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Application of microalgal diversity in assessing the water quality of freshwater ponds

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Abstract

The health of an ecosystem can be evaluated based on its ecological characteristics and intrinsic biological quality. Furthermore, as nutrients are easily accessible by the algal cells in an aquatic ecosystem, the biochemical composition of an algal cell also varies accordingly with the ecological condition of its habitat. This study was carried out to understand the impact of seasonal variation of physicochemical parameters on the microalgal diversity and composition of five freshwater ponds in Mangalore, India. The diversity indices, viz. Shannon’s (0.88–3.42), Margalef’s (0.16–3.6), and Simpson’s dominance index (0.47–0.96), were analyzed using PAST. A prominent variation in both the abundance and diversity of species was observed during the study period. About 150 species of algae belonging to Cyanophyceae, Chlorophyceae, Bacillariophyceae, Euglenophyceae, Xanthophyceae, and Rhodophyceae were recorded. Of these groups, Chlorophyceae, specifically, desmids formed the dominant flora. Zygnematales were dominant during monsoon, while Chroococcales was the most dominant group during the post-monsoon season. Ecological conditions like temperature, pH, dissolved gases, and inorganic salts were found to impact the growth and abundance of microalgae. The ecological parameters showed a prominent effect on microalgal diversity. The results indicated that site SR was the least polluted and most diverse among the lentic habitats studied. It also had lesser noxious algal species which could be attributed to its nutrient composition.

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Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Funding

The authors would like to acknowledge the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Government of India (Grant No. 09/449(0007) 2018 EMR-1), for providing the necessary financial support to carry out the research.

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  1. Department of Applied Botany, Mangalore University, Mangalagangothri, Mangalore, 574199, India

    Karunya Shetty & Krishnakumar Gulimane

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  1. Karunya Shetty
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Both authors contributed to the study’s conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Karunya Shetty. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Karunya Shetty and both authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. Both authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Karunya Shetty.

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Shetty, K., Gulimane, K. Application of microalgal diversity in assessing the water quality of freshwater ponds. Environ Monit Assess 195, 595 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-023-11116-w

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