Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

STUDIES ON PHYTOPLANKTON DIVERSITY OF BAREHALLA TANK,SHIVAMOGGA, KARNATAKA, INDIA

H.A. Sayeswara and H.M. Ashashree

Abstract

Phytoplankton serve as the base of the aquatic food web, providing an essential ecological function for allaquatic life. The quantitative analysis of phytoplankton helps in understanding the basis of primaryproductivity of freshwater ecosystem. The study was carried out in Barehalla tank of Shivamogga for aperiod of twelve months from January to December 2018. A total of 49 species belonging to 21 genera ofphytoplankton were recorded, of which Chlorophyceae and diatoms were found to be dominant amongfour classes. Relative abundance of phytoplankton in Barehalla tank showed maximum of Chlorophyceae(34.69%), followed by Bacillariophyceae (30.61%), Cynophyceae (20.40%) and Euglenophyceae (14.28%).Pollution tolerant species like Scendesmus quadricauda, Tetraedon muticum, Microcystis aeroginosa, Phacus sp.and Euglena sp. were observed in the tank.