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Odontella is a planktonic centric diatom widely distributed in saline waters. Although some studies on marine phytoplankton in Nigeria mention the genus, there is a considerable dearth of information on its distribution in the Atlantic Ocean (Nigeria). This paper examined the density, diversity, spatial and temporal distribution of Odontella species in the Atlantic Ocean, in the Bight of Benin and Bight of Bonny (Nigeria). Phytoplankton samples were collected from 10 locations on the stretch of the Atlantic Ocean (Nigeria), in four seasons (dry-wet, wet, wet-dry and dry). Results revealed that eight species of Odontella, namely O. aurita, O. granulata, O. longicruris, O. mobilensis, O. obtusa, O. regia, O. rhombus and O. sinensis occurred in the Atlantic Ocean (Nigeria). The eight Odontella species showed differential distributional pattern, both spatially and temporally. Akwa Ibom location had the highest Odontella abundance in the South-South region while Ondo was highest in the South-West region. Higher Odontella abundance was recorded in the transition seasons (dry-wet and wet-dry seasons) than in the typically wet and dry seasons. The species O. regia was dominant and widely distributed in the South-West region, while O. aurita was dominant in the South-South region. Relatively, the density of O. longicruris was low throughout the Atlantic Ocean (Nigeria) and at all seasons. O. regia and O. sinensis were the most widely distributed species in the Atlantic Ocean (Nigeria) and occurred all through the seasons studied while O. obtusa occurred sparingly throughout all the seasons.

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Recreation is an activity of leisure for pleasure, enjoyment or amusement for the purpose of refreshing the mind and body after work. 1 Recreation which is an important part of human life is of different types depending on the interest of an individual. 2 Recreational activities can be solitary or communal, passive or active, indoors or outdoors, harmful or healthy and useful or detrimental. They include reading, watching movies, sports, listening and playing music, swimming, fishing, cycling, running and travelling. However, some recreational activities like gambling and recreational drug use go against the law while most outdoor recreational activities have been found to be physically and socially rewarding. 3 Arising from the several health benefits of physical recreational activities which include reduction in risk of osteoporosis, cancer and obesity, 4 many recreational centres organized by public institutions, agencies and private groups also preserve the ecological and historical integrity of such centres while also making money in the process. Good examples of this are national parks, monuments and resorts. It is however interesting to note that in the course of carrying out most outdoor physical recreational activities which involve contact with the water like swimming, canoeing, sport fishing, etc, the phytoplankton,