ABSTRACT

 A survey was conducted to determine the features and dominant soil, plant and macro-organisms that could se'e as ecological indicators of some selected areas with c1iffernt forms of land degradation across imo and Abia states. The disturbed areas inclOde an old aully erosion area, a 10 - year old kaolin mmcci area, a c - year old C1LOC oil spi1lecmhre aflected area and a - year old cultvated tarniland. Ten etcrs away and 50m away from each oh these areas served as moderately disturbed area and as control respectively. A 6 - 8 year old fallow land located 50m away from the cultivated farmland above served as control. Parameters determined are types of floral species and their population densities soil physico-chemical characteristics and population of soil macro-organisms. Results show that the soil physico-chemjcal characteristics in each disturbed area were significantly different from that iii the undisturbed areas. Major scil characteristics of gully erosion area are nigh P (23mg/kg) and lo?v N (0.035%) while oil-spilled/fire affected area showed high Fe content (233.3mg/kg), low N (0.043%) and 10gb OM (2.507%). Soils of the kaolin-mined area had low N (0.028%) and OM (0.586%) but high p1-I (4.41) and Fe (297.23mg/kg). Cultivated farmland had moderaie N (0. 140%), low Mg (0.4 cmol/kg) and low P (2.3mg/kg) while fallow land had N (0. 196%) and high cations (CEC=5.665 cmol/Lg). Soil :rcro-organisms were absent in the gully erosion area, oil-spilled/fire affected area as well as in the kaolin mined area. In the controls for the gully erosion area, Mucro/erinc's Spp (arthropoda)was highest among other macro-organisms in the moderately disturbed area at 0 - 15cm and in the control I 275/250g of soil) at 15-30cm soi1 depth. In the oil spilled/ fire affected area, Macrolcrnie's Spp was also highest in the moderately disturbed area and in the control (0.75/250g of soil) at the 0 - 15cm soil depth. in the kaolin mined area, only Luinbricus Spp (annelida) occurred in the moderately disturbed area at 0 -. 15cm soil depth. The cultivated farmland had only Lumbricus Spp (O.5/250g of soil) while Its control (fallow land) contained high numbers of arthropods followed by annelida with reOcesentatives for each phylum at 0-15cm depth and 15-30cm depth. in terms of plant species, gully eroson area was characterized by fiinbiisu ruIiuri.v (Chamaephyte, Buinbucecw) oil-spilled/fire xii affected area by Oic1eii1cw!/a herbacea (Therophyte, 1?ieb/aceae) kaolin-mined area by Phyiwi/Ji I/S emuius (Therophyte, Euphorbiaccac); cultivated farmland by lower case herbs and grasses (e.g. 1'o/I!-'c/ g'iinceusc: Therophyte, ip/iorbiaceac) while fallow land was characterized by diversity of Jorai members of diffen.. families. Lands undergoing various forms of degradation express different ecoiogcal characteristics as regards the soil chemical features, soil macro-organisms and vegetation; and these characteristics make useftil input in rehabilitation process and subsequent usage