Checklist of occurrence and distribution of phytoplankton species in waters around the FESTAC creek, Lagos, Nigeria

• Published in: Journal of Applied Sciences and Environmental Management Vol. 29; no. 6; pp. 1786 - 1790
• Main Authors: Odufuye, K. O., Onyema, I. C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 29.06.2025
• ISSN: 2659-1502; 2659-1499
• DOI: 10.4314/jasem.v29i6.8

From November 2021 to April 2022, a study was carried out to determine the occurrence and distribution of phytoplankton in five locations within the Lagos Lagoon: Oke-Afa, Ago, Festac Creek, Reservoir, and Festac Link Bridge. The objective of this paper was to report a Checklist of occurrence and distribution of phytoplankton species in waters around the Festac creek, Lagos Nigeria using a 55 µm mesh size standard plankton net to collect the phytoplankton sample, dragged for five minutes at a slow speed (≤4 m/s) from a motorized boat and placed in a screw-capped plastic container with a clear label. Microscopic analysis was performed 48 hours after each sample was preserved with 4% unbuffered formalin and kept in the lab. Bacillariophyta, Cyanophyta, Chlorophyta, and Dinoflagellates are the four major groups of algae that were identified. In all, 70 species from 40 genera were identified. With 36 species spread across 22 genera, diatoms were the most prevalent group. Dinoflagellates had eight species from five genera, Chlorophyta has nine species from six genera, and Cyanobacteria has sixteen species from six genera. In contrast to the wet season, a greater number of species were observed during the dry season. The study's conclusions offer helpful details on the list of phytoplankton species that may be employed as bio-indicators for the creek's evaluation and observation.