Madhu Lata1, Poornima Sharma, Sandeep Chauhan, Barathan Balaji Prasath and Anand Mohan
Abstract
This study delves into the correlation between physico-chemical parameters and phytoplankton density and abundance at three locations (S-I, S-2, and S-3) in the Okhla Bird Sanctuary after the monsoon season. The pH remained steady at an optimal level of 7 across all three sites, while the temperature ranged from 24 0C to 310C. TDS and EC values fluctuated between 535 mg/l to 796 mg/l and 822 ïs/cm to 1318 ïs/cm, respectively. Hardness, on the other hand, ranged from 230 mg/l to 426 mg/l. The highest levels of sodium (Na), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), and nitrate (NO3) were recorded as 136 mg/l, 85 mg/l, 27 mg/l, and 5mg/l, respectively. The study revealed that 17 algal genera from three groups, namely Cyanophyceae, Chlorophyceae, and Bacillariophyceae, represented the phytoplankton in the three sampling locations. The cyanophyceae group dominated during the pre-monsoon study, followed by Chlorophyceae. The highest phytoplankton diversity was recorded at sampling location S-2, followed by S-3, while the lowest diversity was at S-1. The study used the Shannon-Wiener diversity index (SWI) to estimate the phytoplankton diversity, and the Palmer pollution index revealed that the waters of the given sampling locations of wetland, Okhla Bird Sanctuary and Yamuna River, were not organically polluted. The physico-chemical analysis was done using IS methods for nine parameters. The study found that the concentration of nutrients in the water body directly or indirectly affected phytoplankton growth. This study sheds light on the Okhla Bird Sanctuaryâs microflora, which remained unexplored until this research. The findings of this study may aid in the management of sustainable ecological conservation.