Interna tional Jo urna l o f Applied Research 2023 ; 9 (1 0 ): 42 -45

ISSN Print: 2394-7500

ISSN Online: 2394-5869
Impact Factor (RJIF): 8.4
Study of macrobenthic fauna in two aquatic resources
IJAR 2023; 9(10): 42-45
www.allresearchjournal.com
of Rampur Naikin District Sidhi (Madhya Pradesh)
Received: 03-07-2023
Accepted: 05-08-2023
Laxmi Kushwaha and Vinita R Kashyap
Laxmi Kushwaha
Research Scholar, Department Abstract
of Zoology, Government Model The bottom muds of the lakes appear to be similar but are habitats for high biodiversity. Physical,
Science College, Rewa, Madhya chemical, and biological processes create significant horizontal and vertical heterogeneities in the
Pradesh, India
substrata that provide a physical template for distinct niches. The diversity of benthic fauna acts as
sensitive indicators of lake health. Physical-chemical limnology revealed that the sacred lakes were
Vinita R Kashyap
Associate Predecessor of
shallow with turbid, alkaline, hard, slightly saline and well oxygenated water. The result show the
Zoology, Government Model dominancy of Nematoda (20 genera) > Rotifera (7 genera) > Oligochaeta (6 genera) and Cladocera (6
Science College, Rewa, Madhya genera) > Protozoa (6 genera) and Copepoda (5 genera) > Porifera (4 genera) > Bryozoa (3 genera) and
Pradesh, India Ostracoda (3 genera) > Hydrozoa (1 genera) and Polychaeta. It shows that Nematoda were most
dominantly found during the study period.

Keywords: Benthic macro invertebrates, physical-chemical limnology, diversity, population

Introduction
The benthic community is complex. It includes a wide range of organisms from bacteria to
plants (phytobenthos) and animals (zoobenthos) and from the different levels of the food
web. They are generally classified according to their size viz. microbenthos < 0.063 mm,
meiobenthos 0.063-1.0 (or 0.5) mm, macrobenthos > 1.0 (or 0.5) mm and, sometimes,
megabenthos > 10.0 mm (Tagliapietra and Sigovini, 2010) [26]. Macro benthic invertebrates
form an integral part of aquatic environment and are of great ecological and economic
importance as they maintain various levels of interaction between the community and the
environment (Sharma and Chowdhary, 2014) [19]. Aquatic macro-invertebrates have been
identified as excellent tool for bio-monitoring studies as they respond rapidly to the
environmental changes. Some Benthic forms are often considered to be best indicators of
organic pollution because of their constant present, relatively long life span, sedentary habits,
and different tolerance to stress habitat (Webber et al., 1989) [29] benthic population is an
essential part of lake ecosystems, exerting a considerable impact upon their functioning. The
diversity of benthic fauna acts as sensitive indicators of lake health. The benthic population
consumes organic matter that sinks from surface production. These benthic invertebrates
become food for the other aquatic invertebrates and vertebrates, hence play a critical role in
the natural flow of energy and nutrients in the ecosystem more over they play a vital role in
purifying water bodies since they are saprophytic but some may be harmful as some
gastropods are intermediate hosts of infectious trematodes and other parasites of animals and
human beings. Biological monitoring is considered to provide an integrated approach to
assess water and overall environmental quality (Hynes, 1960) [11]. Additionally, snails are
ideal bioindicators not only for paleoenvironments and water quality (Harman, 1974; Clarke,
1979) [10, 5], but for lotic and lentic aquatic ecosystems as well (Choubisa, 1992) [4]. Usually
various physicochemical methods are used to detect the effect of pollution on the water
quality changes. Such alterations in water quality are also very well reflected in the structure
and composition of biotic community as shown by occurrence, diversity and abundance
pattern of species (Kumar et al., 2006) [13].
Corresponding Author: The present communication deals with the year round study on diversity and population
Laxmi Kushwaha turnover of macrobenthic invertebrates and their ecological aspects in the two aquatic
Research Scholar, Department resources of Rampur Naikin district Sidhi namely Dashaudha Lake and Ghunghuta ghat of
of Zoology, Government Model Son River from March, 2020 to Feb., 2022.
Science College, Rewa, Madhya
Pradesh, India
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The data on population density are viewed upon to adjudge values as pH 9.46-9.34, EC 0.42 - 0.35 mmho/cm, TDS 364
the sensitivity of species to environmental conditions. - 372 mg/g and Organic matter 53.25 - 46.44 mg/g in the
Dashaudha lake and Ghunghuta ghat Son river (Table 1).
Study area The high value of hardness during summer can be attributed
Rampur Naikin is a town and Nagar panchayat (a settlement to a decrease in water volume and an increase in the rate of
in transition from rural to urban) in the Sidhi district of the evaporation of water (Kashyap, 2016, Shukla & Shukla,
Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The latitude 24.34 and 2022, Mishra & Singh, 2022b and Shukla & Singh, 2023a &
longitude 81.47 are the geocoordinate of the Rampur b) [12, 22, 16, 20, 21].
Naikin. The benthic fauna displayed a diversity of 09 groups
Dashaudh Lake is situated in Rampur Naikin, behind the belonging to Nematoda, Rotifera, Oligochaeta, Cladocera,
police station and about 500 meters from the main road. Protozoa, Copepoda, Porifera, Bryozoa, Ostracoda,
This lake is very deep. This lake is famous since the time of Hydrozoa and Polychaeta. Considerable number of Annelids
Rampur Kothi. Fish farming is also done in this lake and was recorded only when the water temperature was above
almost different type of Macrobenthic fauna’s bioindicator. the average value (>26 °C). The pattern of the population
Ghunghuta Ghat (Ghunghuta village) is located in Rampur turnover and the periodicity of occurrence were similar in
Naikin tehsil of Sidhi district in Madhya Pradesh, India. It is both aquatic resources yet the average population density
situated 6km away from sub-district headquarter Rampur was high in Ghunghuta ghat Son River.
Naikin and 50km away from district headquarter Sidhi. As During the study total 60 genera were found among the
per 2009 stats, Ghughunta is the gram panchayat of benthic faunal communities belong to the group of Protozoa
Ghunghuta village. (6 genera), Porifera (4 genera), Nematoda (20 genera),
Rotifera (7 genera), Bryozoa (3 genera), Oligochaeta (6
Materials and Methods genera), Cladocera (6 genera), Copepoda (5 genera)
Both water and sediment samples were collected from the Ostracoda (3 genera), Hydrozoa (1 genus) and Polychaeta in
two aquatic resources (Dashaudh Lake and Ghunghuta Ghat the sediment at two aquatic resources of Rampur Naikin
Son River). district Sidhi. The result show the dominancy of Nematoda
Water was examined for major ecological variables (20 genera) > Rotifera (7 genera) > Oligochaeta (6 genera)
including temperature, pH, electrical conductance, total and Cladocera (6 genera) > Protozoa (6 genera) and
dissolved solids, dissolved gases (oxygen, carbon dioxide), Copepoda (5 genera) > Porifera (4 genera) > Bryozoa (3
alkalinity and hardness. A quadrate was used to collect the genera) and Ostracoda (3 genera) > Hydrozoa (1 genera)
samples of sandy sediment. The sediment samples were and Polychaeta. It shows that Nematoda were most
examined for pH, electrical conductance, total dissolved dominantly found during the study period.
solids and organic matter. Benthic forms were collected by The greater population turnover of a species suggests the
sieving the mud samples. The results are expressed in the greater sensitivity of it to the available environmental
No. /m2. The analysis was made following APHA-AWWA- conditions of existence. However, this should be viewed
WPCF (1981) [1]. For parameters like temperature, pH, upon with the incorporation of data on the periodicity of
electrical conductance and total dissolved solids, respective occurrence of the individual species. Thus, a species may,
meters were used. Benthic fauna were identified following however be having a poor population turnover, if displays
Daglish (1952) [7], Borrer & Delong (1957) [2], Baid (1958) poor periodicity, is obviously highly sensitive to the
[30]
, Vazirani (1964) [28], Edmondson (1966) [8], Needham & available environmental conditions during most part of the
Needham (1978) [17], Tonapi (1980) [27], Mc Cafferty (1981) year. This is important to note that species in highly stressed
[15]
and Subbarao (1989) [25]. Population turnover was condition such as desert (Dashaudha) develop locally
calculated as Maximum population / Minimum population adapted population as also observed by Singh and Saxena
recorded. (2002) [24] and Singh et al. (2006) [23].
The availability and distribution of chironomids on intra
Results and Discussions lake level have been attributed to be relative to many factors
Physical-chemical limnology revealed that the lakes were (Bowman, 1976) [3]. Chironomus larvae have also been used
shallow with turbid, alkaline, hard, slightly saline and well as pollution indicators by number of workers Gaufin (1957)
[9]
oxygenated water. No much difference was found in the and Curry (1962) [6]. Thus, the abundance of chironomids
physical-chemical parameters. The average values of in the benthic population is due to impact of altered nature
important abiotic variables of water were observed as of substrate due to organic pollution. The presence of
Temperature 23.70 - 23.30 ºC, Transparency 47.13 - 52.77 Tubifex and Lymnaea acuminate in the lakes also
cm, pH 7.97 - 8.65, EC 268.13 - 180.06 µmhos/cm, DO 6.84 corroborates with the work of Mason (1981) [14] and Sarang
- 7.57 mg/l, Free CO2 1.56 - 0.60 mg/l, TDS 97.26-75.11 & Sharma (2009) [18]. However, the physicochemical
mg/l, Hardness 154.55-91.11 mg/l and Total Alkalinity parameters were well within the threshold limit in these
122.53-69.98 mg/l. Sediment analysis revealed the average water bodies.

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Table 1: Physical-chemical variables at the Dashaudha lake and Ghunghuta ghat of Son river from March, 2020 to Feb., 2022 Values are
averages of two years and are expressed in mg/l in water and mg/g in sediment, except otherwise mentioned
Dashaudha lake Ghunghuta ghat Son river
Variables
Max. Min. Avg. Max. Min. Avg.
Temp. (°C) 29.30 17.15 23.70 29.24 16.03 23.30
Transparency (cm.) 92.23 17.32 47.13 103.18 12.14 52.77
pH 8.57 7.24 7.97 9.11 8.36 8.65
EC (µmhos/cm) 391.03 120.77 268.13 269.86 130.21 180.06
Water DO 8.07 5.46 6.84 9.29 5.82 7.57
Free CO2 (mg/l) 3.96 0.02 1.56 4.03 0.01 0.60
TDS (mg/l) 123.16 55.25 97.26 103.21 52.12 75.11
Total Alkalinity (mg/l) 155.19 87.83 122.53 90.62 50.82 69.98
Total Hardness (mg/l) 210.20 93.81 154.55 117.80 63.51 91.11
pH 10.6 9.8 9.46 10.4 8.2 9.34
EC (µmhos/cm) 0.50 0.12 0.42 0.48 0.22 0.35
Sediment
TDS (mg/l) 482 110 364 460 265 372
Organic matter 68.96 22.64 53.25 70.22 22.26 46.44

Fig 1: Graph analysis of Physical-chemical variables at the Dashaudha lake and Ghunghuta ghat of
Son river from March, 2020 to Feb., 2022 Values are averages.

Table 2: Number and percentage composition of genera and species under various microbenthic faunas of two aquatic resources of Rampur
Naikin from March 2020 to Feb. 2021 and March 2021 to Feb. 2022.
S. No. Group Genera % composition of genera to Group Species % composition of sps. to Group
1. Nematoda 20 33.33 26 33.77
2. Rotifera 7 11.67 11 14.29
3. Oligochaeta 6 10.00 7 9.09
4. Cladocera 6 10.00 6 7.79
5. Protozoa 6 10.00 8 10.39
6. Copepoda 5 8.33 5 6.49
7. Porifera 4 6.67 4 5.19
8. Bryozoa 3 5.00 7 9.09
9. Ostracoda 3 5.00 3 3.90
Total 60 100.00 77 100.00

Fig 2: Graph analysis of percentage composition of genera and species under various microbenthic faunas
of two aquatic resources of Rampur Naikin from March 2020 to Feb. 2021 and March 2021 to Feb. 2022.
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