The Plankton as Indicators of Water Quality in Kusalla Reservoir: A Shallow Man Made Lake

Abstract

The composition, abundance and distribution of the plankton of Kusalla reservoir was studied between June 2006 and May 2007. With the aim of assessing the responses of the plankton to seasonal and spatial changes. Plankton samples were collected monthly from six sampling stations using standard methods. Eighteen species of phytoplankton belonging to four taxa were recorded. Twenty species of zooplankton from four taxa were observed. There was significant seasonal and spatial variation (p=0.05) in the distribution of the phytoplankton and zooplankton. There was significant positive correlation (r = 0.7689) between the distribution and abundance of phytoplankton and zooplankton in Kusalla reservoir. Shannon-Weiner index of 5.17, 4.24 and 5.24 for stations 1,2 and 6 respectively indicate that these stations have a relatively high species diversity and therefore are not polluted. The distribution of the plankton shows that they are sensitive to changes in levels of nutrients and other interactions with one another and with other factors. As such the plankton can be good indicators of water quality.