Abstract:
This study aimed to determine
the ecological quality of ichthyological
spawning grounds in the Lake Buyo partial
wildlife reserve, part of Taï National Park.
Ichthyological spawning grounds are aquatic
habitats used by fish for reproduction. In Côte
d’Ivoire, knowledge of these spawning
grounds was very fragmentary and mostly
based on an inventory and summary
description of spawning grounds. Data
collection was carried out from June 2018 to
May 2019 at 11 ichthyological spawning
grounds. Benthic macroin-vertebrates were
sampled using a Van Veen bucket and handle
dip net. Ten grab samples were taken at each
site. The dip net was used to sample habitats
that were difficult to access with the grab and
were very shallow. The Warwick Ecological
Stress Index and the Hilsenhoff Biotic Index
were used to analyse water quality. A total of
19,940 individuals belonging to 28 families
for a biomass of 1,361,549 g were counted.
Thiaridae and Chironomidae families were
the most abundant, with 63.28% and 22.88%,
respectively. The analysis of the abundance–
biomass curves showed that the biomass
curve was higher than the abundance curve,
with values ranging from 0.18 to 0.61. These
values indicate stress due to the enrichment of
the water with organic matter. The analysis
using the Hilsenhoff Biotic Index indicated
that organic pollution ranges from poor (6.98)
to very poor (7.73). The ecological quality of
the lake’s waters has a negative impact on
ecological diversity, leading to the
disappearance of certain aquatic species
through the destruction of spawning grounds.
