Macroinvertebrate diversity and assessment of water quality in the area under the influence of mining activities in the Yaouré basin (Kossou, central of Côte d'Ivoire)

Abstract

The Yaouré basin is an area strongly influenced by mining activities. However, the ecological status of the waters located there remains little known. Thus, the present study aimed to assess the water quality of the Yaouré basin under the influence of mining activities from the structure of aquatic macroinvertebrate communities. Macroinvertebrate sampling was carried out in January 2020, following the upstream-downstream gradient, at twelve stations using a kick net and a Van Veen grab. The inventory made it possible to count 47 taxa divided between 37 families, 11 orders and 4 classes. Gastropods and insects mainly dominate the macrofauna in the Yaouré section. The abundance of the main taxa indicates that Melanoides tuberculata is the majority represented. The diversity analysis indicated that the macroinvertebrates communities in this Yaouré basin were poorly diversified and unbalanced. The quality index used reveals that the waters of this basin were polluted with organic pollution and heavy metals.