Biodiversity of Rotifers Recorded from the Littoral Zone of a Flood Plain

Abstract

This study intended to investigate the rotifer density and diversity from a flood plain. For this purpose, Balloki Headworks was selected. It is an area near the Ravi River that was affected by flooding. The sampling was done from April to June 2022. The highest diversity and density were observed in June and the lowest in April. Twelve species of rotifers were obtained from sampling, belonging to four different genera. Eight different physico-chemical parameters of water were measured using respective laboratory meters using standard guidelines. These parameters include the temperature of water and air, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, water pH, Oxygen saturation, salinity, total dissolved solids and turbidity. It was observed that Habrotrocha ligula (Bryce, 1913) and Rotaria rotatoria (Pallas, 1766) were the two most abundant species, while Philodina citrina (Ehrenberg, 1832) and Philodina acuticornis (Murray, 1902) were the least abundant.