Aquatic Phytodiversity and Macro-invertebrates in Water Bodies of Setikhola Watershed, Kaski, Nepal

Abstract

Water quality and other physical environmental factors determine considerable variations in distribution and composition of aquatic species in freshwater ecosystems. This study determined the Aquatic Phytodiversity (Phytoplanktons and Macrophytes), Macroinvertebrates and Physico-chemical Characteristics of water in water bodies of Setikhola watershed, Kaski, Nepal. Among all studied water characteristics, conductivity was found most important influencing factor for causing variations in species composition of macrophyte, phytoplankton and macroinvertebrates while the influence of nitrate, phosphate and ammonia concentration was found to be more or less similar. Altogether 39 Macrophyte species belonging to 29 families were recorded with the dominancy of emergent species, 105 Phytoplankton species belonging to 5 classes with the dominancy of Bacillariophyceae and 9 order belonging to 35 families of Macroinvertebrates with the dominancy of order Diptera were recorded from the study area. Navicula sp, Ghomphonema sp and Cymbella sp of phytoplankton were dominant. The family Nepidae was commonly found in most of the water bodies while the family Hydropsychidae and Heptagenidae were found to be dominant in lotic water bodies. Most of the macrophytes showed strong but negative affinity with all studied water characteristics while phytoplankton showed positive affinity with all studied water characteristicss. Macro-invertebrates showed positive as well as negative affinity equally with ammonia and conductivity. These findings created a database for present status of different waterbodies of Setikhola watershed, Kaski, Nepal, which can be used for the management of lakes and river as well as to study the impact on water quality. This study provides useful information for decision makers aimed to the conservation and sustainable management of the watershed in Nepal.