S. Dutta and B. Saha
Abstract
Zooplanktons are microscopic organisms that play a crucial role in the aquatic food web and greatly increase the productivity of freshwater environments. The fundamental food supply for fish and other aquatic animals in any aquatic habitat is plankton. They have transitioned to converting detritus matter into consumable animal food and are operating at the second trophic level in the energy cycle. In this work, we attempted to evaluate the evenness, diversity, and richness of zooplankton species and to forecast the fresh water aquatic ecosystem of entire West Bengal condition based on physico-chemical factors. Due to their acute sensitivity to environmental changes and quick response to water quality changes, zooplanktons are excellent indicators of changes in water quality. Between phytoplankton and fish, zooplanktons act as a mediator. Therefore, zooplankton research, both qualitative and quantitative, is very important. In this review, we offer quantitative data on the seasonal fluctuations of zooplankton and a few physico-chemical variables from different fresh water ecosystems located in several regions of West Bengal. Present review study focused on the physico-chemical parameters like water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen and also eutrophication level of fresh water ecosystem of West Bengal. A total of 58 species of zooplanktons have been identified, including 16 species of Rotifer, 4 species of Copepod, 16 species of Cladocera, 16 species of Protozoa, and 6 species of Ostracoda. Zooplankton population showed positive significant co-relation with physico-chemical parameters like water temperature and dissolve oxygen level, whereas negatively correlated with pH and eutrophication level. Seasonal variations in zooplanktons were also observed. The physico-chemical parameters of fresh water ecosystem of West Bengal were suitable for the growth of aquatic biota and represent a resource for scientific management of aquaculture practices and composite fish culture by taking some precautions and also maintain the healthy biodiversity in aquatic ecosystems in West Bengal.