Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

Vol. 29, Jan. Suppl. Issue 2023; Page No.(356-363)

SEASONAL SPECIES DIVERSITY AND DOMINANCE OFPHYTOPLANKTON IN DIFFERENT TYPES OF TROPICAL DOMESTICSEWAGE OXIDATION PONDS

S.A. Ali, H.M. Raju and G. Kassab

Abstract

Planktons are small microscopic organisms, comprising diatoms and algae, which form the basis of primaryproduction and the zooplankton, which are mainly crustaceans, rotifers and larval stages of larger animals.Both are the bio-indicators of a water body, constituting the main food for the carnivorous and omnivorousfishes in any aquatic ecosystem. In the present study, the species diversity, and their abundance with a totaland average population of various species of phytoplankton have been studied in the primary and secondarydomestic oxidation ponds along with a freshwater control pond situated at Shahpura. Bhopal, MadhyaPradesh, India. Physicochemical parameters like light penetration, water temperature, pH and DO werealso analyzed along with the phytoplankton population in both types of ponds to assess their impacts. Thesamples were collected and identified using standard methods. The results revealed that the phytoplanktongroups like Chlorophyceae, Bacillariophyceae, Cyanophyceae and Euglenophyceae were dominantly found in thesewage oxidation ponds along with about 20 species of phytoplankton in varying population densities indifferent seasons. A similar analysis was done in a freshwater control normal pond for comparison. Physicochemicalparameters in these secondary sewage oxidation ponds with a high nutrient load were found tobe highly favourable for the growth of the plankton species. A comparatively low number of phytoplanktonwas recorded in the freshwater control pond, which was highly deficient in nutrients.