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Spatial Distribution of Benthic Macroinvertebrate Fauna in Mountain Streams of Uttarakhand, India

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Aquatic Ecosystem: Biodiversity, Ecology and Conservation

Abstract

The large-scale (regional) distribution pattern for the benthic macroinvertebrate fauna has been investigated for the first time in the west Himalayan streams. The macroinvertebrate fauna in the river basins of Uttarakhand region consists of Trichoptera, Ephemeroptera, Diptera, Coleoptera and Plecoptera. The faunal composition varied from the western (Yamuna) to eastern part (the Ramganga) of the Himalaya as the share of Trichoptera and Ephemeroptera is relatively low in the Yamuna river basin but dominates from Bhagirathi to Ramganga basin. The marginal increase of Diptera, Coleoptera and Mollusca in the Yamuna basin accounted for the decline of Trichoptera and Ephemeroptera in this basin. Leptoceridae and Glossosomatidae are the dominant taxa in the river Alaknanda and Mandakini, respectively, while Glossosomatidae and Philopotamidae are simultaneously dominant in the Bhagirathi, all trichopterans. Heptageniidae is dominant in the Ramganga and Yamuna, while Heptageniidae and Glossosomatidae are simultaneously dominant in the Pindar. The taxonomic composition is similar in the basins; Bhagirathi (Mandakini and Alaknanda), Yamuna and Ramganga, Pindar. The characteristic taxa varied among the forest type. No taxa are characteristic to Deodar forest. The characteristic taxa varied from oak in the west to pine forest type in the east. The scrapers (Blephariceridae, Limnephilidae, Planorbidae, Lymnaeidae), predators (Dixidae, Perlidae) and gatherers (Ephemerellidae, Baetidae, Hydropsychidae) characterised the pine forest. Similarly, the shredders (Leptoceridae) and filterers (Simuliidae) characterised the oak forest, while the scrappers (Elmidae, Dryopidae) and predators (Rhyacophilidae, Agrionidae) the pine–oak forest. Trichoptera is abundant in the forest as well as forest–agriculture land use. They functioned as shredders, collectors and gatherers in the former, whereas collectors, gatherers, filterers in the forest–agriculture land use. Scrapers (mainly Ephemeroptera) occurred in very low percentage in the forest–agriculture land use. Slope is observed to be an important environmental variable influencing taxonomic composition and distribution of caddisfly with case (Limnephilidae, Leptoceridae, Philopotamidae) along with mayfly (Leptophlebiidae, Baetidae) and stonefly (Perlodidae). As slope is a manifestation of altitude, it indirectly indicates the role of altitude and hence the forest.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Paddy, millets, maize and pulses (leguminous) are the major traditional kharif (April–October) crops while wheat, barley, mustard, lentils and peas are rabi crops (October–March) [Semwal R. L., Maikhuri R. K. and Rao K. S. 2001. In: Eds Kandari, O. P. and Gusain O. P., Garhwal Himalaya: Nature, Culture and Society. p. 259–276].

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the financial support in the form of research projects granted by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), New Delhi. Such wide-scale studies could hardly be accomplished without financial support of desired magnitude. We thank Professor H. R. Singh, Vice Chancellor, University of Allahabad, for his valuable suggestions and Prof. J. P. Bhatt, Head, Department of Zoology, H. N. B. Garhwal University, Srinagar, for the academic support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Aquatic Biodiversity Unit, Department of Zoology and Biotechnology, H. N. B. Garhwal University, Srinagar, 246174, India

    Prakash Nautiyal

  2. Department of Zoology, Nehru Gram Bharti University, Uttar Pradesh, Allahabad, 221505, India

    Asheesh Shivam Mishra

  3. Department of Zoology, Government P.G. College, New Tehri, Uttarakhand, India

    Vijay Prakash Semwal

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  1. Prakash Nautiyal
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Correspondence to Asheesh Shivam Mishra .

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  1. Water & Health Program, Ecology and Rural Development Society, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India

    Mamta Rawat

  2. School of Environment Management, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, New Delhi, Delhi, India

    Sumit Dookia

  3. A & N Regional Centre, Zoological Survey of India, Port Blair, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Andaman and Nico.In., India

    Chandrakasan Sivaperuman

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Nautiyal, P., Mishra, A.S., Semwal, V.P. (2015). Spatial Distribution of Benthic Macroinvertebrate Fauna in Mountain Streams of Uttarakhand, India. In: Rawat, M., Dookia, S., Sivaperuman, C. (eds) Aquatic Ecosystem: Biodiversity, Ecology and Conservation. Springer, New Delhi. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-81-322-2178-4_4

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