Impacts of flooding on aquatic biodiversity

The Komadougou Yobé River is a vital ecosystem whose equilibrium is severely disrupted by recurrent flooding significantly impacting the ichthyological fauna and riparian flora. This study is based on a combined approach integrating the identification of fish caught by local fishermen ethnobiological surveys and phytosociological surveys in order to analyze ichthyological and floristic diversity. The ggballoonplot networkD3 and fmsb functions were used to process and visualize the data. A total of 84125 fish specimens representing 36 species and 60 plant species were counted. The results show a marked seasonal variation in fish populations: they are dominated by species that are stable before flooding mobile during then more diversified afterwards in response to hydrological dynamics. In terms of flora Tamarindus indica proved to be the most vulnerable species to this event. These results underline the importance of a better understanding of the interactions between flooding and biodiversity for the sustainable management of natural resources.