EFFECT OF WATER PARAMETERS ON THE REPRODUCTION OF MUD CRAB, SCYLLA SERRATAPriyadarshani B. Dhole and Meena U. PatilAbstract The present study describes the effect of water on reproduction of the mud crab, Scylla serrata from Dahanu creek of Palghar district. The man-made activities such as addition of sewage, suspended solids, heavy metals affect adversely the ecosystem These manmade activities as well as changes in environmental parameters, apart from sources of thermal discharge and radioactive substances, affect the balance of ecosystem. Seasonal variations in the sea water parameter viz. pH, salinity, TDS, BOD and DO etc. affect biotic community. Water compositions have great influence on the supply of nutrients to the aquatic animal which ultimately affect the growth and reproduction phenomenon. Effluents released by thermal power station and industrial area affected the productivity of economically important crustaceans. Therefore, efforts were made to understand the study of effect of physico- chemical parameters of water on the reproduction of mud crab Scylla serrata by using standards method. The pH values were fluctuating throughout the period of study. Salinity, TDS, BOD, and DO also showed variation throughout the year. The calculations of Mean and Standard Deviation and Correlation coefficient were done using MS-Excel 2007 and used for interpretation of data. It was observed that salinity (33.22 gm/kg), temperature (27 0C) and dissolved oxygen (5.82 mg/l) were responsible for maturation of gonads. |