Concept of planktonic species diversity in small water bodies – a case study of lake Rangasagar (Udaipur: Rajasthan)

Abstract

AbstractThe quantitative and qualitative relationships within phyto‐ and zooplanktonic communities were examined for a period of one year in a small eutrophic lake in Udaipur, through the application of diversity indices. The results revealed that a higher plankton diversity needs not necessarily lead to a greater community diversity or evenness of species diversity. The phytoplankton species diversity was related to nutrients and ambient environmental factors. Within zooplankton groups, the diversity index was found influenced by the evenness and richness of the species. On the other hand, the strong correlation between individual species density and community diversity in the cladocera was influenced by food availability. The total zooplankton diversity was also strongly correlated (P < 0.01) with the number of species and equality. There was no spatial variation in species composition because of smaller spread of the water body. It is felt that the diversity indices could get influenced by the dominance or scarcity of one or more species or communities giving a deceptive picture of planktonic panorama.