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Species Composition and Abundance of Littoral Oligochaete Fauna in Lunuwila Reservoir, Sri Lanka
Author(s) -
Weerasundara Ajith,
Pathiratne Asoka,
Costa Henry
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
international review of hydrobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.524
H-Index - 52
eISSN - 1522-2632
pISSN - 1434-2944
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1522-2632(200004)85:2/3<223::aid-iroh223>3.0.co;2-l
Subject(s) - abundance (ecology) , fauna , littoral zone , ecology , water quality , population , biochemical oxygen demand , biology , environmental science , environmental chemistry , chemistry , chemical oxygen demand , environmental engineering , wastewater , sociology , demography
Species composition and abundance of aquatic oligochaetes in Lunuwila reservoir, a shallow perennial reservoir in Sri Lanka were investigated. Oligochaete fauna in the reservoir was represented by two species of aeolosomatids and nine species of naidids. The naidid Pristina longiseta was the dominant oligochaete species and represented up to 33% of the total oligochaete community in the reservoir. Abundance of total naidids was positively correlated with conductivity, pH, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, nitrate and phosphate levels of the bottom water (p < 0.05). Of the total of nine species of naidids examined, abundance of five species including the dominant species, P. longiseta was positively correlated with dissolved oxygen levels of the bottom water. Dissolved oxygen level of the bottom water seems to be a more significant determining factor in the abundance of naidid community in the reservoir than the other environmental factors. Species composition and low population densities of aquatic oligochaetes along with organic pollution indicative water quality parameters in Lunuwila reservoir indicate that the reservoir has not yet been subjected to severe organic pollution.