Zooplankton community structure in the nearshore waters of central west coast of India (original) (raw)

Environmental conditions and zooplankton populations were studied in the nearshore waters of Colva and Karwar, along the central west coast of India to assess the spatial and temporal variations in zooplankton composition. Environmental variables (temperature, dissolved oxygen [DO], nitrates, phosphates, turbidity, total dissolved solids [TDS]) and zooplankton taxonomic abundances were studied on a monthly basis from August 2011 to May 2012. The physicochemical data was subjected to principal component analysis (PCA) to test which variables contributed significantly to changes in water conditions. The relationship between environmental variables and zooplankton density was tested using canonical correspondence analyses. Overall, zooplankton species diversity and richness were higher at Colva (35 taxa) than at Karwar (25 taxa). Variation in water quality was attributed to anthropogenic activities and freshwater input in Karwar and seasonal effects in Colva. For Karwar and Colva the p...