Impact of Seasonal Changes in the Abundance of Benthic Macroinvertebrates & Physico-Chemical Conditions of a Major River in Western India

Abstract The study is focused on the seasonal assessments of riverine water quality and the distribution of benthic macroinvertebrates community at Mahisagar river, India. 27 physiochemical indicators and benthic macroinvertebrates community were identified as per aquatic ecological health criteria to evaluate water quality. Indices like Margalef’s species richness Fisher’s alpha diversity, Saprobic score, Diversity score were calculated to understand the effect of seasonal changes on the pollution tolerance levels of benthic macroinvertebrates. PCA was performed for identifying major pollutants. Applications of such statistical tools and scores, a solution toward the sustainable management of the ecological health of a river can be developed. Graphical Abstract Highlights Impact of seasonal variation on macrobenthos and physicochemical status was assessed. 22 samples were collected during the pre- & post-monsoon season from 11 locations. 4 biological indices were applied for analysis of macrobenthos. PCA was also employed for the identification of influencing pollution components