Algal Biodiversity in Selected Freshwater Aquatic Bodies in Bhubaneswar India

Abstract

Algae are a very large and diverse group of organisms with huge significance, having many applications ranging from food products to biofuel production due to their ability to profitably accumulate huge content of beneficial macromolecules (such as, proteins, lipids, etc.). The city of Bhubaneswar in Khordha district of Odisha is in the east coast of India. It is recognised as the temple city and has a lot of ponds and other water bodies around, many of which are of religious significance. In the present study the algal species present in the water bodies dotting the city were identified up to the genus level. Eleven samples were collected from various freshwater habitats in the city. After microscopic observations of the samples the organisms were identified using relevant monographs under various algal groups. The algal species identified indicated that their growth was favoured by the hot and humid tropical savanna climate of the city. Such algal diversity analysis helps in indentifying the potential algal species that could be screened, isolated and their favored growth in such an agro-climatic condition can be capitalised for beneficial use.