The Study of distribution and abundance of peripherals of Beheshtabad River in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province

Periphyton communities serve as vital component of stream ecosystems and they are the principal primary producers of the aquatic river ecosystems. Periphyton is useful as biological indicator of water pollution. Taxonomic diversity and abundance of periphyton depends on a range of factors like; temperature, disolved oxygen and nutrient availability. Yet, no study has been conducted on physicochemical parameters and periphyton composition of the headwater of the Beheshtabad River. Therefore, the present study aims to determine the influence of physicochemical parameters on periphyton composition of the Beheshtabad headwater stream ecosystem, which is prone to anthropogenic pressures. Sampling will be conducted monthly from seven stations along the reservoir. A monthly investigation was carrird out at seven sites over the period October 2015 to September 2016. Accordingly, density of periphyton communities was lowest in winter, with highest production was in summer. Considering the density of periphyton communities along with the dominance of the genus diatoms, the genus Naviculla showed the highest distribution, so that it was present at all stations and in all stages of sampling and constituted the dominant density.