Assessment of Phytoplankton Diversity and its Role in Biomonitoring Water Quality of Pitlakes in the Raniganj Coalfield, India

This work presents the detailed study of the composition and diversity of phytoplankton and its dynamics through different seasons in the pitlake ecosystem. Several pitlakes of Raniganj coalfield were selected for that purpose. A total of 66 species of phytoplankton belonging to 7 phyla and 10 classes of phytoplankton were recorded. Bacillariophyceae was the most prevalent class of phytoplankton, whereas Heterokontophyta was the most prevalent phylum. Several diversity indices such as Menhenik, Margalef, Dominance, Simpson, Shannon, Berger-Parker, Brillouin, and Pielou’s Evenness index were calculated for each site and season. The highest diversity was recorded in the monsoon season, and the highest abundance was recorded in the post-monsoon season. Pitlakes showed a high level of phytoplankton diversity with very little dominance. Both the Shannon-Weiner diversity index and the Margalef index predicted the pitlakes to have a moderate level of pollution.