Planktonic Diatoms of the Upper Reaches of the Padma River (People’s Republic of Bangladesh) in Dry and Wet Periods

Using light and electron microscopy, the species composition was studied and the abundance and biomass of diatoms in the plankton of the Padma River, the main channel of the Ganges River flowing through the territory of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, were estimated during the wet (August–September 2014) and dry (April 2015) periods. It was shown that the greatest abundance and diversity of planktonic diatoms in the river were achieved during the dry period, when the flow rate decreased by 2 times, and the transparency of the water increased by 5 times.