The study of the importance of physicochemical parameters of water for algal growth and development in Jagdishpur Reservoir was carried out in the present research. Occurrence of algal species and values of water quality parameters also indicate the ecological nature and the present status of the reservoir. Water samples were collected from Jagdishpur Reservoir in Kapilvastu District (Nepal), in two seasons (wet and dry). The following physicochemical parameters of water were analyzed: temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, alkalinity, concentration of nitrates and phosphates, free CO
2, hardness, conductivity, total dissolved solids. The values of free CO
2, hardness, phosphate, temperature, and dissolved oxygen were high in wet season while alkalinity, nitrate, conductivity and total dissolved solid were high in dry season. Altogether 81 algal species belonging to 53 genera and 6 classes were recorded. Higher number of algal species was recorded in the dry season rather than in the wet season. The highest number of species was noted among Chlorophyceae, followed by Cyanobacteria > Bacillariophyceae > Euglenophyceae > Crysophyceae and Dinophyceae.
Cosmarium had the highest number of species (13) among all genera. During the wet season,
Cosmarium,
Calothrix and
Phormidium were the genera with the highest number of species while
Bulbochaete,
Trachelomonas and
Gomphonema were genera with the lowest number of species. During the dry season,
Cymbella,
Cosmarium and
Rhopalodia were genera with highest number of species while
Euglena,
Gloeotrichia and
Trachelomonas were genera with lowest number of species. Algal diversity was positively correlated with the increase of alkalinity, conductivity and TDS, while negatively correlated with free CO
2, hardness, concerntration of phosphates and nitrates, DO, pH and temperature. Shannon–Weiner diversity index value was higher during the dry season than in the wet season.
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