Dr. Maheswari Maddela
Lecturer in Zoology, Nagarjuna Government College (A) Nalgonda, Telangana.
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http://doi.org/10.37648/ijrst.v16i02.012
Aquatic insects are key players in the ecological balance, biodiversity and sustainability of freshwater ecosystems. They are essential components of rivers, lakes, ponds, wetlands and streams, contributing to nutrient cycling, organic matter decomposition, energy transfer and food-web stability. Apart from their ecological roles, aquatic insects also function as natural environmental monitors since their diversity, abundance and distribution reflect changes in water quality, pollution loads, habitat conditions and climate variability. The present paper focuses on aquatic insects with an emphasis on their ecological significance as bioindicators of freshwater ecosystem health, particularly in India. The study uses an analytical approach based on secondary data from published research studies, freshwater biodiversity assessments and national water-quality monitoring reports. The relationship between aquatic insect diversity and environmental quality is demonstrated by evidence from Indian freshwater ecosystems such as Western Ghats, Himalayan rivers and Kerala wetlands. A total of 72 species of aquatic insects in 38 families has been reported for the Jatinga River in Northeast India . In the Muthirapuzha River in Kerala , 3,278 individuals belonging to seven orders and 37 families were recorded . The Central Pollution Control Board, in its 2025 assessment, had identified 296 polluted river stretches across 271 rivers across the country. The article emphasizes the importance of biomonitoring methods based on the richness of insects such as Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera (EPT), the Shannon–Wiener diversity, Biological Monitoring Working Party (BMWP) scores, and the Family Biotic Index. It argues that integrating aquatic insect monitoring with traditional physicochemical water quality assessment can boost environmental governance, freshwater conservation and ecosystem resilience in India.
Keywords: Aquatic Insects; Biodiversity; Bioindicators; Water Quality; Freshwater Ecosystems; EPT Index; Ecosystem Resilience; Environmental Monitoring; India.
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