Community structure of planktons and macrozoobenthos,with special reference to pollution in the River Khan (India)

This paper presents an assessment of water quality of the River Khan, which passes through Indore and is subjected to sewage and industrial pollution. The analysis of various pollution parameters showed an increase when the sewage and industrial channels joined the river. Changes in the biotic communities, such as phytoplankton, zooplankton and macrozoobenthos, have been explained numerically with the help of a diversity index and showed a decrease in diversity values with an increase in pollution, along with a correlation with physico‐chemical aspects. Genera tolerant to various degree of pollution has also been identified. The extend of pollution by certain heavy metals such as Cu, Zn, Ni, Cr, Cd and Hg has also been studied.