An intensive short term study on interaction between phytoplankton communities and rapidly deteriorating pond ecosystems from Thiruvallur District, Tamilnadu, India

• Published in: Vegetos - International journal of plant research 2021-12, Vol.34 (4), p.909-918
• Main Authors: Joseph, Sagaya John Paul, Subramani, Nagaraj
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biomedical and Life Sciences; Life Sciences; Plant Anatomy/Development; Plant Breeding/Biotechnology; Plant Physiology
• ISSN: 2229-4473; 2229-4473
• DOI: 10.1007/s42535-021-00246-6

The systematic study was conducted to explore the biodiversity of microalgae and benefits as a source of bio indicator in major freshwater pond ecosystems of Chennai (12.15′ N, 79.15′ E) Tamil Nadu, India. These ponds serve as a major source of groundwater, which is prone to anthropogenic activities. Thus, documentation of phytoplankton distribution and its relationship with the physico-chemical parameters will help us better comprehend the ecosystem and implement necessary conservation strategies. Overall 97 species were documented from the four sampling stations which includes Chlorophyceae (62%), Cyanophyceae (21%), Bacillariophyceae (14%), and Euglenineae (3%). Shannon Wiener’s (H’) index ranged from 3.55 to 3.81 and species evenness was found to be between 0.73 and 0.83 (J’). The abundance of Chlorococcum macrostigmatum was recorded to be high (22.75 × 10 2 Cells L −1 ) and the least was Pediastrum duplex var. subgranulatum (1.25 × 10 2 Cells L −1 ). Pearson’s correlation coefficient revealed a positive correlation of Bacillariophyceae members with Chlorophyceae. Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) was carried out to study the relationship between the species distribution and environmental variables. Among all the algal species studied, Scenedesmus acunae and Merismopedia tenuissima were found to be strong indicators of increased phosphate. Leptolyngbya polysiphonae and Phormidium uncinatum indicated increased BOD concentration. However major indicator species varied within the ponds. Water quality condition was found to change from mesotrophic to eutrophic condition. The results also suggested that strong precautions must be taken to conserve these habitats from future anthropogenic activities as there is already a massive threat to freshwater in Chennai and Thiruvallur region.