Abstract

The present study stress on the correlation between physicochemical parameters, significant inorganic ions and microalgal diversity in the Damodar and Kopai river ecosystems during 2024-2025. Physicochemical parameters and biologically inorganic ions are crucial for the survival, growth, and diversity of microalgae in any aquatic ecosystems. They act as essential nutrients, play an important role in osmotic balance, and influence various physiological processes such as photosynthesis, respiration, metabolism, and enzyme activity etc. in microalgal organisms. The present survey revealed the variations of physicochemical parameters like temperature, pH, TDS, conductance, salinity, DO, turbidity, BOD, hardness and inorganic ions like Na+, K+, Ca2+, NO3-, CO3=, HCO3-, total alkalinity, carbonate alkalinity, and bicarbonate alkalinity in the Damodar and Kopai rivers. The Damodar river is a rain-fed river, shallow, wide, and flashy. It originates near Khamarpat hill on the Chotanagpur plateau in the Palamau district of Jharkhand, and its mouth is the Hooghly river in the Howrah district of West Bengal. The Damodar river was earlier known as the “river of sorrow” because it used to flood many areas of Bardhaman, Hooghly, Howrah, and Medinipur districts. The length of the river is 592 km. The Kopai river is the smallest in West Bengal, flowing across the Rarh Bengal region. This river is a tributary of the Bakreshwar river. The Kopai river originates from the foothills of the Chotanagpur plateau in Jharkhand state, India, and ultimately merges with the Mayurakshi river. The length of this river is 176.4 km. Results revealed that 25 species of algal genera from the Damodar river and 21 algal species from the Kopai River were observed during the period from 2024 to 2025. Fluctuations of these physicochemical parameters and inorganic ions significantly affect the growth and diversity of microalgae in the river ecosystems.

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