Occurrence of zooplanktons at Sacred Palustrine Habitat, Central Gujarat, India, with conservation and management strategies

The aim of the present study was to represent the zooplankton composition of Sacred Palustrine Habitat (SPH), Anand District, Central Gujarat, India. Collections of zooplanktons were carried out at three permanent sampling stations at fortnight intervals over one year period covering three consecutive seasons from June 2012 to May 2013. The zooplankton population was represented by a total of 29 genera and 31 species bestowed by 12 species of Ciliophora, followed by Rhizopoda (6), Zooflagellata (5), Rotifera (4), Cladocera (2), Copepoda and Ostracoda (1) each. Of the total 31 species of zooplanktons, nine species were abundant, 11 were common, and 12 were rare. The present paper discusses the population profile of zooplanktons in waters of SPH with suggested conservation and management strategies.