Study of Diversity and Population of Zooplankton at Harsholav pond of Bikaner, India

Abstract

Water is the most essential element of life and without it life cannot exist. The body uses water for digestion,absorption, transporting nutrients, and building tissues and all other activities. Harsholav pond of Bikaner has been studied to evaluate the suitability of water for domestic use and maintaining for drinking, irrigation and other purposes. Bikaner district lies in arid zone of Western Rajasthan and is a part of Thar Desert. The investigations were carried out in Harsholav pond located at Bikaner district from September 2012 to November 2013. Monthly zooplankton samples were collected. Zooplanktons are the primary consumers of the process of food chain. Aquatic ecosystem consists of physical, chemical and biological factors. Physical chemical factors are not alike in all water bodies; they change either due to natural or artificial processes. Zooplanktons are good indicators of the change in water quality because they are strongly affected by environmental conditions and by other living species within water body and respond quickly to changes in water quality.Various zooplanktonic faunal species were found which were typically adapted for the given conditions of existence. Zooplankton population were represented by four genera of Protozoa group, namely, Paramecium caudatum, Euglina sociobilis Amoeba proteus, Chilomonas paramecium, 3 genera of group Rotifera namely Brachionus calyciflorus, Keratella tropic, Trychocera longiseta, 7 genera of Crustacea group 3 cladocerans, namely, Bosmina sp. Daphnia carinata, Moina brachiata, 2 copepods, namely Mesocyclops leukarti, Diaptomus glicialis, 2 ostracods, namely, Cypris sp. Nauplius larva, and one insect larvae Chironomus larvae.Total zooplankton population were ranged from 320 -1060No./l among them Crustacea constituates the dominant group throughout the study period, total protozoans were ranged from 40 to 320No./l, total rotifers were ranged from 40 to 240No./l , total crustaceans were ranged from 140 to 440No./l, and total insect larvae from 20 to 60No./l.