Study of Riparian Plant Species Diversity of Sidhi, Madhya Pradesh

Water sources like rivers, lakes, wetlands, etc. have been vital to human survival for ages, but they are now threatened by the discharge of sewage, industrial effluents, municipal solid waste, agricultural waste, etc. Ecological Health Index (EHI) developed by Joshi et al. to facilitate comparison of regional and temporal evaluations. Productivity, biological diversity, and resistance to the deleterious effects of multiple stresses all contribute to what is known as an ecosystem's ecological health. River health is derived from, but not limited to, the condition of river ecosystems. Both the river's natural and social features are important to its overall health. River biota interact with their hydro-geochemical setting to shape ecosystem health. Rivers can only be healthy if they have a wide variety of ecosystems, plant and animal species, functional connections, and stable ecological processes. The riparian zone plays a crucial role in river health. In big floodplain rivers, the floodplain protects the main channel from temporal variations and serves as a refuge and source of food for a wide variety of species. This riparian ecosystem may range from being very simple next to headwater streams to being exceedingly complex and varied in floodplain rivers. Therefore, comparing riparian ecosystems over the river's length is problematic. Water from the Son, Banas, Gopad, gopaldas dam, goriyara dam and rehi river in M.P. is suitable for irrigation, swimming, aquaculture, etc., but not for drinking, according to a study by Yadav et al. Stream ecosystems' lateral and vertical dimensions may be gleaned from the water quality, making it a fundamental biological indicator. River 'health' is not often described in terms of riparian habitat state, but there are a number of ways to assess the biological or habitat condition of rivers, as well as river health and ecological integrity. The literature shows that there are not many studies that evaluate the health of rivers in India based on riparian vegetation and, therefore, river biodiversity. With the use of the Simpson biodiversity index, the National Snow and Ice Quality Index, and the Tropical Rainfall Index, report states that the Son, Banas, Gopad, gopaldas dam, goriyara dam and rehi river is in a good to medium state of health throughout the winter and summer.

Amita O. Sankhwal, et.al (2015) Since the dawn of humanity, riparian areas have served as the foundations of civilizations and the centers of human habitation. Due to its multiple ecological, cultural, and socioeconomic implications, this environment remains important to this day. However, they are in decline now because of uncontrolled building and massive population expansion. Our research shows that major human pressures including land conversions, grazing, and industrial pollution have altered the phenology of native flora and impeded its development in the area we examined. Since riparian plants have been shown to play an essential role in ecosystem functions and processes, a reduction in floristic variety might have far-reaching and, in some cases, irreversible effects on these systems. Brandt et al., (2015). They do quantitative assessments of wetland and channel conditions and riparian vegetation health. It is believed that the efficiency of wetland ecosystems is significantly influenced by the variety of plant species present and how they are distributed geographically. Wetlands with a wide variety of cover types were shown to have more plant species than those with fewer types of cover. We also discovered statistically significant associations between plant species diversity and the geographical distribution of cover types, while the direction of the impact varies with the diversity measure used. Faxina et al., (2015). Since angiosperms make up such a large portion of the plant kingdom, they have been the only focus of the current investigation. In the riparian forest of Southwestern Brazil, the Asteraceae family was the most numerous, followed by the Fabaceae, Myrtaceae, Cyperaceae, Rubiaceae, and Poaceae. Van looy, Kris et al., (2017). The ecosystem service framework is widely recognized as a useful tool for concentrating conservation and restoration efforts. However, putting it into practice is difficult because of environmental complexity and dynamics that hinder ecosystems' capability to offer the services. In this article, we consider whether it is possible to demonstrate where and how to act in riparian corridors to restore some ecological functions without jeopardizing others. The three main assumptions here concern the sensitivity to scale, the availability of bundles of ecosystem services, and the spatial aggregation of ecosystem services given by riparian corridors in terms of naturalness. We employ high-resolution data on the hydro morphology and land use Geographic Information System framework. We focus on two services that are essential to river management and rehabilitation: in-stream water filtration and riparian retention of nutrients. For the two highlighted ecological services, we find limited geographical connection and substantial spatial heterogeneity. Surprisingly, there is no harmony between ecological benefits and the wildness of riparian corridors. The inability to draw connections between ecosystem services and their geographical variability will force environmental managers to zero in on processes and patterns operating at the regional level. Finally, we stress the need for a fine-grained multifunctional evaluation of ecosystems' service-providing potential, particularly in highly variable contexts like river corridors. Neville Crossman has done the editing. Karthika T et.al (2020). Riparian vegetation in fluvial systems is being studied by these researchers as a functionally connected co-constructed complex of plant units throughout the river network, irrespective of physiognomy or provenance.

Ten sites along the Son, Banas, Gopad, gopaldas dam, goriyara dam and Rehi river segment under investigation were sampled to compile the data on water quality. About a half a kilometer of separation was maintained between each plot. Vegetation of all kinds, including trees, shrubs, herbs, and perennial grasses, was gathered. SDI was averaged throughout both seasons using the collected data to get a value for each plot. Similarly, EHI was determined for each site in both seasons.

The number of aquatic species is known to decrease significantly whenever a river is polluted, whereas the number of species that benefit from the frequent

reasonable number of beneficial species populate a clean river. Table 2-6 displays the number of ecological communities and how they have changed over the winter and summer of 2022.

1. Acacia nilotica 71±0.69 46±0.41 2. A. lucopholea 63±0.80 40±0.46 3. A. catechu 43±0.84 31±0.31 4. Prosposis juliflora 68±0.82 47±0.59 5. Albizzia lebbek 41±0.70 28±0.33 6. Grevia optiva 34±0.49 25±0.00 7. Anogeissus pendula 26±0.39 26±0.20 8. Dalbergia sissoo 27±0.56 26±0.20 9. Ziziphus maurtiyana 28±0.38 28±0.19 10. Ziziphus fructosa 35±0.54 30±0.19 11. Calridora persica 27±0.43 26±0.20 12. C. decidus 36±0.51 30±0.26 13. Capparis sepiora 32±0.50 28±0.33 15. Gogantan 25±0.35 25±0.00 16. Carissa opera 35±0.52 31±0.26 17. Tamarix diocia 36±0.41 34±0.25 18. Arastoda odscensinus 39±0.44 35±0.50

Throughout the length of the research, data were gathered and averaged for the five categories of riparian vegetations, which included plants annual grasses aquatic plants perennial grasses and shrubs SWDI, SDI, MERI, and MARI were employed to assess the Son, Banas, Gopad, gopaldas dam, goriyara dam and rehi river's biodiversity and richness The SWDI and SDI are the most often used diversity indices in ecology. In contrast to the former,

indication about the species richness.

Tables 8 and 9 provide the NSFWQI, CTSI, and SDI measurements taken along the research length of the Son, Banas, Gopad, gopaldas dam, goriyara dam and Rehi river in the winter and summer of 2022. The research shows that the EHI is between 1 and 2 throughout along the river, indicating that the ecosystem of the river is thriving.

EHI of the river is in good range (1-2) in the location C, D, E, F, and G along the river are in somewhat better ecological condition (EHI: 2.0) than other areas (EHI: 2) in the winterThe river's self-purifying capacity, caused by the sedimentation of suspended solid and the oxidation of soluble material, may account for the comparatively excellent range in these areas most places, with the exception of C (EHI: <2.0), are moving closer to the middle of the spectrum, where pollution be less pristine in certain areas than others. High SDI values were recorded on both sides of the river, indicating that the water in the study area is not acceptable for drinking but is good for irrigation, swimming, aquaculture, etc., and that it supports a rich ecosystem of aquatic plants and animals.

Riparian vegetation along a 58 km stretches of the Son, Banas, Gopad, Gopaldas dam, Goriyara dam and Rehi river was surveyed in the winter and summer of 2022 to calculate diversity and richness indices. The mean SDI and SWDI values for the Son, Banas, Gopad, gopaldas dam, goriyara dam and rehi river are 0.23 to 0.28 and 2.22 to 2.30, respectively, indicating that the river is in acceptable condition. The EHI of the examined section of the Son, Banas, Gopad, Gopaldas dam, Goriyara dam and rehi river was determined to be satisfactory using the NSFWQI, SDI, and CTSI. In general, the winter months provide superior EHI conditions everywhere. In certain areas, the EHI is already of medium grade, while in others it is far within acceptable limits. Not for human consumption; the water is suitable for irrigation, bathing, aquaculture, etc. The river's current biological health is drawing in a wide variety of aquatic birds and animals. To achieve an EHI of 0–1, which is considered good, preemptive conservation actions are required. The river is in a moderate condition of health, with mean abundances of rich invertebrates (MARI) between 0.49 and 0.52 and of fish (MERI) between 0.08 and 0.11. Summer has a slightly higher variety and richness score than winter does because of the lower pollution levels. To keep the water quality high all along the route, preventative steps should be taken to deal with the seasonal increase in pollutants. The findings show that the ecological health of the region is mediocre, making the water unsafe for human consumption but fine for applications like irrigation, bathing, aquaculture, and life support. Replanting fast-growing species along the riverside may improve river health by preventing

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Research Scholar, A.P.S. University, Rewa