Diversity and seasonal variations of zooplankton in Jaisamand lake, Udaipur, India

In the present work, seasonal variations of zooplankton and selected physico-chemical parameters were studied in Jiasamand Lake, a large man-made reservoir in Udaipur (Rajasthan). In the study period, 51 species of zooplankton -17 species of Rotifera, 18 species of Cladocera, 5 species of Ostracoda and 4 species of Copepoda were observed. Among zooplankton, Rotifera was (727 No.l⁻¹) observed as the dominant group throughout the study period and the highest count was recorded in the summer or pre-monsoon period while low incidence was observed in winter season. Zooplankton community is also correlated with certain physico-chemical parameters. The results of this study indicate that the distribution and density of zooplankton species were influenced by prevailing physical and chemical factors of the aquatic environment.