A comparative study of the aquatic insect diversity of two ponds locatedin Cachar District, Assam, India

Abstract

Ponds play a vital role in the conservation of aquatic biodiversity at the local level apart from other lakes and rivers. A comparative study was carried out on the aquatic insect diversity of two different ponds, one in an urban area (urban pond, UP) and another in a rural area (Jalinga pond, JP). Two seasonal collections (postmonsoon and winter) were made to check the pollution status of the two ponds based on the aquatic insect community and physicochemical properties of water. Consequently, 29 species, 17 families, and 5 orders of aquatic insects from UP and 17 species, 8 families, and 3 orders from JP were recorded. Aphelonecta sp., Cloeon sp., and Micronecta sp. were the eudominant species recorded. According to the Shannon (H') index, UP was more diverse than JP. Family level biotic indices and scores further proved the better water quality of UP than of JP. Hence, it can be said that urban ponds have an important role to play in biodiversity conservation.

Assessment of physico‐chemical properties of water and phytoplankton bloom formation in a eutrophic pond using multivariate analysis

“…The pond was found to be hypereutrophic with regard to its Chl a and TP concentrations, indicating a high nutrient loading from the surrounding land plots and paddy fields. The pH of the pond water was in slightly acidic (<6) from November to January, similar to other reports on slightly acidic pH ranges in some ponds in India (Aswathy Ashok, Reshma, Mathew, & Raghunath, ; Dalal & Gupta, ), indicating the presence of active decomposition of organic matter in the pond during this period (Chaurasia & Pandey, ). The gradual decrease in Secchi disc transparency with the season as it moves towards summer coincides with the algal turbidity and bloom formation.…”

Water depth‐dependent notonectid predatory impacts across larval mosquito ontogeny

“…Unlike many other natural enemies of mosquitoes, notonectids carry an air bubble (atmospheric oxygen) on their abdomen, allowing them to be less susceptible to poor water qualities than other groups . In particular, in the urban environment where aquatic systems are often highly polluted, notonectids are able to aerially colonise aquatic systems where other predators cannot persist . Although the presence of notonectids in aquatic systems can lead to oviposition avoidance by mosquitoes, arrival of these predators after oviposition events via aerial dispersal could enable efficacious mosquito control across landscapes .…”

“…59 In particular, in the urban environment where aquatic systems are often highly polluted, notonectids are able to aerially colonise aquatic systems where other predators cannot persist. 60 Although the presence of notonectids in aquatic systems can lead to oviposition avoidance by mosquitoes, arrival of these predators after oviposition events via aerial dispersal could enable efficacious mosquito control across landscapes. 61 Furthermore, Anisopinae (sub-family of Notonectidae) species can remain under water for much longer durations than Notonectinae subfamily species as they can attain neutral buoyancy at water depth.…”

Water Beetles: Species Diversity and Response to Physico-Chemical Parameters in Different Freshwater Habitats in Samtse, Bhutan

“…A pH range of 6.5 to 9.0 is the optimal for the life of freshwater bottom-dwelling macroinvertebrates (USEPA, 1986). There is a positive correlation between species richness and pH of aquatic insects (Dalal and Gupta, 2016). Similarly, the taxa richness of invertebrates and diversity increases with increases in pH (Scheibler et al, 2014;Flores and Zafaralla, 2012).…”