River Ecosystem & Macro Invertebrate: A Review

Benthic macro invertebrates are larger aquatic animals, bottom dwelling invertebrates which can be easily visible. Macro invertebrates found in aquatic bodied like river, ponds and stream around vegetation or along with sediment in water bodies bed. Some larval forms of insects are macro invertebrates. Water quality parameters are determined by macro invertebrates in terms of pollution because they serve as a biological indicator. Norris and Thoms (1999) have suggested that pollution in rivers and environmental deprivation affects the aquatic biota that was an important indication of aquatic ecosystem health. Biodiversity means the different animals are found in any ecosystem. That represents not only the organisms that living in a particular area but also includes the interactions between animals and environment (Barbosa et al., 1997; 1999; 3Galdean and Staicu, 1997). There are number of biological indicators reported by Chessman et al., 1999; Harris and Silveira, 1999; 56Kingsford, 1999, amongst them the benthic macroinvertebrates are most commonly used as biological indicators. (Resh and Jackson, 1993; Kay et al., 1999; Smith et al., 1999). With the urbanization the water quality has been adversely affected specially due to industrialization, housing and mining beside contamination from storm water (Walsh et al., 2005 a). A consistent destruction in urban and linked water bodies have been already reported (Roy et al., 2003). Algae saprophyte invertebrates and fish all are now adversely affected (Paul and Meyer 2001). Finally there is clear reduction in biotic diversity and increase in tolerance species has been documented by (Walsh et al., 2005a). Moreover ecosystem processes and interaction were impaired (Paul & Meyer, 2001). Walsh et al in 2005 have recognized this phenomenon as “urban stream syndrome. ” The human influence on water bodies and importance of natural disturbances was recognized since long back in the pretext of ecological devastation (Whitten 1975; Macdonald et al., 1991; Naiman et al., 1992; May beck et al., 1996; and Karr & Chu 1999). Macro-invertebrate in any water bodies clearly indicate about water quality and pollution level has been reported by (Maybeck et al., 1996). Macro invertebrates are sensitive to hydrological parameters like dissolved oxygen, pH, salinity, temperature, and turbidity documented by Water and Rivers Commission, 2001. Due to major disturbances the impact on macro-invertebrate drift was critical in downstream had not been documented widely (Minshall & Petersen 1985; Pinay et al., 1990; Hershey and Lamberti 1998). Export of nutrients in downstream was also not well documented (Polis et al., 1997 and Wipfli & Gregorish 2002). Reisch and Winter (1954); Wilhm and Dorish (1966); Pielou (1966); Bechtel & Copeland (1970) and Cairns & Dickson (1971) have studied the benthic macro invertebrates community along with species diversity and index. Shrivastava (1962); Verma & Dalella (1975); Sarkar & Krishnamurti (1977) and Verma et al., (1978) have been studied several river system in India in relation to benthic Macro invertebrate and environmental stress in terms of pollution status that change in aquatic communities. Bulletin of Environment, Pharmacology and Life Sciences