RT Journal Article ID 682bf80e328dc7c0 A1 Sen Sarkar, Neera A1 Bandyopadhyaya, Tuli A1 Datta, Shilpa A1 Das, Swapna T1 Algae in the Assessment of Industrial Effluents: Case Study in Southern Bengal, India JF Journal of Environmental Pathology, Toxicology and Oncology JO JEP(T) YR 2013 FD 2013-09-19 VO 32 IS 2 SP 101 OP 114 K1 algae K1 pollution K1 species richness K1 pollution index K1 Southern Bengal AB This article is an assessment of the diversity of scum and bloom algae encountered in different industrial effluents of Southern Bengal, India, analyzing their habitat and correlating the habitat ecology of each study site. The study was conducted during the period May 2009 to August 2010. The study sites include effluent release areas of the dairy industry, a distillery unit, the leather industry, and an herbal medicine unit. Habitat were analyzed for pH, dissolved oxygen, biological oxygen demand, salinity, alkalinity, and phosphate and nitrate levels. Correlation coefficients were calculated for habitat parameters and algae encountered, showing a significant positive correlation between the richness of dominant and subdominant species with biochemical oxygen demand and salinity and a significant negative correlation with alkalinity, phosphates, and the nitrate-to-phosphate ratio. The richness of dominant and subdominant species in the effluent discharge areas show average values of 9 and 5 in the distillery unit, 8 and 5 in the dairy industry, 7 and 8 in the leather industry, and 5 and 9 in the herbal medicine unit, respectively, with a few (ranging between 3 and 7) co-occurring species in each case. The algal groups encountered were cyanobacteria, euglenophytes, chlorophytes, and bacillariophytes, showing Palmer's Algal Pollution Index of 15 in the dairy industry, 20 in the distillery unit, 28 in the leather industry, and 8 in the herbal medicine unit. PB Begell House LK https://www.dl.begellhouse.com/journals/0ff459a57a4c08d0,58992bb411ae4476,682bf80e328dc7c0.html