Abstract
The high altitude valley of Kashmir abounds in a vast array of freshwater bodies of lotic as well as lentic nature. Amongst these, lakes play an important role in biodiversity of this region. The present study on Wular Lake, Kashmir was undertaken from March, 2007 to February, 2008 to study abundance and distribution of phytoplankton and their correlation with physico-chemical conditions of water. A total of 64 phytoplankton belonging to bacillariophyceae, chlorophyceae, cyanophyceae and euglenophyceae were identified. Phytoplankton in general, showed two growth periods, one in spring and other in winter. A clear dominance of bacillariophyceae over chlorophyceae, cyanophyceae and euglenophyceae was observed throughout the study period. Navicula spp. with population density of 118 no./ml was recorded to be the most abundant species amongst bacillariophyceae at the selected site. Chlorophyceae formed the second most dominant group of phytoplankton with Chlorella spp. (112 no./ml) as the most abundant species. Osillatoria spp. with population density of 119 no./ml was found to be the most abundant amongst cyanophyceae. Euglenophyceae formed the least represented group of phytoplankton with peak population in spring. Statistically, bacillariophyceae and euglenophyceae showed significant negative correlation (r = -0.855 and r = -0.177) with water temperature, while cyanophyceae showed significant positive correlation (r = 0.745). Chlorophyceae showed non-significant positive correlation (r = 0.325) with water temperature at the selected site. Shannon-Wiener diversity index (H′) value (1.672) was recorded for cyanophyceae, while the highest evenness (J′) value (0.8872) was recorded for euglenophyceae. The value of Berger-Parker index of dominance (0.1859) was highest for bacillariophyceae. Canonical correspondance analysis (CCA) was also carried out to analyze the relationship between the physico-chemical parameters and the phytoplankton. It showed that the most important factors affecting phytoplankton distribution are water temperature, CO2, chloride, transparency, TDS, alkalinity and dissolved oxygen. Key words: Biodiversity, freshwater bodies, phytoplankton, Wular Lake.
Highlights
Lakes form a significant component of inland aquatic resources of India, especially because of their potential for fishery
We focused on the abundance and distribution patterns of phytoplankton and its correlations with the physico-chemical properties of water in Wular Lake, Kashmir, which is the largest freshwater lake of India and Asia (A Ramsar site)
Air temperature ranged from 7°C (January, 2008) to 31°C (July, 2007) whereas water temperature ranged between 5°C (January, 2008) and 28°C (July, 2007)
Summary
Lakes form a significant component of inland aquatic resources of India, especially because of their potential for fishery Phytoplanktonic species have different physiological requirements and show diverse responses to physical and chemical parameters such as light, temperature and nutrient regime Their sensitivity and variations in species composition are often a reflection of significant alteration in ambient condition within an ecosystem (Devassy and Goes, 1988, 1989). Reclamation of large areas for agriculture, large quantities of domestic sewage and agricultural run-off containing the plant nutrients have been the main factors responsible for accelerated aging or eutrophication of the lake This situation provides compelling reasons to relate variations in physicochemical characteristics to biological diversity (here phytoplankton), in order to assess the trophic status of this lake of prime importance. The data obtained would help in antipollution conservation or conservation strategies, in addition to formulating the diversity of the lake
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