Aquatic macroinvertebrate diversity in Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, India

Aquatic macroinvertebrate diversity in the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve (NDBR) was monitored for a period of twelve months (September 2000 to August 2001). All the important hydrological attributes were measured monthly for one year. Macroinvertebrates were sampled from three sites (S1, S 2, & S3) of the headwater stream Dhauliganga of NDBR. The present study revealed that the velocity of the water current, hydromedian depth, turbidity and dissolved oxygen in addition to nature and size of the bottom substrates have their significant impact on benthic invertebrate diversity. The ecological relevance of the measured hydrological attributes was investigated by comparing their degree of correlation with invertebrate density and diversity. Macroinvertebrate diversity was found to be highest (3.096 ± 0.03) in winter months (November-January) and lowest (2.816 ± 0.02) in monsoon months (July-August). The high diversity of macroinvertebrates may be due to low turbidity, high water transparency, optimum water temperature, high dissolved oxygen, low water velocity and suitable composition of the bottom substrates. © 2005 Springer Science + Business Media, Inc.