Planktonic diversity of artificial pond in lower shiwaliks

The phytoplankton and zooplankton species diversity of an aquatic ecosystem is highly influenced by the variation in the physicochemical characteristics of the water body they inhabit. Present study was conducted so as to study the seasonal diversity of phytoplankton as well as zooplankton species and their relation with physico-chemical parameters in an artificial pond situated at Botanical garden of University of Jammu. In the present investigation, seventeen abiotic parameters of the pond were analyzed on the seasonal basis. A total of eleven phytoplankton species belonging to two classes viz. Chlorophyceae and Bacillariophyceae were observed. Chlorophyceae was represented by 4 families i.e. Desmidiaceae, Zygnemataceae (each represented by two species), Ulotrichaceae and Oedogoniaceae (each represented by one species). Among zooplankton, 21 species were reported seasonally of which seven species were of rotifera, 7 of protozoa, 4 of cladocera, 2 of copepoda and 1 of ostracoda. Through the present study, it was concluded that the seasonality and distribution of planktonic species diversity was a key function of the physico-chemical characteristic such as water temperature, transparency, nitrates and phosphates of the water body as change in these parameters greatly influence the occurrence of biotic community in the pond.