Phytoplankton Community Structure of River Chenab, Jammu and Kashmir (J & K)

Phytoplankton are imperative part of lentic and lotic waters. The primary productivity of phytoplankton provides the base for the aquatic food chains as well as the fish populations. They also generate 70 % of the worlds oxygen. Therefore, it becomes important that the diversity and dynamics of the phytoplankton be figured out. In connivance with this, a study on the phytoplanktonic populations inhabiting the river Chenab was carried out from 2000 to 2002. Phytoplankton collection during the two years of study in river Chenab and its tributaries recorded 20 species belonging to 3 major group namely, Chlorophyceae, Bacillariophyceae and Cyanophyceae. On the whole, Chlorophyceae was represented by 11 species (55 %), Bacillariophyceae by 7 species (35 %) and Cyanophyceae by 2 species (10 %).