ISSN 2348-313X (Print) International Journal of Life Sciences Research ISSN 2348-3148 (online) Vol. 10, Issue 1, pp: (10-20), Month: January - March 2022, Available at: www.researchpublish.com
INSIGHTS INTO THE ZOOPLANKTON BIODIVERSITY IN WATERS OF SUNAPPAREDDI LAKE: HOSUR, TAMIL NADU, INDIA *Veena SS, Ramachandra Mohan Muniyellappa Lake Management and Water Quality Research Unit Department of Zoology, Jnana Bharathi Campus, Bangalore University, Bangalore, 560056, India. *Corresponding Author: veenasnarayan@gmail.com
Abstract: Planktonic communities act as primary sources and therefore could serve as good reflectors of water contaminants. They are responsive to alterations in parameters for both chemical and biological entities and therefore can be used easily in designing monitoring strategies for lake managements. Sunappareddi lake, in Hosur Krishnagiri district of Tamil Nadu, provides water as a source of irrigation, industrialization and human consumption in the region. A study was conducted during the period of 2016-18 to evaluate the zooplankton ecology of the lake that was being used for many purposes. Evaluation of zooplankton pollution was done in terms of the population of Rotifera, Cladocera, Copepoda and Ostracoda. Our results indicated that high zooplankton abundance was observed in water body studied that hinted toward high eutrophication, severe contamination and ecological threat during the study period. This warrants improvisation of both rural and urban anthropological practices to salvage the lake from malpractices. Keywords: Pollution, lake, Rotifera, Cladocera, Copepoda, Ostracoda.
1. INTRODUCTION The aquatic ecosystems is a mix of both abiotic and biotic components (Lampert W, Sommer U, 1997, Chauhan, A. and Verma, S.C. 2015). Abiotic parameters highlight the water pollution in terms of run offs acquired through domestic, sewage, agricultural and anthropogenic activities. Assessment of the biotic components that constitute the aquatic ecology mirrors a holistic picture of aquatic pollution (Jeppesen, E et al., 2011). Well integrated into the food web at different tropic levels (Deivanai, K et al., 2004), they can detect even minor change in water quality that is reflected in their life cycle, content and inhabitant status in the ecosystem (Kanwal BPS, Pathani SS, 2012; Fernando CH 2002). Zooplanktons highlights the biodiversity in any water system because of the innumerable species that comprise them react differently to the water contamination (Poongodi R. et al, 2009; Renuga K and Ramanibai R, 2010). They act as good indicators of water pollution and aquatic ecology (Khan et al., 2016). What makes zooplanktons ideal for water quality assessment is their response to varying changes in the environment, variable response based on their vast biodiversity and sensitivity to anthropogenic activities leading to eutrophication and discharge of water from various sources as industrial, agricultural or domestic (Caroni R. and Irvine K, 2010). (Jose EC, et al., 2015). Zooplanktons further connect the food web for various fish species (Battish SK., 1992; Dodson SI., 2000). Their abundance is directly correlated to the fish abundance and monitoring them as biological indicators of pollution could act as a yardstick warning for the fisheries in particular when the pollution affects the food chain. Zooplankton monitoring assists in analysis of water quality and
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