Dynamics of the wetland ecosystem health in urban and rural settings in high altitude ecoregion.

The focus of the present study was to assess the dynamics of wetland ecosystem health in both urban and rural settings situated in the high-altitude Kashmir Himalayan ecoregion. The basic aim was to identify the drivers responsible for wetland degradation in order to sustain ecosystem services effectively. To achieve this, we examined water quality, trophic status, fish species diversity and human disturbances by analyzing changes in land use and land cover (LULC) since 1980. For the limnological characterization of the two wetlands, we evaluated a total of 21 physico-chemical parameters at 24 sites. Two-way analysis of variance revealed significant (p < 0.05) spatial and temporal variability in the water quality parameters. The trophic state index values of 67.7 and 76.7 indicated that the rural and urban wetlands were in eutrophic and hypertrophic status, respectively, signifying potential environmental stress. The data on fish fauna indicated a decline in fish species over the past 40 years, particularly the schizothoracine species. Urban wetlands showed a more significant decrease in species (06) compared to rural wetlands (01). LULC mapping and change analysis employing the visual interpretation technique showed significant transformations in the immediate catchment of wetlands. Substantial growth in the built-up (433.2 % and 2620 %) and decrease in aquatic vegetation (-83.4 % and - 97.5 %) in the immediate catchment was recorded in both the urban and rural wetlands respectively from 1980 to 2020. Our findings demonstrated a relationship between LULC classes and water quality parameters, with an increase in built-up and road areas showing a significant positive correlation with the rise in decadal mean values of total phosphorus, orthophosphorus, nitrate nitrogen, ammonical nitrogen, and calcium content. Based on these observations, we concluded that changes in land use and land cover within the immediate catchment areas of the wetlands were the primary drivers responsible for the deterioration of wetland ecosystem health.

Endoparasites of some economically important food fishes of River Jhelum, Kashmir (India).

During the present study endo-parasitic fauna of fish at different sites of River Jhelum were analysed. Four different species of endoparasites were recovered from Schizothorax species which include Adenoscolex kashmirensis Mehra, 1930, Bothriocephalus acheilognathi Yamaguti, 1934, Echinorhynchus sp., Pomphorhynchus kashmirensis Kaw, 1941, belong to Phylum Platyhelminths and Phylum Acanthocephala. Prevalence and generation time were inversely proportional to each other. Prevalence and mean abundance were highest at Qamarwari. Diversity was more at Tengpora. Cestodes including Adenoscolex kashmirensis and Bothriocephalus acheilognathi were more dominant than Pomphorhynchus kashmirensis and Echinorhynchus sp.

Impact of mechanical deweeding on the phytophilous macroinvertebrate community of an eutrophic lake.

The aim of the study was to estimate the impact of mechanical deweeding on the community structure of phytophilous macroinvertebrates. The eutrophic lake selected for the study was Dal Lake in the Kashmir Himalayas. The dissolved nutrient concentration was found to be highest in August and September, i.e., nitrates-nitrogen (513 µg l(-l)) and total phosphorus (685 µg l(-l)). During the period of investigation, a total of 22 macroinvertebrate taxa were recorded which belonged to phylum Arthropoda, Mollusca, and Annelida. The samples were collected with the help of a composite Gerking frame box and grappler. Mechanical deweeding had a profound impact on the population density of phylum Mollusca and Arthropoda followed by Annelida. However, family Tubificidae was not influenced by deweeding, as the harvester only trimmed the vegetation, and these organisms were recorded in the sediment of the lake. On average, the reference site had higher density of macroinvertebrates as compared to deweeded areas. The abundance of macroinvertebrates decreased from 200 ind. (individuals) m(-2) in the reference site to 51 ind. m(-2) in the deweeded site as a result of weed removal. Species richness and composition of major macroinvertebrates in harvested and unharvested areas of the lake were also dissimilar as portrayed by biotic indices vis-à-vis Shannon diversity index, evenness index, and Simpson index.

Trophic status and helminth infracommunities of fish populations in Kashmir Himalayan lakes.

The present study considers the influence of the trophic status of three Kashmir Himalayan lakes on the patterns of helminth infracommunities in populations of three species of fish during 2006 to 2008. Data were collected from three lakes of differing trophic status in the Kashmir Himalayas, namely Anchar, a hyper(eu)trophic lake; Dal, a eutrophic lake; and Manasbal, a meso(eu)trophic lake. Three species of fish examined included the native fish Schizothorax niger Heckel and two exotic species--Carassius carassius (Linnaeus) and Cyprinus carpio Linnaeus. The analysis of data showed a clear habitat effect on the abundance pattern of helminth species, thus revealing lake-specific differences in parasite infracommunities of both S. niger and C. carassius. Helminth infracommunity richness was the highest in host populations from the Anchar lake compared to other two lakes. Low values in the Manasbal lake emphasize the low diversity of their helminth infracommunities. On the other hand, there was no observed pattern of community structure in the case of C. carpio in the three lake sites. However due to bias in sampling there was no distinct effect of fish body size on parasite infracommunity structure, although the present results do show that fish parasite data can be meaningful in diagnosing changes in the trophic condition of eutrophic lakes.

Seasonal changes in infrapopulations of Diplozoon kashmirensis Kaw, 1950 (Monogenea: Diplozoidae) along a eutrophic gradient.

Seasonal population dynamics of the monogenean, Diplozoon kashmirensis Kaw, on the gills of two cyprinid fish species, Schizothorax niger Heckel and Carassius carassius (Linnaeus), was investigated in three limnologically distinct trophic habitats located along the flood plain of River Jhelum in Kashmir from June 2006 to May 2008. The parasite infrapopulations exhibited a marked seasonal regime in infestation pattern as the infection indices increased to a much higher plateau during summer season at all the lakes, while the lows were recorded in winter. The heterogeneity in infection pattern indicates that water temperature is an important determinant of the seasonality of infrapopulations at all the localities. Furthermore, the results of our work clearly indicate that the parasite infrapopulations increased proportionally with eutrophication level and, as such, the highly eutrophic habitat, Anchar Lake, was significantly more favourable for parasite infrapopulations than the less eutrophic ones. However, the lakes presented no significant interlake differences in water temperature. Therefore, we could argue that interlake differences in the infestation pattern of parasite can be safely attributed to respective water quality in the lakes rather than water temperature. We propose that infrapopulations of the diplozoid studied herein do respond to differences in water quality of lakes and, thus, could qualify as simple and reliable indicator species in short-term comparative assays by lake managers.

Species spectrum, diversity profile and infection indices of helminth parasite fauna of Chirruh snowtrout, Schizothorax esocinus (Heckel) in lake ecosystems of Kashmir Himalayas-Do similarity and host-parasite associations arise?

In order to assess the species richness and diversity profile of helminth parasite fauna in an endemic fish, an investigation was carried out in two urban and two rural lakes of Kashmir. Overall nine species of helminth parasites were observed in four lakes. Of these three were autogenic and six were allogenic. Heteroxenous parasite species were more in number than monoxenous species. Results showed significant differences in heteroxenous / monoxenous ratio between different lakes. Core species (Prevalence > 20) were only found in hypertrophic lake (Anchar Lake). Overall, majority of helminth species were either secondary or satellite species. Prevalence of some helminth parasites showed significant differences in different lakes. In addition mean intensity showed significant differences between autogenic and allogenic parasites (P < 0.05). Principle Component Analysis based on prevalence showed that Anchar Lake was strongly associated with most of helminth parasites. Diversity indices showed significant variation between different lakes. Maximum helminth species per host was in Anchar Lake. Finally we concluded that helminth parasite fauna showed significant differences in species richness and infection indices between different lakes. Diversity profile was higher in Anchar Lake in comparison to other three lakes. The results clearly show that environmental features of lake ecosystems have got an impact on distribution pattern of helminth parasites in S. esocinus. We suggest comparative parasitological study should be taken between different species of fish in order to have a clear picture regarding the species composition of helminth species in this region. Also we need to characterize the species spectrum of parasitic worms in fish of freshwater bodies of this region as well as other similar type of climatic zones because parasite fauna is an integral part of the inventory of biodiversity and as possible regulators of host populations in aquatic ecosystems.

First report of blood parasites in fishes from Kashmir and their effect on the haematological profile.

Cyprinus carpio communis Linnaeus, Carassius carassius Linnaeus, Schizothorax curvifrons Heckel and Triplophysa marmorata species of fishes were captured from Anchar Lake and river Jhelum of Kashmir Himalaya for hematological and parasitological analysis. During the investigation haemoflagellates from the genus Babesiosoma and Trypanosoma were recorded in the blood smears. Trypanosomes were present in all the species except C. carpio, whereas Babesiosoma were only found in T. marmorata. Haematological analysis revealed a significant (p<0.01) reduction in red blood cell count in the fishes infected with Babesiosoma and Trypanosoma. A significant decrease (p<0.05) was recorded in haemoglobin value and packed cell volume in the infected fishes in comparison to the non-infected fishes.

Helminth communities of fish as ecological indicators of lake health.

This paper deals largely with the dynamics and changes in the helminth parasite communities of fish along the trophic gradient of lakes. The use of parasitological community data as a bioindicator of environmental health underlines the need to study parasite communities at comparable localities with known pollution levels. The comparison of the conditions in different habitats might be helpful to differentiate between normal fluctuations in ambient conditions and pollution-mediated effects. Therefore, the present study was designed to examine the community structure of parasites in snow trout (Schizothorax niger Heckel) inhabiting 3 lakes of contrasting trophic status in Kashmir. The idea of selecting the lakes, namely Anchar (strongly hypereutrophic), Dal (eutrophic) and Manasbal (mesotrophic) for this study was intentional as they depict different trophic gradients and exhibit the desirable pattern which was a prerequisite for this study. The findings presented in this article suggest an apparent lake-wise gradient in community structure, as the increase in trematode and cestode infections in Anchar was markedly greater, to levels clearly distinguishable from those in the other two water bodies. We conclude that human-induced eutrophication of lakes modifies the parasite community at component level and community-level studies on parasites may provide information on health status of lakes.

Infection level of monogenean gill parasite, Diplozoon kashmirensis (Monogenea, Polyopisthocotylea) in the Crucian Carp, Carassius carassius from lake ecosystems of an altered water quality: What factors do have an impact on the Diplozoon infection?

Monogeneans are of great interest to the ecologists because of their simple life cycle and are considered as one of the important and sensitive parasites to any changes in water quality. The monogenean gill parasite, Diplozoon kashmirensis of the Carassius carassius was examined with the aim to evaluate the infection level and the factors influencing the infection. Our results showed that highest prevalence (34.22%) of D. kashmirensis was in the lake having high trophic status and least prevalence (10.90%) in the lake having least trophic status. Infection levels were significantly higher at the basins/sites having deteriorated water quality in comparison to the basins/sites having better water quality. The combined effect of pollutants and eutrophication showed decrease in intensity of D. kashmirensis in one of the polluted/hypertrophied site in the hypertrophic lake (Anchar Lake), while as synergistic effect (i.e. increase) on prevalence and intensity was observed in one of the polluted/hypertrophied site in the eutrophic lake (Dal Lake). Sex was not an important factor influencing the D. kashmirensis in three lakes. The study showed that condition factor was significantly higher in the hypertrophic lake and in an uninfected fish. In addition microhabitat influenced the Diplozoon infection. Most preferable site for the D. kashmirensis was middle sector of the gill. Furthermore, the gill parasite showed significantly positive correlation (r(p)=0.6, P<0.05) with water temperature in the hypertrophic lake, thus showing the impact of water temperature on this parasite. It was concluded that intra lake differences, season, condition factor, microhabitat and water temperature influenced the infection of D. kashmirensis. It seems from the data that eutrophic and hypertrophic habitats were favourable for the D. kashmirensis. The D. kashmirensis showed both antagonistic and synergistic response to the combined effect of pollution and eutrophication.

Effects of water quality and trophic status on helminth infections in the cyprinid fish, Schizothorax niger Heckel, 1838 from three lakes in the Kashmir Himalayas.

Water quality greatly influences the population density of aquatic biota, including parasites. In order to evaluate the relationship between fish parasites and water quality in Kashmir Himalayas, we assessed helminth parasite densities in Schizothorax niger Heckel, 1838 (an endemic cyprinid fish of Kashmir) from three lakes, namely Anchar, Manasbal and Dal, which reflected the varied stages of eutrophication. The overall prevalence of helminth infections was higher in the hypertrophic Anchar Lake (prevalence = 18.6%) compared to Manasbal Lake, which was the least eutrophied (prevalence = 6.4%). Furthermore, mean prevalence of monoxenous and heteroxenous parasites was higher in lakes containing higher levels of water degradation (Anchar and Dal). The mean number of helminth species per fish host was the highest in the hypertrophic lake (1.3 ± 0.3) in comparison to the least eutrophic lake (0.2 ± 1.5). Variability of calculated infection indices (prevalence, mean intensity and mean abundance) revealed that helminth parasite composition in the fish was affected by the lakes' environmental stress (degraded water quality). Therefore, data on the density of helminth parasites in fish can provide supplementary information on the pollution status of a water body.

Infection level of the Asian tapeworm (Bothriocephalus acheilognathi) in the cyprinid fish, Schizothorax niger, from Anchar Lake, relative to season, sex, length and condition factor.

Various studies have shown that the Asian fish tapeworm, Bothriocephalus acheilognathi causes great economic loss in hatcheries, fish farms as well as in lakes. In order to understand the seasonal variation of infection in a nutrient-enriched lake, parasitological investigation was carried out in the indigenous cyprinid fish, Schizothorax niger Heckel 1838 from September, 2008 to August, 2009. Overall, this study revealed definite seasonality of infection (p < 0.05), with greater infection in summer (prevalence = 39.5%) and lesser in winter (prevalence = 8.1%). The prevalence among different seasons revealed significant differences (p < 0.05). Sex was not an important factor influencing the prevalence of the Asian tapeworm. A strong positive correlation (Pearson's correlation, r = 0.7; p = 0.02) between total length of S. niger and number of Asian fish tapeworms was observed. Similarly, a strong positive correlation existed between weight of fish and number of tapeworms (Pearson's correlation, r = 0.7; p = 0.005). Prevalence and mean abundance were positively and significantly correlated with water temperature (r = 0.8, p < 0.01 and r = 0.8, p < 0.01, respectively). Thus seasonal dynamics, total length and weight of the host significantly influenced the tapeworm infection. The above findings will be useful in devising the appropriate control strategies for the Asian tapeworm in wild fish in Kashmir valley as well as in similar climatic zones of other parts of the world. Also, information from this study will be used to assess the spread and extent of B. acheilognathi which is a potential threat to the indigenous fish fauna of Anchar Lake.

Macro invertebrate community from Sonamarg streams of Kashmir Himalaya.

This study analyses a macroinvertebrate community survey for River Sindh and its tributary including Baltal, Yashmarg, Sonamarg and Thajwas Grar considering the extreme hydrological conditions linked with the seasonal low-flow period typical for some streams in this area. This study attempts to provide an overview of the macro invertebrate assemblages and physico-chemical variables of the River Sindh and its important tributary. Four study sites were selected from the River Sindh and its tributary including Baltal, Yashmarg, Sonamarg and Thajwas Grar for studying the ecological distribution of Macroinvertebrate assemblages. Totally, 33 taxa of macroinvertebrates were recorded from the two streams belonging to Mollusca-3 (Gastropoda-2 and Bivalvia-1), Annelida-1 and Arthropoda-29 (Insecta-29). Among insects Ephemeroptera (7), Trichoptera (6) and Diptera (13) dominated. Except Yashmrag all sites were found devoid of annelids while as the mollusks were found absent at Sonamarg. Highest values of Shannon Weiner Index were found at Yashmarg (2.42) and lowest at Sonamarg (1.99) while as highest and lowest Sorensen's similarity coefficient were found between Baltal/Thajwas Grar (0.68) and Yashmarg/Thajwas Grar (0.39), respectively. A perusal of the data on physico-chemical characteristics showed that these streams were hard water type with high dissolved oxygen content. The ionic composition of the stream waters revealed the predominance of bicarbonate and calcium. Insecta dominated both qualitatively as well as quantitatively and the study revealed that the substrate compositions dominated by gravel, pebble and leaf litters are primary determinants of the invertebrate community structure recording maximum species diversity and abundance. Sample locations impacted by Amarnath yatris pilgrimage comparatively reflected slightly higher increase in nutrients than Thajwas Grar almost devoid of pilgrimage effect.

Plasma apolipoproteins A-I, A-II, B, C-II, C-III, and E levels in young Kuwaiti male survivors of myocardial infarction.

Plasm levels of lipid, lipoprotein, and apolipoprotein (APO) A-I, A-II, C-II, C-III, and E were analyzed in 180 young survivors of myocardial infarction (MI) ages 28 to 45 years and in 200 sex-and age-matched normal healthy subjects to assess the importance of apolipoprotein concentrations in comparison with lipoproteins in MI patients. In comparison with control subjects, MI patients showed marked increases in the following parameters: total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoproteins (LDL) cholesterol, triglycerides (TG), very low density (VLDL) triglycerides, and cholesterol, and LDL-TG, apo B, apo C-III and apo E. There were no significant changes in levels of HDL3; cholesterol, apo A-II and apo C-II in these patients compared with their controls. Levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL), HDL2 cholesterol, and plasma apo A-I were markedly decreased in the young MI survivors' group demonstrated that the better discriminating lipoproteins and apolipoproteins in MI patients in descending order were HDL2 cholesterol, apo C-III, apo B, apo A-I, VLDL triglycerides and HDL cholesterol discriminated between patients and controls. Results indicate that measurement of apo C-III, B and A-I beside HDL2 cholesterol were shown to be of potential use in differentiating normal controls from patients with MI.