Fresh water Algal diversity of Central India

http://dx.doi.org/10.21276/IJRDPL.227 8-0238.2018.7(4).3039-3049 ABSTRACT: Fresh water microalgae has drawn much attention due to their primary productivity in the water food chain of water ecosystem diversity, their biological assessment of water quality, pollution abatement capacity and as a source of structurally novel and biologically active metabolites with antimicrobial capacity etc. Distribution of fresh water microalgae of unexplored localities of some parts of central India has been investigated. A total of thirty fresh water algal samples were collected from different unexplored sites of central India. Thirty-four algal taxa comprising twenty-five genera in which eighteen unicellular, nine colonials and nine filamentous algae were identified based on microscopic observation and characters such as average filament length, colonial diameter, shape and cell dimensions. Results revealed that these microalgae belonging to three major classes Chlorophyceae (green algae), Bacillariophyceae (diatoms) and Cyanophyceae (blue green algae). Maximum algal taxa belonged to green algae followed by bluegreen algae and diatoms. The occurrence of fresh water algae, their diversity and distribution was interpreted with water quality and its physico-chemical characteristics. The present study not only discusses the basic information of fresh water algal presence, distribution but also helps for future environmental monitoring studies.