Study on zooplankton composition and Seasonal variations in Ken river at Banda, Uttar Pradesh

Abstract

The present study is carried out during the period of July 2020 and June 2021, a study was undertaken to evaluate the seasonal variations of zooplankton along the Ken River in Banda, Uttar Pradesh. Zooplankton populations were observed across all three seasons and categorized into 29 genera belonging to four groups: Rotifera (8 genera), Cladocera (8 genera), Protozoa (6 genera), Copepoda (5 genera), and Ostracoda (2 genera). The highest zooplankton density was recorded during the summer season (Copepoda 57.69%, Rotifera 53.33%, Ostracoda 51.52%, Cladocera 49.65%, Protozoa 45.83%) followed by winter season (Protozoa 38.19%, Ostracoda 33.33%, Cladocera 32.87%, Rotifera 30.26%, Copepoda 28.21%) and then the rainy season (Cladocera 17.48%, Rotifera 16.41%, Protozoa 15.97%, Ostracoda 15.15%, Copepoda 14.10%).