Comparative assessment of zooplankton diversity in fresh water lentic ecosystem of Patna, Bihar, India

The present investigation deals with the comparative study of zooplankton diversity in two different lentic ecosystem of Patna, Bihar classified as pristine (Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park) and disturbed (Nalanda medical college and hospital) pond which deals with the interrelationship between composition of zooplankton community and various physiochemical parameters of water. The study was carried out from July to September 2015 and three groups of zooplankton taken into consideration that includes Rotifera, Cladocera and Copepoda. A total of 38 species of zooplanktons were observed from the study sites and dominated by Rotifera by 18 species (47.36%), followed by the species of Cladocera and Copepoda by 11 species (28.94%) and 9 species (23.68%), respectively. Out of the total of 38 species, about 8 species (21%) were common in both ponds. The diversity and richness of zooplankton are higher in unmanaged pond. However, both ponds are considered as polluted based on the physiochemical characteristics of water and presence of pollution indicating zooplankton species which exhibit eutrophication.