Nature Environment and Pollution Technology

J. I. Nirmal Kumar ¹, Yamini Verma ¹, Rita N. Kumar ¹, Manishita Das ¹

Affiliations
1 Department of Environmental Science and Technology, Institute of Science and Technology for Advanced Studies and Research (ISTAR), Vallabh Vidya Nagar-388 120, Gujarat, IN

Abstract

The study deals with water quality parameters affecting the composition, seasonal abundance and dominance of phytoplankton in a wetland, Thol Bird Sanctuary, Central Gujarat, India. Hydrochemical parameters of water samples were analysed during September 2007 to August 2009. Monthly variation of water quality parameters like temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, total dissolved solids, total alkalinity, total hardness, chloride, phosphate, sulphate and nitrate were investigated during the study period. Nutrients like chloride, phosphate, sulphate and nitrate were found higher during summer and lower during monsoon months in both the years. 102 phytoplankton taxa were identified of which Cyanophyta represented by 44 species, constituted the largest group, followed by Bacillariophyta by 25 species, Chlorophyta by 23 species and Euglenophyta by 10 species. Remarkable seasonal variation in mean density of Chlorophyta and Bacillariophyta was observed during the study period. Chlorophyta members were present in reasonable numbers throughout the study period, being most abundant in post monsoon and winters. Cyanophyta and Euglenophyta populations showed less seasonal variations except a noticeable increased in density of Euglenophyta in summer 2009. The interrelationship between the hydrochemical properties and phytoplankton assemblages and influence of water quality parameters were investigated by adopting statistical correlation coefficient analysis and linear curves. The hierarchical cluster analysis was used to define biologically distinct regions within the wetland based on the composition of phytoplankton.

Keywords

Thol Wetland, Phytoplankton, Water Quality, Trophic Status.

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J. I. Nirmal Kumar ¹, Rita N. Kumar ¹, Shweta Patel ¹

Affiliations
1 P.G .Department of Environmental Science and Technology, Institute of Science and Technology for Advanced Studies and Research (ISTAR), Vallabh Vidyanagar-388 120, Gujarat, IN

Abstract

The study was aimed to evaluate biochemical fate of Aulosira fertilissima when treated with different doses of PbNO₃ which is the one of the sources of heavy metal of lead. Moreover, cyanobacteria, a group of prokaryotes, symbiotic, N₂ fixing organism, ubiquitous in distribution and used as a biofertilizer in the paddy fields. The heavy metals not only destroy organisms but also kill the non-target cyanobacteria in paddy fields. Therefore, in the current study an attempt has been made to study acute toxicity of PbNO₃ on biochemical changes like pigment contents, chlorophyll-a, b, total, phycobilins and carotenoids, metabolites- carbohydrates, proteins and phenols, and enzyme activity-protease and nitrate reductase of nitrogen fixing cyanobacteria Aulosira fertilissima Ghose when grown in BG11 media. Retardation of chlorophyll-a, b, total, phycobilin and carotenoids was observed in all the treatments of PbNO₃ when compared with control as the days progressed. On the other hand, metabolites like carbohydrates, proteins and phenols also showed decrease in their content after 96 hours treatment of different doses. However, the present study revealed that there is a rise in protein content in 6 ppm, and phenol content in 12.0 ppm and 22.0 ppm. Besides, there was an inhibition in the nitrate reductase and protease activities with an increase in PbNO₃ doses. Further, cyanobacterial species, Aulosira fertilissima could be considered for bioremediation processes due to their potentiality to tolerate up to 6.00 ppm of PbNO₃ dose without any adverse effect, but proper studies are necessary for their practical reuse and development of heavy metal resistant strains.

Keywords

Acute Toxicity, Biochemical Changes, N-Fixing Cyanobacteria, Aulosira fertilissima.

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J. I. Nirmal Kumar ¹, Hiren Soni ², Rita N. Kumar ³, Ira Bhatt ¹

Affiliations
1 Department of Environmental Science & Technology (EST), Institute of Science & Technology for Advanced Studies & Research (ISTAR), Vallabh Vidyanagar-388 120, Gujarat, IN
2 Ashok and Rita Patel Institute of Integrated Study and Research in Biotechnology and Allied Sciences (ARIBAS), New Vallabh Vidyanagar-388 121, Gujarat, IN
3 Department of Biosciences & Environmental Sciences, N.V. Patel College of Pure and Applied Sciences, Vallabh Vidyanagar-388 120, Gujarat, IN

Abstract

The heavy metals play an important role in the metabolic pathways during the growth and development of plants, when available in required concentration. The heavy metal concentration of cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) was analysed using Inductive Coupled Plasma Analyser (ICPA) in 20 vegetable crop plants and their parts along with the soil, collected from Shivam organic farm, Valasan, Anand, Gujarat, India. The vegetables selected for the present investigation were Abelmoschus esculentus, Allium sativa, A. cepa, Anethum graveolens, Brassica oleracea, B. oleracea, Capsicum annum, Coccinia indica, Coriandrum sativum, Cucumis sativus, Cyamopsis psoralioides, Lagenaria vulgaris, Luffa acutangula, Lycopersicon esculentum, Mentha piperata, Momordica charantia, Raphanus sativus, Solanum melongena, Spinacia oleracea and Trigonella foenum-graceum. The concentration of heavy metals of vegetable crop plants, grown in organic farm, falls within the prescribed limit except Fe. The Accumulation Factor (AF) and Mobility Index (MI) were calculated for the assessment of accumulation and mobility of heavy metals from soil to various plant parts, i.e., ischolar_mains, stems and leaves through different levels: Level 1 (soil-ischolar_main), Level 2 (ischolar_mains-stem) and Level 3 (stem-leaf) in the plants. The accumulation factor (AF) for Cd, Co and Pb metals was found greater in plant parts as compared to available levels in soil. On the other hand, the concentration of Cu, Fe, Ni and Zn was lower in plant parts than the soil. The mobility index (MI) of heavy metal in plant parts was found to be greater compared to available metal concentration in soil. The results showed concentration dependent variables of heavy metal levels among vegetable crop plants. The lower and higher concentration gradient along with their mobility gradient was also determined. A perusal of data reflects that accumulation gradient of each plant component vary according to nature, properties and podsol climate of a particular plant. The data on accumulation factor and mobility index of the heavy metals from soil to leaves suggest that all the metals are highly mobile in the soil.

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