Assessment of Freshwater River Health Using Macroinvertebrate Diversity and Physico-Chemical Parameters
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69996/fmep.2026024Keywords:
Macroinvertebrates, Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera, ChironomidaeAbstract
Freshwater ecosystems are among the most valuable natural resources because they support biodiversity, agriculture, fisheries, and human civilization. However, rapid urbanization, industrialization, agricultural runoff, and anthropogenic disturbances have severely degraded river ecosystems and water quality. The present study focuses on assessing freshwater ecosystem health using macroinvertebrate diversity as a biological indicator in association with physico-chemical parameters of water. Macroinvertebrates are highly sensitive to environmental disturbances and therefore serve as reliable indicators of ecological integrity and pollution status in aquatic habitats. The study evaluates the diversity, abundance, and distribution of macroinvertebrate communities in selected freshwater ecosystems and correlates these findings with environmental variables such as temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, biological oxygen demand, turbidity, conductivity, alkalinity, and nutrient concentration. Sampling was carried out seasonally using standard biological and physicochemical assessment techniques. Diversity indices including Shannon-Wiener diversity index, Simpson’s index, and biotic indices were employed to determine ecological health and pollution tolerance levels. The results revealed considerable variation in macroinvertebrate composition across different sites depending on pollution load and habitat condition. Sensitive taxa such as Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera were dominant in less disturbed areas, while pollution-tolerant groups including Chironomidae and oligochaetes were abundant in impacted regions. The study demonstrates that macroinvertebrate-based biomonitoring provides an effective, economical, and long-term approach for evaluating freshwater ecosystem sustainability. The findings emphasize the importance of conserving river ecosystems and implementing sustainable management strategies for maintaining biodiversity and water quality.
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