Consequences of pesticide pollution upon the population of Collembola (springtails) in Kashmir apple orchard edaphic ecosystem

Abstract

Macrofauna from three harbour along West Coast were analyses to study the impact of various harbour activities on the community A total of 36 samples were collected onboard CRV Sagar Sukti using a van Veen grab and sub sampled with a quadrant. hJlacrohenthic communities were represented by 56 species belonging to 6 major groups. The mean macrofaunal density ranged from 2042 - 11482 nos. m'^ and was dominated by Polychaete (>90%). Biomass ranged from 6.68 toll 4.78 g.m-^. Basedon different biotic indices (Diversity indices, ABC curve, Polychaete: Amphipod ratio) indicate that the macrofaunal community in the study area is under stress condition. Also the fauna of the study area was typically dominated by the deposit feeding opportunistic species, a phenomenon common in harbour area, possibly due to high organic loading from harbour borne activities