Seasonal Variation of Physicochemical Parameters and Their Impact on the Algal Flora of Chimmony Wildlife Sanctuary

Joel Jose and Jobi Xavier

Background and Objective: The lack of biodiversity knowledge and biodiversity loss are the two inevitable truths around us. Algae are the most crucial organism in our entire biodiversity. The seasonal variation of algal diversity can monitor the environmental changes of the freshwater ecosystem. The present study was conducted because the seasonal changes of algal diversity in Chimmony Wildlife Sanctuary were utterly unknown. Materials and Methods: The algal samples were collected and preserved from ten stations for three seasons (pre-monsoon, monsoon, post-monsoon). The physicochemical parameters of water like temperature, pH, total dissolved solids, total dissolved oxygen, total alkalinity and light intensity of the sampling stations were recorded. Results: The study revealed that the seasonal variation of physicochemical parameters provoked a change in the diversity of Algae. The Chimmony Wildlife Sanctuary has its highest algal diversity during pre-monsoon season. The Chlorophyceae Algae were dominant during the pre-monsoon season, while the Cyanophycean Algae were dominant during monsoon season. The ANOVA (two-way) analysis showed no significant difference between stations and there is a considerable difference between seasons for dissolved oxygen, alkalinity, temperature and total dissolved solids. While for pH, it showed no significant difference between seasons and stations but for light intensity, it showed a substantial difference between stations and seasons. A negative correlation was observed between algal species and seasons. The temperature and dissolved oxygen showed a negative correlation. Conclusion: The physicochemical parameters were changed according to the seasonal variation. Since Algae act as a biological pollution indicator for all the water resources, the study of algal flora according to the seasonal variation is crucial.

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