Diversity of Zooplankton in Wakod Reservoir Fron Chh. Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra

Abstract: The present study was carried out from October 2023 to September 2024, aimed to examine the zooplankton diversity of Wakod reservoir, situated in the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district of Maharashtra, India. This research sought to evaluate the ecological health and trophic status of the aquatic habitat while analyzing the diversity and seasonal fluctuations in the zooplankton populations of the reservoir, as their vast activities in interstitial environments brings a series of physic-chemical and biological changes in the properties of the sediment, which directly or indirectly affect ecosystem dynamics at Various scales, such as food-web dynamics, sediment stabilization and bioturbation, cycling of organic material and waste removal (Hubas et al., 2010; Nascimento et al., 2012; Bonaglia et al., 2014; D’Hondt et al., 2018; Deldicq et al., 2021). And can be used as indicator of water and environmental status. A total of 27 zooplankton species were identified, with rotifers being the most abundant group, comprising 13 species, followed by copepods and cladocerans, represented by 6 species each, and 2 species of ostracods. The findings of the present work suggest that the Wakod reservoir has enormous productivity and can serve as a major site which can be utilized for aquaculture on large scale and thus can serve as a natural source for the upliftment of the health and economic status of the local population by providing them a work and good quality of food, this can only be achieved by proper management of the site.