Effect of water quality on the composition of fish communities in three coastal rivers of Karnataka, India

https://doi.org/10.22034/ijab.v3i1.46
Fishes Diversity Sita Swarna Varahi Karnataka.

Authors

  • Arunkumar Shetty Department of P.G. Studies and Research in Applied Zoology, Kuvempu University, Shankaraghatta, 577 451 Karnataka.
  • Mididodi Venkateshwarlu Department of P.G. Studies and Research in Applied Zoology, Kuvempu University, Shankaraghatta, 577 451. Karnataka.
  • Murugan Muralidharan
    [email protected]
    Sri Paramakalyani Centre for Environmental Scieces, Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Alwarkurichi, 627 412. Tamilnadu
Vol. 3 No. 1 (2015): February
Articles
February 5, 2015

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The fish assemblage and diversity in relation to water quality of three coastal rivers Sita, Swarna and Varahi of Udupi district, Karnataka, India was studied. 71 species representing 7 orders, 20 families and 41 genera were recorded from 21 sites along the three rivers. Species composition varied longitudinally in relation to the environmental factors of the habitat. The downstream change in the three rivers indicates that fish assemblage changed with increasing loss of riparian canopy cover and increasing agricultural land-use. The richness and abundance of fishes were correlated with land-use type, canopy cover, pH and turbidity. Diversion of water, discharge of domestic sewage and agricultural runoff were prominent among the disturbances that alter the habitat quality.