Temporal Study of Physicochemical Characteristics and Qualitative Plankton Diversity of a River Kosi, a Tributary of West Ramganga in Reference to the Habitat of Garra gotyla gotyla

Abstract

The river, Kosi originates from the western slope of the Kaushani range and flows (mountains of Almora, Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar) in the southern direction and joins the river, Western Ramganga at tarai region. Along with the total catchment area of 3,420 sq.km., river Kosi covers a distance of 240 km. The present study determines the habitat at of Garra gotyla, physicochemical parameters of water and plankton diversity of river Kosi from January 2019 to December 2019. During the study, various physicochemical parameters such as air temperature, water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, dissolved free carbon dioxide, electrical conductivity, velocity, transparency, total dissolved solids, and total alkalinity were analyzed. The biological study was focused on the qualitative assessment of phytoplankton and zooplankton diversity. A total of 34 species of phytoplankton as well as 13 species of zooplankton were recorded during the present study and among phytoplankton, the dominant group was the members of the class- Bacillariophyceae.