Community Structure of Rotifers in four Kashmir Lakes

Abstract

The occurrence and abundance of zooplankton in a lake depends on its productivity. The community structure of zooplankton is characteristic of eutrophic lakes. They are very sensitive to environmental changes and are considered as ideal newlinebio indicators of water quality. Zooplanktons are dominated by three groups viz, Rotifera, Cladocera and Copepoda. The present study aims to study the species newlinecomposition of various Zooplankton groups, diversity and density of Rotifers along newlinewith physic-chemical profile in four lakes from December 2011 November 2013. newlineThere have been number of studies on important lakes of the Valley during the newlinelast century starting with reports on its limnology, plankton and other fauna by newlineHutchinson, 1937; Brehm, 1936; Kiefer, 1939; Kaul, 1977; Zutshi and Trisal, 1977; newlineZutshi and Vass, 1978; Yousuf and Qadri, 1981; Kundangar, 1982; Balkhi et al., newline1984; Yousuf and Parveen, 1992; Yousuf et al., 1993; Pandit and Yousuf, 2002. A newlineperusal of literature reveals that not much work has been done on the zooplankton newlineassociations and Rotifers in particular. newlineWater samples were collected at twelve different sites on monthly basis from newlineDecember 2011 November 2013. Four sites from Dal lake namely D1, D2, D3 and newlineD4; three sites M1, M2, M3 from Manasbal, three from Anchar AN1, AN2 and AN3 newlineand two sites from Ahansar AH1 and AH2 were selected. The water samples were newlinecollected at a depth of 0.5 m and from limnetic zone of Manasbal lake it was collected newlineat a depth of 3m, 6m and 9m. For dissolved oxygen separate water samples were newlinecollected in BOD bottles of 250 ml capacity, fixation of oxygen was done on the spot. newlineWater temperature, pH, conductivity were recorded on the spot. Other parameters like newlinedetermination of oxygen, carbon dioxide, alkalinity, hardness, phosphorus, nitrogen newlinewere analyzed in the laboratory accordance with APHA, 1998; CSIR, 1974. For newlinequalitative analysis plankton samples were collected with the help of plankton net newline(Nylobolt Cloth No 14) by hauling vertically and horizontally.............