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Phytoplankton diversity at Watlab Ghat in Wular Lake,
Kashmir
Altaf H.
Ganai,* Saltanat Parveen, Asif A. Khan and Maryam H
Department of Zoology,
Limnology Research Laboratory, A. M. U., Aligarh (U.P.) India.
*Corresponding author.
E-mail: altafganai01@yahoo.com.
Accepted 15 July, 2010
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The present study on Wular
Lake, located at a distance of 34 km from Srinagar city of
Kashmir valley, was undertaken from March, 2007 to February,
2008 to study various limnological parameters including
plankton. A total of 64 phytoplankton spp. were identified.
Bacillariophyceae was found to be the most dominant group at
the selected site. The population density of
bacillariophyceae varied from a minimum of 32 No./ml in the
month of June, 2007 to a maximum of 417 No./ml in the month
of January, 2008. The most abundant species in terms of
population density were Amphora spp., Cyclotella
spp., Longissima elongatum, Navicula spp. and Nitzchia
spp.
Chlorophyceae formed the second most dominant group of
phytoplankton with Chlorella spp., Pediastrum spp., Spirogyra spp. and Volvox spp. as
the most abundant species. The number of chlorophyceae
varied from minimum of 25 No./ml during December, 2007 and
February 2008 to a maximum of 222 No./ml in May, 2007.
Amongst myxophyceae (cyanophyceae), Anabaena
spp.
with population density of 93 No./ml was found to be the
most dominant spp. at the selected site. Euglenophyceae
formed the least represented group of phytoplankton which
showed the peak population in spring. Chlorophyceae and
cyanophyceae showed positive correlation with water
temperature (r = 0.400 and 18. r = 0.744), respectively, at
the selected site whereas bacillariophyceae and 19
euglenophyceae showed the negative correlation with water
temperature that is, r = -0.818 and r = -0.389),
respectively.
Key words:
Phytoplankton, Wular Lake, physico-chemical characteristics,
eutrophication.
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