm site followed by the Experimental farm site.  Relict forest had the least abundance. Shannon diversity index suggested that insect diversity was highest in Relict forest during the wet season.  Species evenness based on the pielou’s index suggested high spread of the species across the habitat types and seasons. In Relict forest, the most abundant insects order is Hymenoptera.  Meanwhile, Odonata (damselflies and dragonflies) were most abundant in Fish farm site. While Orthoptera were most abundant in Experimental farm site. In all the three habitat types sampled Orthoptera were most abundant insects order. Meanwhile among the insect families recorded Acrididae was most abundant. Insect species were most abundant at the relative humidity between 93 –97% and at temperature of 27 but least at relative humidity between 88 – 92% and at temperature of 29˚C. Comparing species composition among the surveyed habitat types revealed that insect species assemblages were very similar between the wet and dry seasons in Relict forest and the Fish farm site. The study concluded that there were high spreads of insect species across the surveyed habitats. The study recommended that routine insect abundance and diversity monitoring should be encouraged. 






TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title page                                                                                                                                i

Declaration                                                                                                                             ii

Certification                                                                                                                           iii

Dedication                                                                                                                                iv

Acknowledgements                                                                                                                ix

List of Tables                                                                                                                          x

List of figures                                                                                                                         xi

List of plates                                                                                                                          xi

List of Appendices                                                                                                                xi

Abstract                                                                                                                                 xii

 

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1  Background of the study                                                                                             1

1.2  Statement of the problem                                                                                           3

1.3  Objectives of the study                                                                                               4

1.4  Scope  of the study                                                                                                     5

1.5  Justification of the study                                                                                             5

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Insect abundance                                                                                                              6

2.2   Economic importance of insects                                                                                    8

2.3   The Behaviors’ of an insects                                                                                          10

2.3.1 The food of insects                                                                                                        11

2.3.2 Communication in insects                                                                                             12

2.4   Diversity of insects in tropical rainforest                                                                       13

2.4.1 Threats to tropical rainforest                                                                                         14

2.4.2 Restoration of tropical rainforest and its insect communities                                       15

2.4.3 Responses of insects to agricultural activities                                                               16

2.4.4 Responses of insects to logging                                                                                     17

2.5   Nigeria forest                                                                                                                  19

2.6  Impact of different parameters of climate on insects                                                      20

2.6.1 Temperature                                                                                                                  20

2.6.2   Rainfall                                                                                                                        21

2.6.3 Relative humidity                                                                                                          22

2.7   Insect as pollinators                                                                                                        22

2.8   Insect as an ecosystem bio – indicators                                                                          24

2.9 Insects conservation                                                                                                          25

2.10 Insect taxonomic challenges                                                                                           26

2.11 The orders of insects                                                                                                       28

2.11.1 Orthorptera                                                                                                                  28

2.11.2 Hemiptera or true bug                                                                                                  28

2.11.3 Hymenoptera                                                                                                               29

2.11.4 Lepidoptera                                                                                                                  29

2.11.5 Odonata                                                                                                                       30

2.11.6 Earwings                                                                                                                      30

2.11.7 Collembola                                                                                                                  31

2.11.8 Ephemeroptera                                                                                                            31

2.11.9 Mallophaga                                                                                                                  31

2.11.10 Anoplura                                                                                                                    32

2.11.11 Thysanoptera                                                                                                             32

2.11.12 Neuraptera                                                                                                                 32

2.11.1   Siphonaptera                                                                                                              32

2.11.14   Psocoptera                                                                                                               33

2.11.15  Diptera                                                                                                                      33

2.11.16 Dityoptera                                                                                                                  33

2.12.   Aerial insects                                                                                                               34

 

CHAPTER 3:  MATERIALS AND METHODS

3.1 Description of the study area                                                                                            35

3.2 Sampling sites                                                                                                                   35

3.2.1 Site 1 Fish farm                                                                                                             35

3.2.2 Site 2 Relic forest                                                                                                          36

3.2.3 Site 3 Experimental farm                                                                                               36

                                                                                                                       

3.3. Sampling Procedure                                                                                                        38

3.5   Data Analysis                                                                                                                  39

 

CHAPTER 4:  RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

4.1 Results                                                                                                                              41

4.2 Discussion                                                                                                                         49

 

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1 Conclusion                                                                                                                        52

5.2 Recommendations                                                                                                            52

            References                                                                                                                 53

            Appendices                                                                                                                69


 






LIST OF TABLES

Table 2.1: Some Insect Abundance by Species                                                                      7

Table 4.1: Species abundance, richness and diversity indices among three habitat

            Types and across seasons                                                                                           44

Table 4.2: Habitat comparison based of habitat species composition across seasons            45

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


LIST OF FIGURES

 1. Insect order abundances in three habitat types                                                                          41

 2. Abundance of insect families recorded in three habitat types Michael Okpara                                                                                                         

            University of Agriculture, Umudike                                                                          42

3. Abundance of insect species recorded in three habitat types in Umudike                                         46

 4. Variation in insect abundance in response to changes in temperature (ºC)

            and relative humidity (%)                                                                                           47

5. Agglomerative clustering analyses based on the habitat species composition                        48

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LIST OF PLATES


 1: The fish farm site                                                                                                   37

 2:The Relict forest site                                                                                              37

 3: Experimental farm site                                                                                          37

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                

 

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION   

            1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Insects are hexapod invertebrates easily recognised by the possession of distinct three body regions, namely: the head, thorax, and abdomen. Scientific/Evolutionary records and all primordial document have a convergent opinion that insects evolved on planet earth before humans (Speight et al., 1999). Insects are different in their ways and play important ecological roles for the survival of life on earth, and their diversity is indeed an intrinsic part of the earth’s ecosystem (Samways, 1994). They are the most dominant groups of organisms on the planet earth in terms of species richness, abundance and biomass (Gullan and Cranston, 2010). Insects comprise more than half of earth diversity of species (May, 1992).

 Burine (2005) noted that insects are attractive animals. It is believed that they outnumber humans over a billion times. Though they account for the highest amount of biodiversity in the ecosystem, they are  not studied as much as other animal species (Cardoso et al., 2011). Insects are the only invertebrates that can fly (Voshell, 2002). The success of insects in terms of abundance, diversity and global distribution can be attributed to a wide range of factors (Samways, 1994). Their high reproductive potential, capability flight, small body size, the extent of habitat colonisation, ability to feed on a wide variety of foodstuffs are essential to their survival and remarkable taxonomic and functional diversity (Tylianakis et. al., 2010). Insects are essential component in several natural and transformed landscapes. They play a crucial functional role that ensures the delivery of essential ecosystem services important in agricultures, tourism, and natural resource conservation etc. (Samways 1994, Tscharnke et.al., 2005). Insects are so important that if all are to disappear, humanity probably will not last for a month. Insects are better known for their deleterious effects on humans and human activities. Aizen and Feinsinger (2002), noted that insects are habitat- specific in nature, and highly sensitive to habitat fragmentation as a form of disturbance. On land, insects reign (Grimaldi and Engel, 2005) and are the chief competitors with humans for the domination of this planet earth (Wigglessworth, 1976).

Seasonality is a common phenomenon among insects (Wolda and Wong, 1988). A sharp decrease in insect abundance during the dry season appear to be restricted to tropical habitats that have a severe dry season (Janzen and Schoener 1968; Janzen, 1973a, Janzen, 1973b, Wolda 1977). In the tropics, the difficult period for most herbivorous insects is usually the dry seasons when the leaves undergo a reduction in nutritional quality (Braby, 1955a). Other factors that affect the pattern of insects distribution include competition, predation, and numerical abundance of species, food web structure, and genetic factors, short and long – term aspects of evolutionary rates and size of the insect (Thomas et al., 1992). The abundance, diversity and species richness of insect represent an equivalent variety of adaptations to variable environmental conditions (Samways, 2003).

 Biodiversity is a contraction of “biological” diversity and it described the various biological organisms. It relates to the amount and range of species in a particular community and has three components; Species diversity; ecosystem (or habitat) diversity; and genetic diversity.

Species diversity:

Species diversity relates to the number of different species and the number of individuals of each species within any one community (Samways, 2005). Species diversity is computed based  on the number of species found in a given area without indicating the relative dominance of any species.

The more the species present in a sample, the “richer” the area (Grimaldi, and Engel, 2005).

Ecosystem (habitat) diversity defines  the diversity of habitats. A variety of habitat types are preferable because of its potential to accommodate a greater species diversity, compared to a less divers habitat.

Genetic diversity refers to the genetic variability of a species, which can be measured directly by genetic fingerprinting or indirectly by observing differences in physical features of the organisms within the population. 

 Evenness describes the relative abundance of species within an area.                                                                                                   

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Studying of insects can be an enormous task, and insect taxonomy requires continuous work. Most of the studies on insects conducted in Nigeria have primarily been on the insects’ diversity of specific order or family of insects. Very few have considered the insect community altogether (Medler, 1980). Both the taxonomic and ecological knowledge of insects have not been adequately investigated in Nigeria. The distribution and abundance of many insect species are poorly known, and their associated ecosystem services are often assumed (Kato et al., 2000). Estimates have shown that Nigeria has lost 56.7% of its primary forest to anthropogenic activities such as logging, subsistence agriculture, and collection of fuelwood and this may be affecting the country’s insect communities, (FAO, 2010).

Insects play direct and indirect roles in the lives of people through serving as pollinators, decomposers and soil modifiers. Many people in Nigeria always see insects as harmful organisms. Therefore, there is a need for raising the awareness of the citizenry on life history strategies and a need to conserve them. Thus, the present study was conceived to shape up the knowledge of insects, and this will contribute to the conservation of these vital members of the living world.


      1.3  AIM OF THE STUDY

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of seasonal changes on the       distribution and abundance of insect fauna  in three habitat types in the Umudike   area of Abia State,   Nigeria.


1.4  OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

        The research specifically has the following objectives,

1.    To generate baseline data for  a long-term monitoring of the insect life of the                            

       area.

       2.  To investigate the seasonal changes in insect diversity in three habitat types,   

         in  Umudike, Abia State, Nigeria.

         3. To compare the abundance of selected key insect species during the wet and   

        dry  seasons, in the three habitat types.

         4  To determine the status and distribution of different insect groups in the study    

        sites.


         1.5  SCOPE OF THE STUDY

 The study was sought to identify insect taxa that are common to these habitat types, and those that are specific to or restricted to the habitats. The study was conducted during both the wet and dry seasons in the three habitat types in Umudike. The sites chosen for the research were:

i   The Relict Forest in Michael Okpara University of Agriculture,         Umudike;

              ii   The Fish Farm Area in Michael Okpara University of Agriculture,  

                Umudike.                                                                                                                                                      

              iii     Experimental Farms in the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture,             

                Umudike.


           1.6  JUSTIFICATION OF THE STUDY

  The attention paid to the study of biodiversity has resulted to a growing interest in assessing the diversity of insects and their relatives. Groups that dominate terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems are essential indicators of the health of habitats (Grimaldi and Engel, 2005).

 There is also the need to have an understanding of seasonal change in insect species, composition and relative abundance between different sites. The number of individuals or the abundance of a species is a basic ecological parameter (Andrewartha and Birch, 1954) for critical consideration when making management and conservation decisions (Sileshi, 2007). The present study was directed towards the task of identifying insects’ fauna from different habitat types in Umudike, Abia State, Nigeria. Information from this study will not only be helpful for agricultural, medical and veterinary purposes, but will also provide an insight into the insect species richness of Umudike, Abia State, Nigeria. It  is also hoped that the result will offer useful information for the biodiversity conservation as well as other management purposes.

 

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