Title: Phytoplankton Community Structure of River Chenab, Jammu and Kashmir (J&K)
Abstract: Phytoplankton are imperative part of lentic and lotic waters. The primary productivity of phytoplankton provides the base for the aquatic food chains as well as the fish populations. They also generate 70% of the world's oxygen. Therefore, it becomes important that the diversity and dynamics of the phytoplankton be figured out. In connivance with this, a study on the phytoplanktonic populations inhabiting the river Chenab was carried out from 2000 to 2002. Phytoplankton collection during the two years of study in river Chenab and its tributaries recorded 20 species belonging to 3 major groups namely, Chlorophyceae, Bacillariophyceae and Cyanophyceae. On the whole, Chlorophyceae was represented by 11 species (55%), Bacillariophyceae by 7 species (35%) and Cyanophyceae by 2 species (10%). Phytoplankton is algae suspended in the water column and transported by currents. Their biomass and species composition are important in determining rates of primary productivity and food availability to consumer species. Phytoplankton primary production provides the base upon which the aquatic food chains culminating in the natural fish populations are exploited by man are founded, at the same time generating 70% of the world's atmospheric oxygen supply. The relationships between total phytoplankton biomass and changes in abiotic conditions are well established and quite significant as an increased biomass is generally associated with higher rates of production and consumption in the aquatic ecosystem. Phytoplankton could be considered as suitable indicators of water quality in that they are simple, capable of quantifying changes in water quality, applicable over large geographic areas and can also furnish data on background conditions and natural variability. More so micro algal components respond rapidly to perturbations and are suitable bio-indicators of water condition which are beyond the tolerance of many other biota used for monitoring.
Publication Year: 2014
Publication Date: 2014-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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Cited By Count: 1
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