A Reliability Assessment of Nematode Copepod Ratio from the Unpolluted Sandy Beaches of Palk Bay, India

Author(s): R. Padmasai and J. Sugumaran*

Abstract: The nematode copepod ratio (N/C ratio) a meiofaunal attribute used in biomonitoring studies was tested for its efficacy in three unpolluted sandy beaches of the Palk Bay, India. Grain size composition showed the existence of fine to coarse sand (mean grain size = 0.207 mm to 0.669 mm). Temperature varied between 26.2 ˚C and 39.2 ˚C. Dissolved oxygen ranged between 3.08 mg/l and 6.81 mg/l. Salinity range was from 29.04 PSU to 33.96 PSU. The N/C ratio values recorded are between 0 – 52. Alternate meiofaunal parameters like the density of nematodes, copepods and total density also considered as monitoring tools. The results of the N/C ratio as well as any other parameters showed that the stations are unpolluted. We conclude that the N/C ratio can be used as an indicator for testing the health of Palk bay beaches.

PAGES: 1244-1252  |  176 VIEWS  416 DOWNLOADS