Diversity and Abundance of Zooplankton in River Aswa in Uganda

Abstract

Abstract. Zooplankton community constitutes one of the keystone organisms that are crucial in
understanding aquatic ecosystem responses to environmental distresses. The objective of this study
was to contribute to the understanding of zooplankton ecological conservation status and assessment
of potential impacts of the proposed Hydropower plant on the zooplankton community in River Aswa,
Nwoya District, in Uganda. Baseline information on aquatic micro-invertebrate diversity, abundance
and distribution along the affected river section was generated. Two copepods and four species of
rotifers were recorded. The Intake site had the highest diversity (six species) while Powerhouse had
four species. Of the species encountered, Keratella tropica registered the highest abundance—1,025
and 732 individuals m-2
at the Powerhouse and Intake sites, respectively. Total zooplankton densities
were comparable with Intake (2,773 individuals m-2
) and Powerhouse (2,311 individuals m-2).

The
zooplankton taxa do not appear in the IUCN Red List in the Catalogue of Life. Therefore, the
proposed construction of a hydropower plant may not pose zooplankton conservation problems.