Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

IN SITU STUDIES ON AFIGAE FROM SHAHPURA LAKE: NITRATE METABOLISM AND TS CONTRIBUTION TO NITROGEN ECONOMY

Meenakshi Banerjee and Deepa Singh Kushwaha

Abstract

The study of algal population of Shahpura (Choonabhatti) Lake showed significant fluctuations of different algal species that appeared and disappeared according to the nutrient status of the water and particularly in the presence of specific levels of nitrogen and phosphorus.The other factors that appeared to determine the planktonic population were temperature and pH.This study revealed that in nature there is a check and balance system operating in water ecosystems, which controls the algal populations according to the environmental conditions giving rise to, changes in the populations with the changes in nutrient conditions.Above all in situ nitrate reductase activity seemed to be a direct method and a very sensitive one too in assessing the potentials of different classes of algae in utilizing nitrate and the role they play in determining nitrogen status of the water.