Evaluation of the Impacts of Eucalyptus Plantation on Macro-Invertebrate Assemblage in the Aquatic Environment, South Western Ethiopia

The anthropogenic disturbances of the streams in south-western Ethiopia have increased throughout last century due to increased land use and Eucalyptus tree plantation. Despite this there is lack of knowledge on the impact of eucalyptus plantation on macroinvertebrate assemblages. In this study, we have evaluated the impacts of eucalyptus plantation on the ecological integrity of selected streams in the Gilgel Gibie River watershed, Ethiopia. Water samples and macroinvertebrate samples were taken from Eucalyptus dominated sites and none Eucalyptus riparian vegetation sites. Physicochemical parameters were measured onsite and in the laboratory. Similarly, the leaf litters of Eucalyptus grandis, Croton macrostachyus, Ficus sure and Salix subserrata were collected from the riparian zones of the streams. Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling analysis was used to test the level of similarity between none Eucalyptus and Eucalyptus macroinvertebrate diversity and water quality. Besides, types of vegetation, physicochemical and macroinvertebrate relationship were analyzed using Canonical Correspondence (CCA) and Test statics Analysis. The total of 3,133 macroinvertebrate individuals belonged to 36 families and 9 orders were identified.