Zooplanktoncommunity is cosmopolitan in nature and they inhabit all freshwater habitats of
the world. The zooplankton diversity is one of the most important ecological
parameters in water quality and biodiversity assessment because they are
strongly affected by environmental conditions and respond quickly to changes in
water quality. Zooplankton is the intermediate link between phytoplankton and
fish. The qualitative and quantitative study of zooplankton is very importance
in the plankton diversity. Hence the present investigation was carried out in
the Thoppaiyar reservoir (Lat. 11°57'21"N and Long. 78°6'28"E) at
Dharmapuri District, South India. The physico-chemical characteristics and
zooplankton diversity were studied for a period of one year from December-2010
to November-2011. A total of 55 species of zooplankton were recorded, which
includes 19 species of Rotifera, 13 species of Cladocera, 15 species of
Copepoda and 8 species of Ostracoda. The population abundance of zooplankton
was noticed in the following order: Rotifera > Copepoda > Cladocera >
Ostracoda. The present study revealed that the zooplankton productivity was
found to be rich in Thoppaiyar reservoir. Further it is concluded that the
Thoppaiyar reservoir could be continuously utilized for aquaculture, if proper
water quality management measures are adopted.
The
zooplankton (microscopic drifting or wandering animals) occupies a vital role
in the tropic structure of an aquatic ecosystem and plays a key role in the
energy transfer. Unlike algae or phytoplankton, zooplanktons are microscopic
animals that do not produce their own food. Freshwater zooplanktons play an
important role in ponds, lakes and reservoirs ecosystem and food chain. They
are responsible for the eating millions of little algae that may otherwise grow
to an out-of-control state. However, not all algae are edible and oftentimes
it's the blue green algae that we would like to see disappear that cannot be
eaten. In fact, as mostly filter feeders, a community of zooplankton can filter
through the volume of an entire lake in a matter of days. The zooplankton
community is composed of both primary consumers (which eat phytoplankton) and
secondary consumers (which feed on the other zooplankton). The zooplankton
forms a major link in the energy transfer at secondary level in aquatic food
webs between autotrophs and heterotrophs [1]. Nearly all fish depend on
zooplankton for food during their larval phases and some fish continue to eat
zooplankton in their entire lives.
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