The Structure of the Phytoplankton Community and the Dynamics of its Biomass in the Lake Jaisamand, Rajasthan

Abstract Phytoplankton in the lake Jaisamand consists of 52 taxa, out of which 25 belong to Chlorophyceae, 12 to Bacillariophyceae, 2 to Euglenophyceae, 1 to Xanthophyceae and 12 to Myxophyceae. The highest phytoplankton density occurred in July, i.e. in the beginning of monsoon, and the lowest in November. The dominant Chlorophyceae were Spirogyra elliptica, Closterium and Hydrodictyon. Navicula lanceolata, Pinnularia viridis and Synedra ulna were dominant amongst Diatoms. Xanthophyceae was represented by a single species of the genus Botryococcus and Euglenophyceae by Phacus longicauda and Euglena viridis. The dominant Myxophyceae were Microcystis aeruginosa and M. flosaquae. Under the stratified conditions, the near bottom waters got depleted of phytoplankton. The overall trend in the quality and quantity of phytoplankton indicated that temperature and nutrients had an influence on the rate of plankton production.