Comparative Analysis of Aquatic Plant Biodiversity in Two Agroecological Zones of Bangladesh

Abstract

This paper presents a comparative study on aquatic plant diversity in the two agroecologically different districts of Bangladesh, Tangail and Chapai Nawabganj. The research ran from March 2023 to February 2024, drawing on field notes, in-depth interviews, and surveys blended to form a single mixed-methods study. The work has been divided aquatic plants into five categories according to visual inspection: free floating, rooted floating, submerged, emergent, and marginal. Five types of aquatic plants, a total of 74 species from 32 families and 19 orders, were recorded in two districts. Among them, 53 species were found in Tangail and 34 in Chapai Nawabganj. Tangail had greater diversity of emergent plants (49%), whereas marginal species were higher in Chapai Nawabganj (23.53%). As for seasonal distribution patterns, in both regions the highest presence of aquatic plants was observed during the monsoon season, with 50% in Chapai Nawabganj and 45% in Tangail. There were comparatively more native species (73.6%) and fewer vulnerable species (1.9%) in Tangail. Similarly, no vulnerable species were found in Chapai Nawabganj, where native species predominated (67.6%). The results demonstrate the ecological differences captured in the study, which are influenced by geography, climate, and hydrology, and indicate further studies of biodiversity need to be conducted along with regional conservation plans focused on assessing the particular region’s.