The aquatic insects of selected tilapia ponds in the North-western slope of Mt. Arayat, Pampanga, Philippines

Abstract

The study was conducted to determine the composition, abundance, diversity and the correlation of water quality variables to the number of species and abundance of insects of the selected pond ecosystems located in the North-western slope of Mt. Arayat in Maglang, Pampanga. A total of 28 species belonging to 7 orders were observed throughout the sampling period. Anisops sp. dominated the insect community as evident by its high relative abundance in between seasons. Higher species diversity index (H’) was obtained during dry season. Results indicated unequal distribution {J’ = 0.79 (wet) - 0.84 (dry)} of individuals from each species in the community as evident also by the dominance {CD = 39.55 (wet) – 35.71 (dry)} of a single species. Meanwhile, the result showed high species similarity (QS = 0.956) between seasons. The studied water quality parameters showed a positive relationship to the number of species observed and their abundance except for TDS and number of species between seasons.