Review of Maintenance Strategies For Achieving Sustainable Developments In Tropical Climates

Buildings, like almost all physical objects degrade over time due to a combination of factors. The deterioration affects all components and parts of the building in different ways, gradually reducing the quality of the structure and adversely impacting the building’s ability to effectively perform its basic functions in an environment. This paper relied on a systematic review of published literatures in reputable databases to examine how building developments and public environments can be designed in tropical climates to require minimal maintenance activities to enhance the ease of executing such activities. 39 open access published documents were reviewed. Data sieved from the publications were content analysed and descriptively presented in themes. The study identified principles and methods which can be implemented in the design of buildings with a focus on maintainability towards enhancing the development of sustainable public buildings and environments in tropical climates. The review promotes maintenance culture and emphasises increased consideration for maintenance in building design, which further helps to promote the eleventh target of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals that aims at the development of resilient, safe and sustainable communities, cities and human settlements. The paper is instructive to researchers, scholars, students of architecture and building design, as well as policy makers on issues surrounding the principles of designing for maintainability, particularly in tropical settings

Reproductive biology of Chromidotilapia guntheri (Sauvage, 1882) (Cichlidae, Perciformes) in four coastal rivers (Ehania, Noé, Soumié and Eholié) of Côte d’Ivoire in West Africa

The reproductive activities of a small Cichlid Chromidotilapia guntheri were investigated from July 2003 to March 2005 in four coastal rivers (Ehania, Eholié, Noé and Soumié), in the southeast of Côte d’Ivoire. Trends in gonadosomatic indices and reproductive stages of development suggested that C. guntheri is a multiple (fractional) spawner and breeds all year round with little fluctuation in spawning intensity. However, spawning activities were more intensive in August and September. The estimated mean standard length at first maturity did not differ significantly between rivers. It was, in the overall population, 85.53 mm SL for males and 100.13 mm SL for females. In general, the sex ratio differed from 1:1 with the predominance of the males in rivers, standard length classes, seasons and the entire population. Absolute fecundity (F) varied from a minimum of 70 to a maximum of 470 eggs. The range of variation in the relative fecundity was from 3066 to 9135 eggs per kilogram of fish in the total population. Fecundity did not differ extensively between rivers. The absolute fecundity relations to fish standard length (SL) and eviscerated weight (We) were best described in the whole population by the following equations: F = 0.00069 × SL2.72 and F = 2.54 × We1.15, respectively. Moreover, there was no relationship between absolute fecundity and oocyte diameter

Reproductive biology of

The reproductive activities of a small Cichlid Chromidotilapia guntheri were investigated from July 2003 to March 2005 in four coastal rivers (Ehania, Eholié, Noé and Soumié), in the southeast of Côte d’Ivoire. Trends in gonadosomatic indices and reproductive stages of development suggested that C. guntheri is a multiple (fractional) spawner and breeds all year round with little fluctuation in spawning intensity. However, spawning activities were more intensive in August and September. The estimated mean standard length at first maturity did not differ significantly between rivers. It was, in the overall population, 85.53 mm SL for males and 100.13 mm SL for females. In general, the sex ratio differed from 1:1 with the predominance of the males in rivers, standard length classes, seasons and the entire population. Absolute fecundity (F) varied from a minimum of 70 to a maximum of 470 eggs. The range of variation in the relative fecundity was from 3066 to 9135 eggs per kilogram of fish in the total population. Fecundity did not differ extensively between rivers. The absolute fecundity relations to fish standard length (SL) and eviscerated weight (We) were best described in the whole population by the following equations: F = 0.00069 × SL2.72 and F = 2.54 × We1.15, respectively. Moreover, there was no relationship between absolute fecundity and oocyte diameter

Macroinvertebrate communities associated with macrophyte habitats in a tropical man-made lake (Lake Taabo, Côte d’Ivoire)

An ecological study was done on Lake Taabo with the main objective of characterising macroinvertebrate communities associated with the microhabitats created mainly by Eichhornia crassipes and other littoral native macrophytes. We sampled organisms in patches of those aquatic macrophytes. Also, some abiotic variables (temperature, transparency, turbidity, pH, TDS, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, NH$_{4}^{+}$+4, NO$_{3}^{-}$−3, NO$_{2}^{-}$−2, PO$_{4}^{3-}$3−4 and SiO$_{2}^{-})$−2) were measured. Overall, forty-three taxa of macroinvertebrates were identified. Ten of them were exclusively associated with water hyacinth while five were only associated with littoral macrophytes. Macroinvertebrate taxa with some of the highest family richness were Gastropoda, Coleoptera, Heteroptera, Odonata and Diptera. The taxon with highest density in both microhabitats was Chironomidae. Although higher values of taxonomic richness (Rs), the Shannon index (H′) and evenness (J) were obtained with the water hyacinth habitat, significant differences between the two microhabitats were not observed. Canonical Correspondence Analysis revealed that samples of E. crassipes collected in the dry season were characterised by Gastropoda and Odonata, as well as higher values of transparency and ammonia-nitrogen. Baetidae, Hydrophilidae, Chironomidae, Ceratopogonidae, Coenagrionidae, Naucoridae and Ostracoda were most abundant in both E. crassipes and littoral macrophyte habitats during the rainy season. This season was characterised by higher levels of nitrates and conductivity

Macroinvertebrate communities associated with macrophyte habitats in a tropical man-made lake (Lake Taabo, Côte d’Ivoire)

An ecological study was done on Lake Taabo with the main objective of characterising macroinvertebrate communities associated with the microhabitats created mainly by Eichhornia crassipes and other littoral native macrophytes. We sampled organisms in patches of those aquatic macrophytes. Also, some abiotic variables (temperature, transparency, turbidity, pH, TDS, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, NH$_{4}^{+}$, NO$_{3}^{-}$, NO$_{2}^{-}$, PO$_{4}^{3-}$ and SiO$_{2}^{-})$ were measured. Overall, forty-three taxa of macroinvertebrates were identified. Ten of them were exclusively associated with water hyacinth while five were only associated with littoral macrophytes. Macroinvertebrate taxa with some of the highest family richness were Gastropoda, Coleoptera, Heteroptera, Odonata and Diptera. The taxon with highest density in both microhabitats was Chironomidae. Although higher values of taxonomic richness (Rs), the Shannon index (H′) and evenness (J) were obtained with the water hyacinth habitat, significant differences between the two microhabitats were not observed. Canonical Correspondence Analysis revealed that samples of E. crassipes collected in the dry season were characterised by Gastropoda and Odonata, as well as higher values of transparency and ammonia-nitrogen. Baetidae, Hydrophilidae, Chironomidae, Ceratopogonidae, Coenagrionidae, Naucoridae and Ostracoda were most abundant in both E. crassipes and littoral macrophyte habitats during the rainy season. This season was characterised by higher levels of nitrates and conductivity