Diatoms Flora From Sach Pass Glacier of Himachal Pradesh: Species Composition And Their Relationship To Environmental Variables

Abstract

The diatoms diversity at an elevation of about 4000 meters has been recorded from the Sach pass glacier located in Peer Panjal range of Himachal Pradesh, India. This area is known for its remoteness and remained cover with snow in most parts of the year. The samples were collected from five different sites of Sach Pass and then after measuring their physicochemical properties, the samples were processed for Light Microscopic examinations by using standard procedures. 45 species of diatoms have been reported and most of the diatoms species were recorded first time in the region. At the mouth of the glacier, the diatoms species were found least distributed while more at spring and pools. The hypothesis of our study is based on the fact that only selected diatoms communities could able to survive in higher altitudes with harsh temperature conditions.