DIRECT EFFECTS OF PHOSPHATES CONCENTRATION ON THE MICROALGAL GROWTH IN MALAKAND PAKISTAN

Microalgal growth can be effected by different environmental factors, most important of them is, the nutrient of the specific habitat. Among nutrients, total phosphate (TP) has a remarkable contribution in microalgal growth and their diversity. In our study, TP values were determined for different water bodies of district Malakand, Pakistan and their effects were correlated with the algal growth and diversity. The explored locations were divided into different water bodies and observed with lowest TP value of 0.6 mg/L and highest 3.5 mg/L for stagnant water. Similarly, the running water ranged between 0.1 and 1.7 mg/L while waste water was found to be highest value for TP, where the lowest value was 3.1 mg/L and highest was 5 mg/L. The highest amount of TP was observed in waste water bodies which were dominated by algal blooms, especially, during summer season. There was a sufficient change in the TP values before and after development of algal bloom. The amount of algal bloom with high concentrations of TP showed that it affects the diversity of microalgae and a few resistant varieties could develop into algal bloom.