Studies on Epiphytic Microalgae in Two Freshwater Lakes of Central Tamil Nadu

There were species of epiphytic microalgae in the two lakes was under study, of which 33 species belonged to Bacillariophyceae, 24 species belonged to Chlorophyceae and 30 species belonged to Cyanophyceae. Eichhornia crassipes, Pistia stratiotes, Trapa bispinosa, Salvinia molesta, Salvinia minima, Azolla, Jussiaea, Hydrilla, Ceratophyllum, Vallisneria, Potamogeton crispustypha, Scirpus, Sagitytaria, Limnophila heterophylla and P. pusillus, were the dominant aquatic plants which harbour epiphytic microalgae in freshwater lakes of the present study. The number of epiphytic microalgae on the plant surface increased with the increase in the density of microalgae in the lake waters.