Effect of pig dung fertilizer on zooplankton production

Abstract

To test the effect of pig dung fertilizer on zooplankton production in research station on wetlands at the University of Abomey-Calavi in Benin. Methodology and Results: The fertilization was carried out using pig dung inside treatment T1 buckets, whereas the control medium (T0) was not fertilized. The medium was seeded with phytoplankton. Each bucket was seeded with zooplankton with initial density of 52 individual/l. The zooplankton density evolution was followed through sampling every seven days from the seeding. The trophic and physico-chemical parameters were recorded. The pig dung utilization improved the chemical properties of the medium water. That fertilization had a significant effect (p < 0.05) on plankton production. Thus, the fertilized media offered the best phytoplankton biomass and the best zooplankton maximum density of 1071 individual/l. Conclusions and application of findings: The zooplankton production is realizable with pig dung. The dynamic of zooplankton population, points out copepods dominance which are rotifers and cladocerans predators.