1

Species Distribution of Freshwater Crustaceans ( Crustacea)

of Lake Oro, Esperanza, Agusan del Sur, Mindanao, Philippines

Maricris I. Abuan and Joycelyn C. Jumawan

Father Saturnino Urios University, Butuan City, Philippines; Caraga State University

ABSTRACT

The study assessed the species composition and abundance of crustaceans and its
implications towards the water quality of Lake Oro, Esparanza, Agusan del Sur. Selected
physico-chemical parameters were determined to support the presence of bio-indicator
freshwater crustaceans. Low species richness and abundance were recorded in the Lake. Three
species of decapods- Palimonidae sp. (Palimonidae) ,Pandalus borealis (Pandalidae), and
Cambarellus sp.(Cambaridae) were collected. These species were benthopelagic, swimming and
burrowing freshwater shrimps and crayfish.Palaemonid sp.was most abundant and Cambarellus
sp. was least abundant. All the physico- chemical parameters were within the acceptable range
except for pH. Soil pH was within optimum range. Organic matter and phosphorus (P) were very
deficient and deficient respectively. Only potassium (K) was sufficient compared to standards.
Freshwater species such as crustaceans were under a greater level of threat. The patterns of threat
were due anthropogenic activities, pollution, degradation, and overexploitation.

Keywords: Benthopelagic, Bio-indicator, Crustaceans, Decapods, Physicochemical

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Introduction

One of the fundamental goals of ecology is to understand the diversity and distribution of
species which is a prerequisite for bio monitoring programs (Altermatt et al.,2014) and a main
criterion used in the protection of wetlands ( Boix et al.,2010) . This is unequivocal for
freshwater ecosystems which harbour rich diversity of species and habitats (Collen et al., 2013)
that are highly threatened (Vorosmarty et al.,2010;Altermatt, 2013). Although still incompletely
surveyed, the current conservative estimate is that fresh water ecosystems provide suitable
habitat ( Balian et al.,2008) for crustaceans. Crustaceans make up a very large group of
Arthropods which include ostracods, decapods (crabs, lobsters, and shrimps), stomatopods
( mantis shrimp),euphausiids ( krill), and amphipods (sandhoppers).
Many crustaceans, especially the larger freshwater decapods are eaten by humans and
are therefore important to human economy as occasional source of food ( Mendoza and Naruse,
2010).Moreso,they supply food for both aquatic and terrestrial vertebrate consumers (Covich et
al., 1999). In parallel of a high ecological significance , amphipods are receiving an increasing
interest in co-toxicological and environmental monitoring (Altermatt et al.,2014).On the other
hand, ostracodes or “mussel shrimps”are microscopic bivalve crustaceans that are often used for
paleolimnological and paleoclimate reconstruction owing to their high abundance, wide
distribution, good preservation in lake and sediments , and their sensitivity to many
environmental factors such as temperature , conductivity, pH, and depth as well as substrate type
( Perez et al., 2010).
Various organisms specifically freshwater species across a range of vertebrate and
decapod groups are consistently under a greater level of threat than those resident in terrestrial
ecosystems ( Collen et al., 2012). These patterns of threat are mediated by high rates of habitat
loss and degradation, pollution, and overexploitation, and are particularly problematic ( Collen et
al., 2013).
Lake Oro is located in Barangay Oromica, Esperanza, Agusan del Sur. The lake is
interconnected to Agusan River, however ,during flooding season the water spreads to the lake,
causing high rise of water in the area. The lake is approximately 10 hectares which fed to the
tributaries of Agusan River.The increased number of human settlements on the river banks,and
various anthropogenic activities such as fishing or electro-fishing, domesticating farm animals ,
fish caging, etc. are highly evident in the area. No researches yet were conducted focusing on
crustaceans in the area. Most studies documented were focused on fish and fish caging. It is
indeed a preliminary study in the area.
Knowledge of crustaceans is essential in conservation. Thus, this study will address its
gap by determining the species composition , richness, relative abundance, conservation status,
and diversity indices as well as physical and chemical variables of Lake Oro, Esperanza, Agusan
del Norte.
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Materials and Methods

Study Area

The study was conducted in Lake Oro, Esperanza, Agusan del Sur, Philippines (Fig. 1).
The vegetation type of this area are primarily composed of water hyacinth, water lettuce, tall
grass, vines, shrubs, epiphytes and some tall trees along the river banks. Sampling surveys were
conducted in January to February 2016 .

Figure 1. Map showing three stations in Lake Oro, Esperanza,Agusan del Sur

Establishment of the Quadrats

Three 10m × 10m quadrats were laid out in each of the three sampling sites. The quadrats
were established 50 meters away from each other to avoid pseudoreplication. For each quadrat,
three persons extensively searched for live freshwater crustaceans using handpick gears, and
hand nets or diving in deep area equivalent to a two-hour sampling effort (de Chavez and de
Lara, 2011).

Preservation and Identification of the Specimens

Freshwater crustaceans were photographed using Nikon DSLR N3100. External

morphological features and other important characteristics such as pigmentation and standard
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length were recorded and measured using a ruler before preserving the samples. Smaller species
were observed under a dissecting microscope.Collected samples were preserved in 70% ethanol
with their corresponding name and label.. They were identified using online databases. Species
that need further taxonomic identification were sent to experts .

Physico-chemical Parameters

The water temperature ,pH, conductivity, and TDS, were measured using multitester
(Eutech PCD650) .Soil components were sent to the Department of Agriculture ,Regional Soils
Laboratory in Brgy.Taguibo, Butuan City for soil analysis.

Statistical Analysis

PAST software was used for the computation of biodiversity indices, cluster analysis and
principal component analysis. Cluster analysis was used to assess the similarity of species
composition among stations. As groups formed in the biological cluster analysis, the collection
areas were grouped to perform a discriminant analysis using environmental data. A Pearson
correlation matrix were constructed for the environmental variables to determine if there is a
high inter-correlation among them (Klecka, 1982) in order to minimize the overestimating effect.
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Results and Discussion

Species Composition and Relative Abundance

Table 1 showed the inventory of freshwater crustaceans in three sampling stations of

Lake Oro, Agusan del Sur. These species belonging to three families, Palimonidae( Palaemonid
sp.),Pandalidae( Pandalus borealis), and Cambaridae (Cambarellus sp.) were benthopelagic ,
swimming and burrowing species of freshwater shrimps and crayfish. The small sized
shrimps(Palaemonid sp. ) and native shrimp (Pandalus borealis ) were amphidromous,
migrating from fresh to salt water or from salt to fresh water at some stage of the life cycle other
than the breeding period (Hubilla-Travis et al.,2008). They were native species of crustaceans in
the Philippines.Palaemonid sp.,Pandalus borealis, and Cambarellus sp.are not included in the
List of Threatened species in the country based on IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015.
This study revealed that the number of crustaceans (3) recorded in Lake Oro was low
compared with the diversity of crustaceans in other freshwater ecosystems such as Gibong
River(Peligro and Jumawan,2015) and Agusan Marsh (Hubilla-Travis et al., 2008). This
difference in species richness was probably due to anthropogenic activities such as fishing or
electro-fishing, domesticating farm animals , fish caging which are apparent in the area. Moreso,
the increasing number of human settlements is highly associated to species richness and
diversity.

Table 1. Freshwater crustaceans in the three sampling sites of Lake Oro, Espera Agusan del Sur,
Philippines.

Ecological
niche &
Scientific English Local Movement Population
Phylum Order Family Name Origin Name Name patten Status

Small sized
Palaemonid freshwater Uyabang Benthopelagic,
Arthropoda Decapoda Palaemonidae sp. Native shrimp amphidromous Abundant
Benthopelagic
Pandalus Native amphidromous
Pandalidae borealis Native shrimp Pasayan burrowing Abundant
Cambarellus Red dwarf Benthopelagic
Cambaridae sp. Native crayfish Uwang burrowing Scarce

Figure 2 showed the relative abundance of Palaemonid sp.,Pandalus borealis,and

Cambarellus sp. Among species of decapods present in the Lake,Palaemonid sp. was most
abundant ; second in rank was Pandalus borealis in all three stations with three replicates. The
least abundant was Cambarellus sp. A total of two hundred eighty( 280 ) individual Palaemonid
species,fifty one (51) Pandalus borealis, and thirteen (13) individual species of Cambarellus sp.
were recorded in three sampling stations.
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According to a study conducted by Yaeger et al. (2014), 2.8 % of palaemonid shrimp was
the diet component of generalist fish predator, thus, they are an important food source for
aquatic fishes (Zhang 2011). Due to fishing and electro-fishing in the area, indirect effects of
predators on basal resources , i.e top down trophic cascades, are a major driver of the dynamics
of ecological communities in aquatic systems (Naddafi & Rudstam, 2013).This only proved that
the decreased in the number of predators (fish) due to anthropogenic factor was associated with
the abundance of preys.
Crayfish have many predators mainly consisting of different species of fish, but crayfish
has become a very popular food for humans too (Huner and Lindqvist, 1995). The scarcity of
Cambarellus sp. was related to an increased number of human settlements in the area. Most local
folks consumed this species of crayfish as food.The same holds true for the species of native
shrimp (Pandalus borealis).Indeed,the consumption of these species had an effect one way or
another pertaining to richness and abundance.

Figure 2. Total number of individuals of freshwater crustaceans in the three sampling sites of
Lake Oro, Esperanza, Agusan del Sur, Philippines.

Table 2 showed the mean values of the size of three (3) species of decapods-Palaemonid
sp,Pandalus borealis, Cambarellus sp. It’s noted on the table that Cambarellus sp were larger
compared to other decapod species in all three stations.Based on the data, there is a significant
difference of the total length of three (3) decapod species in all three sampling stations.
Except Palaemonid species , the male Pandalus borealis can grow as 120 mm and
165mm for female ( Hansen &Aschan 2000).Results revealed that captured Pandalus borealis
are smaller compared to its optimum growth in size. According to Tokeshi and Schid (2002), the
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interaction between population and environment affects the patterns of abundance and
distribution trends of organisms as well as its size and flow regime.

Table 2.Total Length(mm) of three arthropod species in three stations of Lake Oro.

Species Station 1 Station 2 Station 3

Palaemonid sp. 21 22.6 + 0.33 26.66 + 3.33

Pandalus borealis 46 + 1 47.67 + 0.33 47.33 + 0.33

79.33 + 0.67 78.67 + 0.67 80

Cambarellus sp.

Physico- Chemical Parameters

Understanding a lake’s physical and chemical properties is essential to determine the

lake’s condition and in making informed lake management decisions.
Figures 3 and 4 showed four selected physicochemical parameters of the three sampling stations.
All the physico chemical parameters were within their acceptable limits except pH because it’s
beyond the standard Lake pH range, which is 6.0-9.0
( Tarazona & Munoz,1995;Department of Environment and Natural Resurces 1990;Visto et
al.,2015). The water in Lake Oro is alkaline or basic. According to Ellis and Morris(1995),the
basic water caused imbalances in the metabolic pathways of crayfish that it caused irreversible
damage and may affect their long term survival .
On the other hand,there is a significant difference in conductivity, temperature,and TDS
in the three sampling stations. Bray-Curtis similarity and Principal component analyses revealed
that the physico chemical features of the three stations were similar except for temperature mean
value in Station 3.Perhaps the time element of getting water temperature is a factor of varied
temperature reading in the area.Thus, the physico-chemical factors prevailing in the sampling
sites are the prime determiners of the abundance , diversity,and optimum growth of the biotic
system(Ehiagbonare &Ogundiran,2010).
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Figure 3. Physico-chemical features of the three stations in Lake Oro,Agusan del Sur

A B
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Figure 4.Multivariate relationship among three stations based on their physico-chemical features.
A.Dendogram of similarity of study stations based on physico-chemical features;B.Principal
component analyses (PCA) showing distinct groupings/ relationships of physico-chemical data.

Soil Analysis

Nutrients in lakes are essential parts of a healthy lake ecosystem.Depicted in Tables 3 and
4 were the mean values of soil components and nutrients present in the area.Based on the
data,the texture of the soil is heavy.Soil pH was within optimum range.Organic matter and
phosphorus (P) were very deficient and deficient respectively.Only potassium (K)was sufficient.
Phosphorus is one of the primary nutrient concerns in Lakes because it is important to
the growth of algae and aquatic plants.Many lake management activities focused on reducing
phosphorus availability in the lake water ( Crowl et al.,2001).

Table 3.Soil Components of the three stations in Lake Oro, Agusan del Sur.
Sampling Sites Texture Soil Data Test
pH % P K Ca Mg Zn
O.M. ppm ppm
Station 1 Heavy 6.66 2.1 17 209 S S S
(D) (MS) (S)
Station 2 Heavy 6.92 1.7 10 190 S S MD
(VD) (D) (S)
Station 3 Heavy 6.44 1.8 17 291 S S MD

*VD-Very Deficient,*MD-Moderately Deficient,*D-Deficient,*S-Sufficient,*MS-Moderately,*S-Sufficient

Table 4. Soil Component Mean of the three stations in Lake Oro, Agusan del Sur.
pH %O.M. P K

6.67 + 0.13 1.87 + 0.12 14.67 + 2.33 230 + 30.99

Conclusion

Low species diversity and abundance were recorded in Lake Oro, Esperanza, Agusan del
Sur.Three species of decapods namely Palimonidae sp.,Pandalus borealis, and Camabrellus sp
were collected in the area.
All the physico chemical parameters were within their acceptable range except pH which
was beyond the standard Lake pH range of 6.0-9.0.There is a significant difference in
conductivity, temperature, and TDS in the three sampling stations. Bray-Curtis similarity and
 10

Principal component analyses revealed that the physico chemical features of the three stations
were similar except for temperature mean value in Station 3. Soil pH was within optimum
range.Organic matter and phosphorus (P) were very deficient and deficient respectively.Only
potassium (K)was sufficient.
The study proved that freshwater species such as crustaceans are under a greater level of
threat.The patterns of threat are mediated by anthropogenic activities,pollution,degradation,and
overexploitation.Therefore the results have important implications for understanding patterns of
diversity and extinction risk leading to action of safeguarding freshwater crustaceans and other
species.

Recommendation

Conservation measures and enforcement of environmental laws will be needed to save

the biodiversity of Lake Oro, Esperanza , Agusan del Sur.

Acknowledgement

The authors are grateful to the Biology Department of Caraga State University for
allowing the authors to use their equipment and to Father Saturnino Urios University.

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