THE ZOOPLANKTON DIVERSITY AND COMPOSITION IN KORI DAM OF BILASPUR, CHHATTISGARH, INDIA

Zooplankton are used to assess the environmental condition of bodies of water. The amount of zooplankton present is an indication of how productive a water body is. Revealing the quantity and variety of zooplankton in a water body can confirm its overall health. This current research explores the makeup and variety of zooplankton in the Kori dam located in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh .The water samples were collected, once in a month, in the morning hours between 9:00AM and 11:00AM at four different sites (Site-I, Site-II, Site-III and Site-IV) of the dam. The surface water samples were filtered through a plankton net consisting of bolting silk cloth no. 20 to collect them. The planktons were then carefully placed on a slide, and the counting was conducted using a microscope. Throughout the study duration from July 2022 to June 2023, a total of 26 zooplankton species were discovered in various locations within Kori dam. The zooplankton species found in Kori dam comprised 15 rotifers, 2 protozoa, 5 cladocera, and 4 copepoda. Among the four zooplankton groups, rotifers were the most prevalent, constituting 57.19% of the total number of organisms, followed by protozoa at 19.04%, cladocera at 11.63%, and copepoda at 12.14% respectively.The overall The diversity indices indicate that there is a wide variety of zooplankton groups in this body of water, with the exception of protozoa, which had the lowest diversity indices values and the lowest abundance. To preserve the floral and faunal diversity in the future, it is necessary to implement a conservative strategy for this water body.