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Diatoms in Lowland Ponds of Koshi Tappu, Eastern Nepal – Relationships with Chemical and Habitat Characteristics
Author(s) -
Simkhada Bishnu,
Jüttner Ingrid,
Chimonides P. James
Publication year - 2006
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/iroh.200610852
Subject(s) - epiphyte , species evenness , habitat , species richness , ecology , algae , aquatic plant , vegetation (pathology) , diatom , biology , macrophyte , botany , medicine , pathology
Epiphytic and epipelic diatom assemblages were studied in relation to water chemistry and habitat character in lowland ponds of Koshi Tappu, Nepal. Epiphytic assemblages from different microhabitats, such as morphologically different plants, roots, stems, filamentous algae and decomposing leaves, within the same ponds were similar. Assemblage composition of epiphytic diatoms reflected gradients in water chemistry and habitat character of the pond with respect to pond vegetation and substratum type, bank profile and land use in the catchment. Epiphytic and epipelic assemblages responded to chemical gradients in the surface water, particularly concentrations of Ca, Mg and Na, but epipelic diatoms also indicated differences in SO 4 . Epipelic diatoms were also sensitive to interstitial water chemistry variations in PO 4 , Si, Ca and Mg. There were no relationships between species richness, diversity or evenness and gradients in water chemistry and habitat character. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)