Assessment of macroinvertebrate diversity and water quality of the Malaprabha river near Munavalli, Belagavi district, Karnataka state, India

This research examines the relationship between the diversity of macroinvertebrate species and water quality in the Malaprabha river near Munavalli, Savadatti taluk, Belagavi district, Karnataka, India. Seasonal assessments of macroinvertebrate communities were conducted over one year (November 2021–October 2022) at five designated sampling sites (S1–S5) using the Kick Net method. A total of 24 species were identified, representing three phyla: Annelida (2 species), Arthropoda (15 species), and Mollusca (7 species). Arthropoda was the most dominant phylum, while the presence of pollution indicator species such as Chironomus larvae, Limnodrilus sp., and Lymnaea sp. reflected pollution levels in the river ecosystem. Diversity indices and correlations between macroinvertebrate abundance and sixteen water quality variables were evaluated using Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) in PAST software. Interrelationships among physico-chemical parameters were examined using Pearson’s correlation coefficient in SPSS (IBM, Version 21). The results indicate that variations in water quality have a significant influence on macroinvertebrate assemblages.