PHYTOPLANKTON DIVERSITY AND PHYSICO-CHEMICAL FEATURES OF ACHANKOVIL RIVER, INDIAMeera Krishnan and Praveen Dhar T.Abstract The present study focuses on the phytoplankton diversity and physico-chemical parameters of Achankovil River during the post monsoon season. Water samples were collected during the morning and the phytoplankton were collected by plankton net Number-20 silk bolting cloth having a mesh size of 20 μm. A total forty three phytoplankton genera were recorded from the study area. They belonging to the four major classes, Chlorophyceae, Bacillariophyceae, Cyanophyceae and Euglenophyceae. Physico-chemical parameters such as temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, carbon dioxide, alkalinity and amount of calcium, hardness of water, content of nitrate and silicate and productivity also were analyzed. Phytoplankton diversity and physico-chemical parameters showed significant variations in different study sites. |