Assessment of Physico-chemical Characteristics and Phytoplankton Diversity in Pond Ecosystems of Tripura,India

Abstract

Ponds play an important role in the retention of water, supply of aquatic products, and biodiversity of an area. A pond ecosystem is a composition of plants, animals, microorganisms, and the physical environment in which they live and has different elements that work to maintain ecological balance. Tripura is known for its abundant pond ecosystem, which the community manages for its livelihood purpose. In this study, three different-sized ponds were selected from the Khowai district of Tripura. The water physic-chemical properties and plankton diversity of three different sized ponds were assessed as per the standard procedure. It was observed that the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) is high in the large pond, whereas the level of dissolved oxygen (DO) was found to be less in this category of the pond. However,the DO level was higher in small ponds, and the medium pond is also within the acceptable limit. The pH results also revealed that the water has become chiefly alkaline in a large pond and moderately acidic in a medium pond. During the study, 43 species of phytoplanktons from 4 families were identified. Maximum species (31) were recorded from small ponds followed by medium (17 species) and a large pond (15 species). The most dominant phytoplankton families were Chlorophyceae (37%) and Eugleanophyceae (26%) in pond ecosystems. Though the small-sized ponds are more diverse and suitable for aquatic life, however, the large-sized ponds are economically viable for this region. So, the people and Government should take some initiatives for conserving those pond ecosystems for the betterment of society.