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- ItemOpen AccessIfe and Biology(Obafemi Awolowo University Press, 1972-03-14) Halstead, L. B.An inaugural lecture is an occasion to survey one's field, to explain what one does, to demonstrate its relevance and to place one's own contributions into their general perspective. It is in fact an opportunity for a kind of academic license. However, today I intend to outline my attitude to Ife, to discuss some general questions, which I believe are important to us and which have implications for Biology at Ife. I shall illustrate my arguments with examples culled from my observations and experiences here, which though local, may I suspect, have relevance to many young universities in this part of the world.
- ItemOpen AccessMan and Environment - the Nigerian Situation(Obafemi Awolowo University Press, 1972-05-16) Imevbore, A.M.AMAN is an organism and his environment includes all things, living and non-living, which influence his life The study of man's relationship with his environment dates back to the time of his emergence as the dominant species on earth. In the beginning was the land, the plants and the animals. Plants and animals respond to the forces of nature and this involves interaction with the environment. During such interaction animals alter their behavior to adapt to changing conditions, but this rarely causes trouble. If they are unable to change, they simply die out, and become extinct. More often than not it is only man that upsets the delicate balances of nature, creating environmental problems. This trouble would of course be overcome if man became extinct. However, this is not a solution I would wish to advocate.
- ItemOpen AccessLaws of Arrangement(Obafemi Awolowo University Press, 1980-11-18) Segun, A. O.The topic, laws of arrangement, concerns the most fundamental and inclusive aspects of life sciences. It will deal with' the scientific term, taxonomy a word derived from two Greek words, "taxis" which means arrangement and "nomos" law. A branch of biology which used to be called "natural history" deals with the diversity of organisms within their environment. This is now split into the two separate branches of systematic and ecology. Systematic is involved with the descriptions, classification and all relationships among species. It therefore, includes taxonomy which is the theory and practice of classifying all organisms, both living and fossil, into a grand overall scheme. It should be noted that classification of organism is not the end of a taxonomist's concern, he is also interested in species formation, factors of evolution, structure of natural populations, biogeography, and the entire broad field of comparative biology.
- ItemOpen AccessThe World of Bats(Obafemi Awolowo University Press, 1984-05-15) Okon, Eyo.EI chose the topic: "The World of Bats" for my Inaugural Lecture for two principal reasons. First, with so much mystery and superstition surrounding bats generally, and with their wide variety of life patterns, coupled with the fact that with some two thousand species or so, bats are the second most numerous mammals (the first being the rodents), the bats are truly a world unto themselves. Secondly, my name is so much linked with bats that it appears that our two names could soon become synonymous. Indeed, when I was promoted professor a couple of years ago, some of the goodwill messages I received contained more compliments to the bats than to me. For example, one of the telegrams I received on that occasion said: "Congratulations to the Bats". I was left out! So, this public lecture affords me a golden opportunity to show that I am in fact the one who has been working on bats, and not the ba ts on me! I also in tend, during the course of this lecture to show that all I do and know about in Zoology is not just bats.
- ItemOpen AccessEffects of residue quality and climate on plant residue decomposition and nutrient release along the transect from humid forest to Sahel of West Africa(Biogeochemistry, 2007-09-26) Tian, G; Badejo, M.A; Okoh, A.I; Ishida, F; Kolawole, G.O; Salako, F.K; Hayashi, YFieldlitterbagstudieswereconductedinthe 2000 rainy season and the 2000/2001 dry season along the transect of West African major agroecological zones (agroeco-zones)tomeasurethedecompositionof,andN and P release from 5 plant residues (leaves of woody species) with increasing quality: Dactyladenia barteri, Pterocarpus santalinoides, Alchornea cordifolia, Senna siamea and Gliricidia sepium. The decomposition rate constant (wk–1) ranged from 0.034 (Dactyladenia, subhumid zone) to 0.49 (Gliricidia, humid zone) in the rainy season, and from 0.01 (Dactyladenia, subhumid zone) to 0.235 (Pterocarpus, arid zone) in the dry season. The direct correlation between the decomposition rate of plant residues and their quality was only valid in agroeco-zones where there is not moisture stress. Similarly, the direct correlation between the decomposition rate of plant residues and moisture availability was only valid for plant residues with high quality. The decomposition rate of the low quality plant residue could increase from humid to arid zone in West Africa. In the arid zone, the low quality plant residue could also decompose faster than high quality plant residue. The climate-residue quality interactive effects on plant residue decomposition in West Africa were attributed to the feedback of low quality plant residue’s mulching effect, soil fauna and appreciable photodegradation in dry regions. A decomposition equation that could be used to predict the decomposition rate of plant residues with various qualities
- ItemOpen AccessThe prevalence and intensity of gastrointestinal parasites of dogs in Ile-Ife, Nigeria(Cambridge University Press, 2008-10-02) Sowemimo, Oluyomi A.A study of gastrointestinal parasites in 269 faecal samples from dogs (Canis familiaris) collected from Ile-Ife, Nigeria between January and December 2004, revealed seven helminth species: Toxocara canis 33.8%, Ancylostoma sp. 34.6%, Toxascaris leonina 3.3%, Trichuris vulpis 3.7%, Dipylidium caninum 4.1%, Uncinaria stenocephala 0.7% and Taenia sp. 1.1%. The faecal egg intensities, determined as mean eggspergram offaeces (^SEM) were:T.canis393.8 ^ 83.4, Ancylostoma sp. 101.5 ^ 32.8, T. leonina 14.3 ^ 7.9, T. vulpis 3.4 ^ 1.5, D. caninum 2.2 ^ 0.8, U. stenocephala 0.2 ^ 0.2. The prevalence of intestinal parasites was significantly higher (P , 0.05) in dogs of age 0–6 months than in older age groups. There was no significance difference in overall prevalence of intestinal helminth parasites between male (58.3%) and female (50.0%) dogs (P . 0.05). The prevalence of helminth parasites was significantly higher (P , 0.05) in free-ranging than in kennelled dogs. The prevalence of helminth parasites was also significantly higher (P , 0.05) in African shepherds than in Alsatians and other exotic breeds. Each helminth parasite had similar prevalences and intensities among both genders(P . 0.05)exceptinT.vulpis.Theoverallprevalenceofintestinalparasites maycontinuetoriseduetolackoffunctional veterinaryclinicsfordogcareinIleIfe. Therefore, there is the need to establish a veterinary facility in Ile-Ife
- ItemOpen AccessSoil-transmitted helminth infections in Nigerian children aged 0–25 months(Cambridge University Press, 2008-11-19) Kirwan, P.; Asaolu, S.O.; Abiona, T.C.; Jackson, A.L; Smith, H.V.; Holland, C.V.The objective of this cross-sectional study was to determine the prevalence and intensity of soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) in children aged 0–25 months and to identify the associated risk factors for Ascaris lumbricoides infections. The study was conducted in three villages outside Ile-Ife, Osun state, Nigeria in May/June 2005. Stool samples (369) were processed by formol-ether concentration. Ascaris lumbricoides (12.2%) was the dominant infection. Age, father’s occupation and dog ownership were identified as the significant risk factors in the minimal adequate model for A. lumbricoides. The odds of being infected with A. lumbricoides increased as the children got older. Children aged 12–17 months and 18–25 months were 8.8 and 12.4 times, respectively, more likely to harbour Ascaris than those aged 7–11 months. The odds of harbouring Ascaris for children whose families owned a dog were 3.5 times that of children whose families did not own a dog. Children whose fathers were businessmen were 0.4 times less likely to be infected with Ascaris than those whose fathers were farmers. The findings from this study suggest that many of these young children, who are at a critical stage of development, are infected with Ascaris and that the prevalence of infection with this parasite increases with age. This study has highlighted the need to incorporate preschool children into deworming programmes in endemic regions and to investigate innovative ways of delivering cost-effective deworming treatment to this high-risk age group
- ItemOpen AccessEffects of Soy-based allochthonous nutrient inputs on intensively cultured female Clarias gariepinus (Burchell) brooder’s growth performance and on the indwelling net microplanktonic populations(African Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, 2009-02) Olaleye, V. F; Adewumi, A. A; Adedeji, A. A; Ogbogu, S. S.Portions of soybean meal autoclaved at 116°C and 1.2 kg/cm2 pressure for 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 min were used to compound 4 experimental diets appropriately labeled SB10, SB15, SB20, SB25 and SB30 respectively. The experimental diets were fed to Clarias gariepinus female broodstocks intensively for 84 days. During the experimental period, the female fish broodstock growth performance as well as the water and the in-dwelling net microplanktonic quality were monitored. The feed inputs into the different culture media ranged between 13,759 g (SB15) and 15, 649 g (SB10). The highest weight gain was recorded in the female broodfish fed diet SB25. The assayed water quality parameters for the different treatment culture media were not statistically different from each other (P > 0.05). Four (4) phytoplanktonic phyla containing 7 orders with 30 species were recorded in the various media receiving the different feed inputs. The richest floristic composition with 21 species and a Margalef’s Richness Index (R1) of 1.66 was obtained in the culture medium that received SB25 feed input. Twenty (20) microinvertebrate species belonging to 2 phyla and 4 orders were recorded in the various media during the period of study. The rotifers (Order: Ploima) with 16 species dominated the microinvertebrate fauna. Results also showed that the culture medium which received SB25 diet had the highest microinvertebrate fauna with 19 species.
- ItemOpen AccessSporadic Cryptosporidium infection in Nigerian children: risk factors with species identification(Cambridge University Press, 2010-08-27) TANNER, C. J.; MOLLOY, S. F.; KIRWAN, P.; ASAOLU, S. O.; SMITH, H. V.A cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate risk factors for sporadic Cryptosporidium infection in a paediatric population in Nigeria. Of 692 children, 134 (19.4%) were infected with Cryptosporidium oocysts. Cryptosporidium spp. were identified in 49 positive samples using PCR–restriction fragment length polymorphism and direct sequencing of the glycoprotein60 (GP60) gene. Generalized linear mixed-effects models were used to identify risk factors for all Cryptosporidium infections, as well as for C. hominis and C. parvum both together and separately. Risk factors identified for all Cryptosporidium infections included malaria infection and a lack of Ascaris infection. For C. hominis infections, stunting and younger age were highlighted as risk factors, while stunting and malaria infection were identified as risk factors for C. parvum infection
- ItemOpen AccessImpact of repeated four-monthly anthelmintic treatment on Plasmodium infection in preschool children: A double-blind placebo-controlled randomized trial(Kirwan et al. BMC Infectious Diseases, 2010-09) Kirwan, Patrick; Jackson, Andrew L; Asaolu, Samuel O; Molloy, Sile F; Abiona, Titilayo C; Bruce, Marian C; Cartwright, Lisa Ranford; Neill, Sandra M O’; Holland, Celia VBackground: Helminth infections can alter susceptibility to malaria. Studies need to determine whether or not deworming programs can impact on Plasmodium infections in preschool children. Methods: A double-blind placebo-controlled randomised trial was conducted to investigate the impact of anthelmintic treatment on Plasmodium infection in children aged 12-59 months. Children were randomly assigned to receive either albendazole or placebo every four months for 12 months with a follow-up at 14 months. Results: 320 children (out of 1228, 26.1%) complied with all the follow-up assessments. Plasmodium prevalence and mean Plasmodium parasite density was significantly higher in the treatment group (44.9% and 2319 ± SE 511) compared to the placebo group (33.3% and 1471 ± 341) at baseline. The odds of having Plasmodium infection increased over time for children in both the placebo and treatment groups, however this increase was significantly slower for children in the treatment group (P = 0.002). By month 14, mean Plasmodium density had increased by 156% in the placebo group and 98% in the treatment group but the rate of change in Plasmodium density was not significantly different between the groups. The change from baseline in haemoglobin had a steeper increase among children in the treatment group when compared to the placebo group but this was not statistically significant. Conclusions: Repeated four-monthly anthelminthic treatments for 14 months resulted in a significantly lower increase in the prevalence of Plasmodium infection in preschool children which coincided with a reduction in both the prevalence and intensity of A. lumbricoides infections. Trial Registration: Current controlled trials ISRCTN44215995
- ItemOpen AccessLivestock wastes: fish-wealth solution(WIT Press, 2011-05) Adewumi, A. A.; Adewumi, I. K.; Olaleye, V. F.A review of the use of livestock wastes for sustainable fish wealth creation was done, using information from literature and field survey. Livestock wastes including animal manure and poultry by-products, which are a menace to the environment, are sources of wealth creation in fish farming. In Nigeria, about 932.5 metric tonnes of manure is produced annually from the well established livestock industries which keep expanding at the rate of 8% year-1. Nigeria is the largest importer of frozen fish in the world with a fish demand of between 106,200–128,052 MT year-1. This situation calls for increased fish production which can be achieved through the effective utilization of livestock wastes. Livestock wastes are rich source of nutrients. Integration with fish farming makes livestock wastes assets in production. Properly treated animal manure can serve as organic fertilizer/feed component for enhancing fish farming profitability and reduction of Green House Gas (CHG) emission. Poultry byproducts such as livestock offal, feather meal, housefly (Musca domestica) maggots from droppings can form part of fish feed ingredient. Research has shown that properly managed fish cultured under the integrated chicken-fish farming system are fit for human consumption. In Nigeria, integration of livestock with fish farming has lead to efficient resources utilization including labour, feed, land space, reduction on investment risk through diversification, income generation, family food source, employment opportunities and conservation of environment due to waste management. Keywords: wastes, zooplankton, fertilizer, feed, fish, menace, assets, livestock, maggot, integration. Water
- ItemOpen AccessZooplankton abundance and diversity of fishponds exposed to different management practices(International Journal of Biological and Chemical Sciences, 2013-04) ADEDEJI, A.A; ADENIYI, I.F; MASUNDIRE, HThe taxonomic composition and community structure of zooplankton faunae of selected earthen fishponds in Ife North Local Government Area of Osun State, Nigeria were investigated for a period of two years sampling every other month. The study was based on three sets of fishponds with regards to fertilization practice and water flow regime. These include non flow-through ponds that received organic and inorganic fertilizers (FNF); flow-through ponds that received organic and inorganic fertilizers (FF) and unfertilized flow- through ponds. The zooplankton fauna of the fishponds comprised of 81 species belonging to three phyla namely Rotifera (62 species belonging to 16 families and two orders), Arthropoda (6 cladocerans, 2 copepods, 6 ostracods, 4 insecta and one arachnid species) and Protozoa which was represented by only one species. Zooplankton species richness indices were generally higher in the flow-through ponds than in the non flow through ponds with some species occurring only in the fertilized flow-through ponds. The flow-through pond had the highest number of species 54, while the least number of species 37 was recorded from the non flow- through pond. The fertilized non-flow-through ponds also had the .highest mean abundance of 36762 ± 56162 ind/m 3 , followed by fertilized flow-through ponds (34346 ± 40784 ind/m 3 ) and non-fertilized flow-through ponds (16006 ± 41263 ind/m 3 ) descending order. The means in zooplankton abundance among the ponds were, however, not statistically significant. The fertilized ponds supported zooplankton abundance while continuous water flow as observed in the flow-through had direct influence on diversity and species richness. Hence to achieve the desired effect of pond fertilization on its primary productivity, this must be accompanied by adequate water flowage especially in shallow fish ponds
- ItemOpen AccessEFFECTS OF POND FERTILIZATION ON THE PHYSICO-CHEMICALWATER QUALITYOFSELECTED EARTHEN FISHPONDS IN IFE NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENTAREA, OSUN STATE, NIGERIA(Zoological Society of Nigeria, 2013-04-09) ADEDEJI, A.A; ADENIYI, I.FThe effect of fertilization on the physico-chemical water quality of six selected earthen fishponds in Ife North Local Government Area of Osun State was investigated for a period of two years sampling the ponds every other month. The fishponds were grouped with regard to fertilization practice and water flowage regime into three sets comprising two non- flow-through ponds that received organic and inorganic fertilizers (FNF); two flow-through ponds that received the same organic and inorganic fertilizers (FF) and two unfertilized flow-through ponds. The investigated water quality parameters include water temperature, pH, transparency, dissolved oxygen, major ions, some plant nutrients and heavy metals using standard titrimetric and instrumental methods of analysis.The mean values of these parameters were not statistically different (p> 0.05) for the three sets of fishponds with the exception of sodium, Alkalinity, HCO3-, Conductivity and TDS which were each characterized with significant mean differences (p= 0.05). In general, the fertilized ponds were characterized by higher mean values in 24 of the 29 investigated water quality parameters than the non-fertilized ponds. Also the mean values of 22 out of the 29 investigated parameters were generally higher in the flow-through ponds than in the non-flow- through ponds. Increase in the parameters due to water flowage was statistically significant (p> 0.05) for sodium, alkalinity, bicarbonate, conductivity and TDS while the effect of fertilization was higher for the dissolved oxygen parameters, nutrients (NO3, PO4,), major ions and apparent colour. Thus, the fertilized ponds were more saline (based on conductivity and TDS), better buffered and richer in nutrient than the unfertilized ponds. These effects were enhanced by flowage hence the fertilized flow-through ponds were characterised by the most suitable water quality for fish culture in the study-area while the fertilized non flow-through ponds was least suitable. The study revealed that to achieve the desired effect, pond fertilization must be accompanied by adequate water flowage especially in shallow fishponds
- ItemOpen AccessAVOIDANCE AND REPRODUCTION TESTS WITH THE PREDATORY MITE HYPOASPIS ACULEIFER: EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT CHEMICAL SUBSTANCES(SETAC PRESS, 2013-10-04) OWOJORI, OLUGBENGA J; WASZAK, KAROLINA; ROEMBKEy, ROEMBKEyFew toxicity data exist in the literature on the toxicity of chemicals to the predatory mite Hypoaspis aculeifer, but no information is available on its avoidance response. To assess the relevance of the avoidance behavior of H. aculeifer and the relative sensitivity of the mite in comparison with other invertebrates, avoidance and reproduction tests were conducted with 7 chemicals using standardized guidelines. The chemicals (deltamethrin, chloropyrifos, dimethoate, Cu, NaCl, phenanthrene, and boric acid) were selected so as to cover varying chemical classes. For all 3 pesticides tested, avoidance response showed lower sensitivity than reproduction and survival (avoidance median effective concentration [EC50] >reproduction EC50/median lethal concentration [LC50] values). However, for Cu, NaCl, and phenanthrene, the avoidance response showed similar sensitivity as reproduction (avoidance EC50 reproduction EC50 values), whereas for boric acid, similar sensitivity as survival (avoidance EC50 LC50 values). Although the mite H. aculeifer appears less sensitive to some of the chemicals tested than most other soil invertebrates, its status as the only predator among organisms for which standardized tests are available affirms its inclusion in routine ecotoxicity assessment. The results of the avoidance test with H. aculeifer suggest its potential usefulness as a rapid screening test for risk assessment purposes
- ItemOpen AccessAssessment of the water quality parameters in relation to fish community of Osinmo reservoir, Ejigbo, Osun State, Nigeria(Research Gate, 2014-04) KOMOLAFE, O.O; ADEDEJI, A.A; FADAIRO, BPhysicochemical indices of water body changed seasonally and this necessitated an investigation to assess the water quality parameters of Osinmo reservoir in relation to its fish species. The water quality parameters were measured using standard methods. Results obtained show that the reservoir is alkaline in nature with dissolved oxygen concentration (1.8-7.2 mgl-1) and alkalinity (64 CaCO3 mgl-1-108 CaCO3 mgl-1) which were within the optimum range for growth and survival of fish. Four families of fish comprising eight species were encountered. The sex-ratio of five species which were statistically different (P<0.05) indicated reproductive efficiency populations while other fish species whose sex-ratio differed insignificantly (P>0.05) revealed a growing population. The well-being of the fish species was adequate as observed in the least mean condition factor of 0.666±0.057 in C. gariepinus and the highest mean of 2.000±0.242 in S. galilaeus. The productivity of the reservoir can be improved through proper management of the water body
- ItemOpen AccessPrevalence and intensity of Toxocara canis (Werner, 1782) in dogs and its potential public health significance in Ile-Ife, Nigeria(Journal of Helminthology, 2014-05-21) Sowemimo, Oluyomi A.A study on the prevalence and intensity of Toxocara canis (Werner, 1782) in dogs was carried out in Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Faecal samples were collected from 269 dogs between January and December 2004, processed by the Kato–Katz technique and then examined for T. canis eggs. The prevalence of T. canis obtained was 33.8%. The intensity of infection, measured as mean egg count per gram of faeces (^SEM) was 393.8 ^ 83.4. The prevalence and intensity of T. canis in dogs aged 0–6 months were significantly higher (P , 0.05) than older age groups. The prevalence and intensity of T. canis infection were significantly higher in males than in female dogs (P , 0.05). Since T. canis is known to cause visceral larva migrans (VLM) in young children, there is the possibility that the high prevalence of T. canis infection obtained in this study might constitute an important risk factor for transmission to humans. Therefore, there is the need to educate the residents of Ile-Ife on the danger of close association of their children with household pets.