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Development and testing of a biotic index to assess the ecological quality of lakes in Bangladesh

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Abstract

Lakes in Bangladesh face many threats including habitat loss, over-exploitation of resources, pollution (e.g. sewage, waste dumping), climate change and the introduction of non-native species. To support effective lake management, we developed and tested the first Bangladesh Lake Biotic Index (BLBI), an index based on macroinvertebrates with the potential to assess and monitor the ecological status of lakes. Twenty sites in each of fourteen representative lakes were surveyed during the wet and dry seasons in 2009 and 2010 (total N = 560) to investigate the variation in macroinvertebrate assemblages, and their response to several physical and chemical parameters. The BLBI of a particular lake was calculated according to taxa tolerance scores, allowing categorization of the studied lakes according to their ecological status: least polluted, moderately polluted and highly polluted. BLBI was positively related to traditional structural metrics including species diversity and richness, evenness, and presence of taxa sensitive to pollution such as Ephemeroptera and Trichoptera. Outcomes from this study provide basic information on the ecological status of lakes in Bangladesh, and encourage the use and development of biomonitoring methods for the assessment and conservation of lakes in developing Asian countries.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Commonwealth Scholarship Commission and British Council, UK, for funding the project. Field visits and laboratory facilities were partially supported by the WildTeam, Bangladesh (formerly known as the Wildlife Trust of Bangladesh), Cambridge Philosophical Society and Selwyn College, Cambridge. Department of Environment under the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of People’s Republic of Bangladesh provided information and permission to visit study sites. We also thank Mr Al-Hasan, Ms Sharmin Bulbul, Ms Rezvin Akter, Ms Israt Jahan, Ms Nusrat Jahan, Mr Mayeen Uddin, Mr Samiul Mohsanin and Ms Samia Saif for the wonderful assistance in the field. Dr David Chivers, University of Cambridge, provided invaluable support and guidance. We thank Dr B. A. Daniel, regional chair of the Invertebrates Specialist Group of IUCN, South Asia, for providing information on the macroinvertebrates. Prof. P.K. Jha of Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal also provided important information for the work. Authors are grateful to Mr Enayetullah Khan, Chairman, WildTeam and Prof. Md. Anwarul Islam, CEO, WildTeam for their continuous support and inspiration for the Project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Aquatic Ecology Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, CB2 3EJ, Cambridge, UK

    Gawsia W. Chowdhury, Belinda Gallardo & David C. Aldridge

  2. Department of Zoology, University of Dhaka, 1000, Dhaka, Bangladesh

    Gawsia W. Chowdhury

  3. WildTeam, COSMOS Centre, 69/1, New Circular Road, Malibagh, 1217, Dhaka, Bangladesh

    Gawsia W. Chowdhury

  4. Pyrenean Institute of Ecology (IPE-CSIC), Avda. Montañana, 1005, 50059, Saragossa, Spain

    Belinda Gallardo

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  1. Gawsia W. Chowdhury
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Correspondence to Belinda Gallardo.

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Chowdhury, G.W., Gallardo, B. & Aldridge, D.C. Development and testing of a biotic index to assess the ecological quality of lakes in Bangladesh. Hydrobiologia 765, 55–69 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-015-2399-6

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