An assessment of geo-morphology and hydro-biological factors of major wetlands of Bangladesh.

The present study investigates the geo-morphological features, hydro-biological profiles and resource characteristics of some selected wetlands in Brahmanbaria district, Bangladesh. Two categories of wetland have been classified on the basis of area such as the small category (40-100 ha), which belongs to 11 wetlands and the large category (100-200 ha) to nine wetlands. The mean depth of all the surveyed wetland does not exceed 3.29 ± 0.83 m. The mean value of organic matter was measured as 7.5 ± 6.34%. The maximum organic matter was recorded at Gagotia beel (24.60%) and the minimum organic matter was recorded at Kajolia beel (2.06%). The mean value of organic carbon was measured as 3.93 ± 3.33%. The highest amount of organic carbon was found at Gagotia beel (12.95%) while the lowest amount of organic carbon was observed at kajolia beel (1.08%). Soil texture indicates the percentage composition of sand, silt and clay in sediment. The average concentration of sand, silt and clay was recorded to be 53.31 ± 15.32, 17.61 ± 9.56 and 29.08 ± 12.87%, respectively. Among the 20 selected wetlands examined, 13 were found to be perennial wetlands where water is available throughout the year. There was significant difference among different wetlands in terms of organic carbon, organic matter, sand, silt and clay (P < 0.05) as analyzed by One Way Analysis of Variance (SPSS v.22). The sampling stations were presented as a map created by GIS (ArcMap v.10.1). This qualitative and quantitative assessment will not only provide new information about the geo-morphological and hydro-biological insights into the wetland but also will facilitate the development, management, and conservation of aquatic biodiversity in a significant and worthwhile manner.