title: Health assessment using aqua-quality indicators of alpine streams (Khunjerab National Park), Gilgit, Pakistan.
abstract: This preliminary research was conducted to evaluate the alpine stream health by using water quality as an indicator in Khunjerab National park of the Karakoram ranges located in Pak-China boarder Pakistan having altitude of 3660 m. This study investigated the stream health in the context of the presence or absence of sensitive species, their diversity, and their taxa richness. The water and macroinvertebrate samples were collected from 17 different locations from upstream and downstream of the river by using random sampling method. Macroinvertebrate samples were obtained using kick net (500-μm mesh size) and hand-picking method (NYSDEC). A total of 710 counts including 41 families of macroinvertebrates were recorded comprising of 7 orders including: Ephemeroptera (46%) being the most dominant group, Plecoptera (33%), Trichoptera (5%), Chironomidae (Diptera) (14%), Heteroptera (1%), and Coleoptera (1%). Ephemeroptera, Trichoptera, and Plecoptera (EPT) were found in abundance at the main source, Qarchanai, Dhee, and Tourqeen Nullah, as compared to the other locations of the stream. The most dominant macroinvertebrate was Ephemeroptera whose relative abundance is Pi = 0.49 by using the Shannon index. However, different statistical tools, including principal component analysis (PCA), cluster analysis (CA), ANOVA, and linear regression model, show a strong correlation between water quality and macroinvertebrates. The overall results of the biological indicators showed better ecological health at downstream compared to upstream. This study will provide basic information and understanding about the macroinvertebrates for future researchers, and the data will be helpful for upcoming research programs on alpine streams for the discovery and occurrences of macroinvertebrates and associated fauna.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Watershed Geographic Sciences, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 73 East Beijing Road, Nanjing, 210008, China.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
authors.forename: Salar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Watershed Geographic Sciences, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 73 East Beijing Road, Nanjing, 210008, China. Gaojunf@niglas.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Junfeng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Sciences, Karakoram International University, Gilgit, 15100, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Farida
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Begum
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, 550081, China.
authors.forename: Atta
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rasool
authors.affiliation: International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, GPO Box 3226, Kathmandu, Nepal.
authors.forename: Muhammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ismail
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 73 East Beijing Road, Nanjing, 210008, China.
authors.forename: Yongjiu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Sciences, Karakoram International University, Gilgit, 15100, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Shaukat
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Karakoram International University, Gilgit, 15100, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Shujaat
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ali
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D007313:Insecta; D010154:Pakistan; D000068316:Parks, Recreational; D045483:Rivers; D060753:Water Quality
keywords: Alpine streams; Ecological health; Macroinvertebrates; Multivariate analysis; Water quality indicators