Journal of Research in Biology ISSN No: Print: 2231 –6280; Online: 2231- 6299

An International Scientific Research Journal

Short Communication

Seasonal variation in the benthic fauna of Krishnagiri reservoir, Tamilnadu

Authors ABSTRACT:
Journal of Research in Biology

Indumathi S and The diversity of benthic invertebrates from in and around Krishnagiri
Ramanibai R reservoir was studied during the period of Jan 2006-June 2008. The benthic index
calculated using Oligochaeta communities with environmental characteristics
Institution: considering the variation over a period of time was done from Jan 2006 - June 2008.
Unit of Biomonitoring and
Oligochaeta species abundance was consistently higher in the eutrophicated
Management, Department of
reservoir, evidently proved by literatures. In the statistical analysis benthic
Zoology, University of
Madras, Guindy Campus, communities are grouped by season rather than by month, the result revealed that
Chennai - 600 025. the structure of the Oligochaeta community was mainly influenced by environmental
parameters. The results presented in this paper is helpful to evaluate the current
Corresponding author: status of the reservoir using the diversity of benthic community.
Indumathi S
Keywords:
Oligochaeta, Krishnagiri reservoir, Organic pollution, Benthic community.

Article Citation:
Indumathi S and Ramanibai R
Seasonal variation in the benthic fauna of Krishnagiri reservoir, Tamilnadu
Journal of Research in Biology (2018) 8(5): 2529-2533
Dates:
Received: 26 May 2018 Accepted: 08 July 2018 Published: 12 Aug 2018

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2529-2533 | JRB | 2018 | Vol 8 | No 5

Journal of Research in Biology
An International
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INTRODUCTION
Fresh water is an important driving force, cycling
minerals and nutrients around the terrestrial environment
and has been defined as those system comprising human
communities, socio-economic interactions an biophysical
processes co-occurring in space and time (Chakrabarty
and Das, 2006). The classical approaches are often
inadequate to detect and interpret ecosystem responses to
pollution (Reice and Wohlenberg, 1993). Most of the
survey on this group of animals were carried out in the
profundal zones of natural lakes (Wiederholm, 1980;
Milbrink, 1983; Lang and Reymond, 1996), whereas the
most diverse littoral zone was treated sporadically
(Collado and Schmelz, 1971). Benthic invertebrates,
especially oligochaetes have been used in numerous
studies to assess the health of the aquatic
environment in temperate regions (Milbrink, 1994). The
lake, streams and reservoir have become originally
polluted and is common to find an abundance of tubificid
oligochaetes there in (Brinkhurst and Jameison, 1971).
Oligochaetes are generally less in the sediments of
relatively large in particle size (0.11-0.12 mm) than in
organic rich sediments of finer particle size (0.07-0.08
mm). This research extends the results of our studies on
benthic invertebrates in a highly polluted eutrophicated
reservoir. We can make use of aquatic benthic
communities for monitoring water quality in Krishnagiri
reservoir. The main objective of the study to evaluate the
variation in benthic community and to study the status of
the water quality.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
In the present studies, Krishnagiri reservoir was
selected to represent different group of benthic
community and the sediment characteristics were
studied. An approximate stretch of KRP and surrounding
three stations were taken for the study. Three sampling
sites were selected from the reservoir and three stations
from RMC and LMC during the period of Jan 2006-June
2530
Indumathi and Ramanibai, 2018
2008.
Water sediment and biological samples were
collected every month from the three sites. Sampling was
done between 5.30-11.00 am from these sites at the depth
of 10 cm from the surface. Benthic invertebrates were
collected from the station 1-3, using the PVC corer to a
depth of 10 cm and were sieved through 300 um and 500
um. Organisms retained on the sieve were collected and
preserved in 4% formalin and identified using the
standard keys, (Edmondson, 1959; Naidu and Naidu,
1963).
Data analysis
Calculations of benthic species diversity (H as
Shannon Wiener Function) were done using Biodiversity
Pro version 1.0. Relative abundances of the Oligochaeta
species were calculated as percentage contribution by
benthic species for each month. Environmental
parameters and density of Oligochaeta species were
expressed in terms of m2. Seasonal variance in the
community structure of Oligochaeta community and
selected parameters were statistically treated with
Principle Component Analysis (PCA) using SPSS
package (SPSS, 2017).
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Abundance density and distribution of benthic
group particularly Oligochaeta were observed high at
station 2 and 1 during summer and post monsoon 2007
when compared to station 3, but at stations 2, the
populations were characterized by the anoxic conditions
and only one or two species could survive (Thorne and
Williams, 1997) and the same condition was prevailed in
station 2. Station 2 was found to have only three species,
namely Nais sp, Tubifex tubifex, Potamothrix sp
(Oligochaeta) and these worm species were known to be
able to tolerate unfavourable conditions such as low
dissolved oxygen and high pollutant concentrations. For
example, a high density of oligochaetes is a good
indication of organic pollution (Yap et al., 2003).
Journal of Research in Biology (2018) 8(5): 2529-2533
 Indumathi and Ramanibai, 2018

3500.00

300.00

250.00
ind.m2

200.00

150.00

100.00

50.00 POM’06 SUM’06 PRM’05 M’06 POM’07 SUM’07 PRM’07 M’07

POM’08
Gastropoda Oligocheata Diptera Ostracoda

2500.00

2000.00

1500.00
ind.m2

1000.00

500.00

0.00
POM’06 SUM’06 PRM’06 M’06 POM’ 07 SUM’07 PRM’07 M’07 POM’06 SUM’08

Gastropoda Oligocheata Diptera Ostracoda Months (Jan’06 - Jun’08)

2500.00

2000.00

1500.00
ind.m2

1000.00
Shannon diversity H’

500.00

0.00
POM’06 SUM’06 PRM’06 M’06 POM’ 07 SUM’07 PRM’07 M’07 POM’06 SUM’08

Gastropoda Oligocheata Diptera Ostracoda

Figure 1. Anundance of benthic community in Months (Jan 06 - Jun 08 )

Krishnagiri reservoir
Therefore, Tubificidae family is a potential bioindicator
for the polluted ecosystem.
The diversity indices are suitable for addressing
any question that a heterogeneity index
(Lang, 1985; Peet, 1974). These indices showed higher
values of Shannon's diversity index (H'= 1.13-1.96).
These numbers indicated an increase in the dominance of
Figure 2. Monthly variation of diversity indices at
Krishnagiri reservoir
fewer species especially at the station 2. For the evenness
indices, the highest values were found at station 2 since
can answer there were only three species found at all three sites of
this station. The lowest values were computed for the
station 2 and station 1. At this station, only one species
of Oligochaeta was found. As both the juvenile and adult

Journal of Research in Biology (2018) 8(5): 2529-2533 2531

 Indumathi and Ramanibai, 2018

Table 1. IBI index scoring criteria using benity

Species Presence of Indicative species Tolerance Density (ind/m2)

Station
Diversity H’ (pollution)
Tubifex tubifex and
RMC 0.83 - 1.44 Chironomus sp
Chironomus, Tubifex tubifex
LMC 0.865 - 1.23 and
Polypedilum sp
Chironomus pulmosus and
KRP 1.0 - 1.31 Tubifex tubifex
worms were considered as Nais sp the sampling site thus
was dominated by a single worm species. When all
species in a sample were equally abundant, it seems
reasonable that an evenness index should be maximum
and this value decreases toward zero as the relative
density of the species diverges away from evenness
(Ludwig and Reynolds, 1988). Further more, nature is
multifactorial (Quinn and Dunham, 1983) in which many
interacting processes, both biotic and abiotic, may
contribute to the existence of the pattern the same results
were obtained and it was showed in Table 3. The present
study listed 12 species of Oligochaeta in a Krishnagiri
reservoir and its surroundings tank. The presence of the
indicative species were used as good bio indicators for
reservoir studies. Since information on benthic species
Oligochaeta group which is dominant and considered to
be one of the best bio indicator for the eutrophicated
reservoir.
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