Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

A STUDY ON AQUATIC MACROPHYTES DIVERSITY OF LAKE KHARUNGPAT, MANIPUR, INDIA

M.A. Salam, Abdul Malik, H. Pokhrel, L. Mudoi, S.K. Bhagabati, Rajdeep Datta, H. Ramananda Singh and Gunajit Oinam

Abstract

Aquatic macrophytes are considered as an important component of the aquatic ecosystem not only as food source for aquatic invertebrates, but also act as an efficient accumulator of heavy metals. The infestation of freshwater bodies by aquatic weeds influences water management in waterways, rivers, reservoirs and canals which interfere with the use of water, or in some way constitute a nuisance to man or hazard to human welfare, or growing on a water body where it is not desired.The present study was conducted during September, 2019 to August, 2020 in lake Kharungpat of Manipur which is situated towards the southern lowlands of the central valley of Manipur in the Kakching district. Five numbers sampling Site namely Site 1 (Longitude 93º 92' E and Latitude 24º 58' N), Site 2 (Longitude 93º 91' E and Latitude 24º 56' N), Site 3 (Longitude 93º 93' E and Latitude 24º 54' N), Site 4 (Longitude 93º 96' E and Latitude 25º 55' N) and Site 5 (Longitude 93º 96' E and Latitude 24º 58' N) were selected to make the study statistically sound. A total of 26 aquatic macrophytes were identified from lake Kharungpat during 2019-2020. The identified aquatic macrophytes comprised of 26 species belonging to 23 genera, 15 families and 11 orders. Phragmites karka species was the most dominant aquatic macrophytes of the lake in case of species occurrence and percentage contribution, alone contributing 81 percent to the total macrophytes vegetation during the study period. The overall total infestation percentage of macrophytes was recorded maximum (76.67 percent) in the month December, 2019 and March, 2020 with minimum 41.39 percent in the month August, 2020.The Simpson index, Shannon index and Evenness richness index value ranged between 0.7398 to 0.9386, 1.712 to 2.956 and