Periphyton Associated with Nymphaea lotus Linn. in Two Different Types of Freshwater Bodies in Southern Ghana

Abstract

The periphyton communities associated with Nymphaea lotus Linn. in two different freshwater bodies, the Kpong head-pond and Odaw stream, both in southern Ghana, were studied. Twenty-eight genera of algae, belonging to five phyla (Chlorophyta, Cryptophyta, Crysophyta, Cyanophyta and Euglenophyta) were observed. The Cyanophyta and the Chlorophyta, respectively, dominated the population in the Kpong head-pond and the Odaw stream. A far greater population of diatoms family (Bacillariophyceae) was found in the Odaw stream than in the Kpong head pond.