Background: The degradation of lakes due to anthropogenic activities poses significant threats to biodiversity and ecosystem health. Bangalore City in Karnataka is known for its serene environment, landscapes, and IT development. The continuous inflow of people from various states and increased anthropogenic activities have caused stress to lake ecosystems and influenced the seasons.
Aim: The present research investigates the seasonal and
spatial variations in the limnological factors of Ullal Lake in Bangalore North
to identify environmental stressors and assess its ecological health.
Materials and Methods: Limnological assessments were
conducted at Ullal Lake between June 2022 and July 2023, aligning with the
seasonal patterns of the Indian subcontinent. Composite water samples were
collected from three sampling stations: an open surface, a deposit, and an
inlet. These samples were analysed for physicochemical factors, including pH,
temperature, conductivity, humidity, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, biochemical
oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, hardness, alkalinity, and the most
probable number. Seasonal patterns and developmental stages in Danio rerio were
also examined to evaluate the environmental stress. The physical, chemical and
biological parameters analysed from the three sampling stations underwent
descriptive statistics, the Shapiro-Wilk test and the one-way ANOVA, the
Kruskal-Wallis test.
Results: Significant fluctuations were observed in the
physical parameters. Oxygen-dependent variables also varied, including,
hardness, alkalinity, and microbial load. Seasonal patterns showed that
environmental factors like temperature, humidity, and biological activity
influenced water quality. Specifically, pH and conductivity were most
influenced during spring, while autumn significantly affected dissolved oxygen
and microbial load. Summer exhibited elevated alkalinity and turbidity.
Developmental stages in Danio rerio were unaffected in the open surface and
inlet stations, but decreased heart rate indicated environmental stress at the
deposit and inlet stations.
Conclusion: The open surface station demonstrated superior
water quality compared to the other two stations. The study highlights the
importance of seasonal dynamics in influencing limnological parameters and the
ecological health of Ullal Lake. It recommends addressing seasonal variations,
continuous monitoring, and the implementation of sustainable management
practices for the conservation and sustainability of these wetlands. The
limited number of sampling stations and the one-year study period may be
limitations of the current investigation. Future studies could address these by
including more sampling stations and extending the study period.
Author (s) Details
Mathews Payoor Raj
Department of Microbiology and Botany, School of Sciences, JAIN University
(Deemed to be University), Bangalore, Karnataka, India.
Reena Susan Philip
Department of Forensic Sciences, School of Sciences, JAIN University
(Deemed to be University), Bangalore, Karnataka, India.
Please see the book here:- https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/rpbs/v3/4498
