Freshwater ponds besides being a source of potable water, also serve as a habitat for a range of aquatic organisms. The quality of the pond water is dependent on several interrelated parameters like physical, chemical and biological factors which render the water source either fit or unfit for consumption. In this communication, we have discussed the utilization of the desmids flora in assessing the water quality by comparing diversity indices with physical and chemical parameters of the habitat. Further, based on the Shannon–Wiener diversity index, the sites were classified as oligotrophic, mesotrophic and eutrophic. About 46 species of desmids were studied from five study sites, out of which seven are new records to India. The genera with the largest number of species were Cosmarium, Micrasterias, Closterium and Staurastrum with 12, 6, 5, and 4 species, respectively. Further, statistical analysis reveals that Netrium digitus, Closterium acerosum, C. setaceum, Cosmarium circulare, and C. quadrum var minus could be utilized as indicator species of the eutrophic lentic ecosystems. The results justify that the analysis of the desmid species richness and dominance in the aquatic habitats could aid as a potential biomonitoring tool for the conservation of the freshwater habitats.

淡水池塘除了作为饮用水的来源之外，也是一系列水生生物的栖息地。池塘水的质量取决于几个相互关联的参数，如物理、化学和生物因素，这些因素使水源适合或不适合饮用。在本次通讯中，我们通过比较多样性指数与栖息地的物理和化学参数，讨论了在评估水质方面使用硬壳虫的植物群。此外，根据香农-维纳多样性指数，这些地点被分类为贫营养、中营养和富营养。来自五个研究地点的大约 46 种硬壳虫被研究，其中七个是印度的新记录。物种数量最多的属是Cosmarium ,Micrasterias、Closterium和Staurastrum 分别有12、6、5和 4 个物种。此外，统计分析表明，Netrium digitus、Closterium acerosum、C. setaceum、Cosmarium circlee和C. quadrum var minus可用作富营养化静水生态系统的指示物种。结果证明，对水生栖息地中的desmid物种丰富度和优势的分析可能有助于作为保护淡水栖息地的潜在生物监测工具。