A comprehensive seasonal study of the flora and fauna diversity in the freshwater pond ecosystem at Bhimsen, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India was conducted from January 2021 to December 2022. Water samples were collected from four fixed stations and analysed for physico-chemical and biological parameters at Dayanand Girls Post Graduate College, Kanpur. A total of 53 species were recorded across four biological groups: 14 phytoplankton species (Chlorophyceae, Bacillariophyceae, Cyanophyceae, and Euglenophyceae), 15 aquatic macrophyte species (free-floating, floating-leaved, emergent and submerged forms), 14 zooplankton species (Rotifera, Cladocera, Copepoda, Ostracoda and Protozoa), and 10 fish species from six families. Physico-chemical parameters revealed pronounced seasonal variation, with dissolved oxygen declining to 4.2 ± 0.8 mg/L during the monsoon and BOD peaking at 6.2 ± 1.1 mg/L, indicative of organic enrichment. Shannon–Wiener diversity indices ranged from H' = 2.19 (fish) to H' = 2.61 (aquatic macrophytes), indicating a moderately diverse but anthropogenically stressed ecosystem. Chromium was detected at levels approaching concern thresholds during winter months. The study underscores the urgent need for sustained monitoring and management of urban pond ecosystems in industrial cities such as Kanpur.
SINGH et al. (Thu,) studied this question.