Aquatic Benthic Macroinvertebrates' biological diversity and their use in habitat quality assessment at the Himalayan Hot Spots of Ganges River Basin
Dissertation, Kathmandu University Dhulikhel, 2009
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| Sprache: | eng |
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Dhulikhel
June 2009
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Tag hinzufügen | Zusammenfassung: | Dissertation, Kathmandu University Dhulikhel, 2009 The present study focuses on the Benthic Macroinvertebrate Fauna of natural running waters and semi-natural stagnant waters of Himalayan region and Lowlands in the Ganges River Basin. Habitat quality assessment using three different biotic scores was applied for 32 sampling sites of running waters and 26 sampling sites of stagnant waters. Benthic Macroinvertebrates were used as bio-indicators. Calculation of water quality was done based on a recently established five-class system, to describe the degree of organic pollution. Sampling localities are covering all longitudinal biocoenotic zones and lateral zones to include the traditionally well defined types of running and stagnant waters of altitudinal range from 54- to 2480 m asl. The impact of natural organic load was studied to describe the variation of Ecological quality classes within different eco-regions. Ecological quality was defined as a result of the water quality class together with the eco-morphology status of the water body. Class I (Excellent) is present only in spring-near headwaters of forested areas or in running waters coming from higher elevations between 490 to 2500 m asl. Class II (Good) and III (Moderate) is the normal reference condition for lowlands and the Gangetic plains. Wetlands, oxbow-lakes and "old" ponds have usually class II or III, independent from the grade of forests due to natural organic load accumulated during monsoon flood. Water quality undergoes seasonal changes from III (moderate) in pre-monsoon to II (good) during and after monsoon. The highest diversity with >30-42 identified taxa per sampling site (Class I) was found in the Rhithron zone of densely forested parts of Nepal, followed with >20-30 identified taxa by the Metapotamon zone (Class II, III) of large rivers in the Gangetic Plains of India. In stagnant water bodies the maximum diversity reaches >30-76 identified taxa (Class II, III) in Nepal and Maharashtra between 197-1170 m asl, whereas the floodplain wetland dive |
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| Beschreibung: | xv, 204, II Blätter Illustrationen, Diagramme |