ENVIRONMENTAL AUDIT BY:

Students of raja pearymohan college

SUPERVISED BY:
Dr Maitri Bose Biswas & Dr Aradhana Chowdhary

ENVIRONMENTAL AUDITING
ENVIRONMENTAL AUDITING: Environmental Auditing is a tool of
management designed to provide information regarding the environmental
performance and to assess the degradation of the particular eco-system. This
Audit encompasses all kinds of activities related to environment measure the
ecological balance to conserve bio-diversity.
In India, Environmental Audit programme - first meaningful discussion was
made in 1990 and initiations were made to observe the practicability of this
programme before doing it mandatory.
In 1992, 13 March, a gazette notification was made to the companies to submit
the Environmental Audit Report on 15th May every year to State Pollution
Board.
Scope:
➢Compliance with Environmental Regulations.
➢Implement the Environmental Policy and procedure.
➢Good Environmental Management.
Need:
➢Maximum value to Environment Audit and the Auditor should be free from
pressure.
➢To provide a framework for measuring Environment performance.
➢It raises awareness of importance of professional environment
management.
➢It feels secure that all the environmental aspects are being managed
professionally.
➢Developing Environmental Consciousness: Environment audit keeps the
management alert about the possible hazards associated with the
manufacturing process. It compels them to take necessary precautions so
that the company’s operation cannot cause damage to environment
beyond an acceptable limit.
➢Maintenance of Ecological Balance: Very often industrial activities lead
to extinction of many living things. This is happening due to ecological
disbalance caused by industrial pollution. Bhopal gas leak, Chernobyl
disaster, Oil spill off the British South Coast etc. are the examples which
destroyed many living creatures including human beings. Proper
environment audit can prevent recurrence of such disaster and ensure
betterment of life.
 ➢Optimum utilisation of scarce resources: Very often natural resources
are consumed recklessly ignoring the interest of next generation.
Environment audit can ensure proper utilisation of natural resources.
Utility of Environmental auditing in under graduate colleges :
Environmental auditing is already implied in colleges to prepare a complete
Audit Report of Environment of college and adjoining areas to keep the
Environment of the college under control and the responsibility should be
given to the students to make them aware of the burning situation of
Environment now a days.
Methods and Techniques: To complete this auditing first we have to make
peoples biodiversity register of the area. Here firstly we have made one
register of some insects and spiders available in Rainy season by random
sampling from the bank of three adjacent ponds. Then we have made one
more register of that insects and spiders in Winter season by random
sampling. At last we have compared the two registers.

INTRODUCTION
The soil is among the most complex habitat systems on the globe, yet its biological
systems are poorly understood. It provides a living place for at least part of the
life-cycle of many animals, and the highly connective nature of food-webs means
that most, if not all, terrestrial organisms depend directly or indirectly on
biological processes in the soil. Many small organisms, such as insects and the
invertebrates, play a vital role in the production and maintenance of healthy soils,
and therefore are key elements in development of sustainable agriculture and
forestry. The central tenet of this environmental audit is that invertebrates,
specially arthropods are an integral part of the soil systems and that soil biotic
community. Invertebrates are an integral part of soils and are important in
determining the suitability of soils.

Soil invertebrates includes organisms from the smallest bacteria and protozoa to
the relatively large earthworms and insects. The most numerous of the larger
invertebrates are the arthropods, which include insects, crustaceans and
arachnids. Most of the soil invertebrates are found within the first few inches of the
soil surface, and many will also dwell in the leaf litter immediately above the soil.
Arthropods can be predators, herbivores, scavengers, detritivores (eating decaying
plant matter), or omnivores. The trophic structure of arthropods would be
analysed to represent the various feeding levels in the community. Organisms
generally can be classified as autotrophs (or primary producers), which synthesize
organic compounds from abiotic materials, and heterotrophs (or secondary
producers), including insects, which ultimately derive their energy and resources
from autotrophs. Classifying arthropods by trophic structure (i.e., herbivore,
carnivore, detritivore, or omnivore) is a method to describe communities (Andrew
& Hughes, 2005; Woodcock et al., 2009).

In this report, we recorded by focal observation the visual appearance of the

arthropod community within soil near three ponds at rainy and winter seasons.
The composition of soil invertebrate communities in three different ponds were
studied and the importance of soil invertebrates with relation to food web was
studied. Movement of macroinvertebrate changes the physical properties of soil
such as porosity and bulk density. Finally, the report considers role of seasonal
variations towards the ecological complexity of trophic structure within food webs
among major order of arthropods.
Methodology
Study Area:
Three ponds from VILLAGE MALIAPARA (DHITARA), POST BIGHATI, P.S.
BHADRESWAR, HOOGHLY, WEST BENGAL, INDIA were selected for this study.
The ponds were located between the railway tracks and national highway. The
littoral slope, habitat type (substrate and type and coverage of aquatic vegetation),
and faunal diversity of the ponds were studied.
Macroinvertebrate sampling:
All the ponds were sampled once in late August (post-monsoon), 2019 and once in
late December (mid-winter), 2019.
Random Sampling is a procedure for sampling from a population in which
a) Selection of a sample is based on chance and
b) Every element of the population has a known, non-zero probability of being
selected.
Random sampling was done on the pond bank 1m above the littoral zone for
macroinvertebrate species. The sampling was done along the pond margin taking
a breadth of 1m. Total sampling time was proportionally distributed among the
main habitats according to the margin of the pond approximately 150 m2 was
sampled by one individual at a time. Macroinvertebrates were separated from the
plant or soil and photographs were taken for identification and representation of
different arthropod samples and counted under a simple microscope (10×).
Environmental variables:
Various environmental variables were measured in the study. The soil temperature
and pH were measured. However other features of soil like the organic carbon %,
extractable bases (Calcium, sodium, magnesium and potassium) and the ammonia
content could not be measured.
Data Analysis:
Results were computed and mean of the samples were calculated. Finally, trophic
structure analysis of the sampled specimens were done to understand the variation
(if any) between seasons.

Result
Description of field parameters
 Climate:
Weather on the dates of visit-
Parameters A. Dry season B. Wet season
 (22/08/2019): (26/12/2019):
a. Temperature:
a. Rainfall:
b. Humidity:

 Soil:
In general, soil of Hooghly districts is alluvial type. However, the field site
with fallen leaves was rich in organic matter. The humus content of a soil is
dependent primarily on the quantity of plant (and animal) material per unit
area that reaches the soil and the rate of its decomposition. The soil pH of the
wetlands is near neutral varying between 6.5 and 7.5. Temperature of soil on
dry season and wet season was 14.3° and 28.6°, respectively.
Description of pond
 POND-1:
Station road is situated at the South bank of the pond. Eastern side of the pond
is filled with tall bamboo plants. Western sides are rich in Mango and
Coconut trees and with a few Sajina trees (Moringa oleifera). The banks of all
sides are richly covered with different shrubs including mainly two genus –
Calocasia sp. (kochu) and Clearodendrumsp (Ghentu). Sewage water from a
big concrete drain is coming to the pond. One muddy drain is coming from a
nearby home.
 POND-2:
Western side of the pond is filled with beetle nut trees other three sides filled
with Mango trees with shrubs like Calocasia, Clerodendrum and Ipomoea
aquatica (Kalmishak).
 POND-3:
Eastern side of the pond is filled with banana plants. Other three sides are
filled with Mango and Coconut tree with shrubs like Clerodendrum sp.

Description of Fauna
Invertebrates dominate the fringe fauna over all other major groups. There
are altogether 4 insect orders and arachnids inhabiting the randomly sampled
areas around ponds. The arthropods depend on soil mostly for their adult
and/or larval life. The insect order Odonata recorded five different species in
all the three ponds during rainy season, while during winter pond 1 and pond
3 recorded two species and pond 2 recorded three species. The abundance of
the Odonates in the two seasons showed significantly higher abundance
during rainy season compared to the winter season (p<0.05). The insect order
Hymenoptera recorded no difference in species diversity among the three
ponds during the seasonal change, also no significant change in abundance of
individuals were found between the two seasons. The insect order Diptera
recorded three species in all the ponds during rainy season, while during
winter season three species were found in ponds 1 and 3, and two species in
pond 2. The abundance of the Dipterans in the two seasons showed
significantly higher abundance during rainy season compared to the winter
season (p<0.05). The insect order Lepidoptera recorded three species in all
the ponds during rainy season, while during winter season four species were
found in all the ponds. The abundance of the Lepidopterans in the two seasons
showed no significant change in abundance of individuals were found between
the two seasons. The Arachnids recorded three species in the ponds 1 and 2
and two species in pond 3 during rainy season, while during winter season
four species were found in ponds 1 and 3, and three species in pond 2. The
abundance of the Arachnids in the two seasons showed no significant change
in abundance of individuals were found between the two seasons. There was
no significant difference in species diversity between the seasons among
different groups of arthropods studied. Only, dominant orders are dealt herein
as follows:
Table I: Study of Faunal diversity at the pond bank, Maliapara (Dhitara),
Bhadreswar, Hooghly, West Bengal, India.

TABLE – IA (Rainy Season), Class: Insecta (Odonata, Hymenoptera,

Diptera, Lepidoptera) & Class – Arachnida (Spiders)
No. of specimen recorded
S Pond Pond Pond Pond Pond Pond
l.
1 1 2 2 3 3
N
o. No. of Total No. No. of Total No. No. of Total No. Total Mean
specie of specie of specie of
s specimen s specimen s specimen
0
Insecta, Odonata 05 23 05 34 05 35 92 30.66
1.
0 Insecta,
04 480 04 431 04 446 1357 452.3
2. Hymenoptera
0
Insecta, Diptera 03 47 03 39 03 30 116 38.66
3.
0
Insecta, Lepidoptera 03 06 03 09 03 08 23 7.66
4.
0
Spiders, Arachnida 03 12 03 13 02 12 37 12.33
5.

TABLE – IA (Rainy Season), Class: Insecta (Odonata, Hymenoptera,

Diptera, Lepidoptera) & Class – Arachnida (Spiders)
No. of specimen recorded
Pond Pond Pond Pond Pond Pond
Sl.
1 1 2 2 3 3
No.
No. of Total No. No. of Total No. No. of Total No. Total Mean
specie of specie of specie of
s specimen s specimen s specimen
01. Insecta, Odonata 02 04 03 05 02 05 14 4.66
Insecta,
02. 04 494 04 472 04 405 1371 457
Hymenoptera
03. Insecta, Diptera 03 30 02 18 03 15 63 21
Insecta,
04. 04 06 04 10 04 06 22 7.33
Lepidoptera
05. Spiders, Arachnida 04 12 03 15 04 13 40 13.33

 The odonates are groups of invertebrates with two pairs of wings of

similar size and have a dark mark, or pterostigma, near the tip of each,
long and slender abdomens, large heads, very large compound eyes and
small, hair-like antennae.
TABLE – IIA Class: Insecta, Order: Odonata
No. of specimen
Sl.
recorded
No Common Name Scientific Name
Rainy Winter
.
Season Season
Dragon Fly (Black
01. Orthetrum sabina 27 00
coloured)
Dragon Fly (Red Bachythemia
02. 13 06
coloured) contaminata
03. Dragon Fly Diplacodes trivialis 15 07
Coromandel marsh Ceriagrion
04. 23 01
dart coromandelianum
Narrow winged
05. Ceriagrion glabrum 14 00
Damsel Fly

 Name: Dragon fly

 Orthetrum sabina
 Season: Rainy
 Habitat: Immature ones live in fresh water,
found in shallow fresh water. Found in
shallow fresh water habitat. Adult ones stay
near water often.
 Feeding habits: Adult ones like to eat gnats,
may flies, flies, mosquitoes and other small
flying insects.
 Name: Dragon fly
Bachythemis contaminata
Season: Both Rainy & Winter
Habitat: Immature ones live in fresh water, found
in shallow fresh water. Found in shallow fresh
water habitat. Adult ones stay near water often.
Feeding habits: Adult ones like to eat gnats, may
flies, flies, mosquitoes and other small flying
insects.

 Name: Dragon fly

 Diplacodes trivialis
 Season: Rainy
 Habitat: It breeds and stay in ponds, wet rice
fields, shallow lakes, drainage ditches and
similar habitats.
 Feeding habits: Feed on other Odonata larger
species sometimes larger than themselves
  Name: Damsel fly
 Ceriagrion coromandelianum
 Season: Rainy
 Habitat: They live in variety of fresh water
habitat including arid bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers.
 Feeding habits: Small, soft-bodied insect e.g.
aphids, mosquitoes, gnats. Nymphs feed on
small aquatic insect, tadpoles & small fish.

 Name: Narrow winged Damsel fly

 Season: Rainy
 Habitat: They live in variety of fresh water
habitat including acid bogs, ponds, lakes,
rivers.
 Feeding habits: Small, soft-bodied insect e.g.
aphids, mosquitoes, gnats. Nymphs feed on
small aquatic insect, tadpoles & small fish.

 The hymenopterans are groups of invertebrates with two pairs of

membranous wings, chewing mouthparts, compound eyes that are usually
large (although many are blind) and the females generally have an
ovipositor which may be modified for sawing, piercing or stinging.
 TABLE – IIB Class: Insecta, Order: Hymenoptera
No. of specimen
Sl.
recorded
No Common Name Scientific Name
Rainy Winter
.
Season Season
Camponotus
01. Winged ants 67 448
pennsylvanicus
02. Yellow Crazy ants Anoplolepis gracilipes 358 288
03. Black garden ant Lasius niger 458 387
Pogonomyrmex
04. Red harvester ant 474 248
barbatus

 Name: Winged ants

 Season: Winter
 Habitat: Mostly nest in underground, some
nest in trees, can make nest inside acorns and
other small hiding places.
 Feeding habits: Small insects such as flies,
moths, beetles, wasps and mosquitoes etc.

 Name: Pugnacious or Yellow Crazy ants

 Anoplolepis sp.
 Season: Both Rainy and Winter
 Habitat: Typically, colonies moist, shady,
disturbed habitats e.g. rainforest margin,
agricultural land etc.
 Feeding habits: Get much of their food
 Name: Black Garden Ant,
 Scientific name: Lasius niger
 Season: Rainy
 Habitat: This ant is mostly families as a garden
species. It occurs in scrubland, wet areas. It
can only survive in grasslands.
 Feeding habits: Eat anything from leftovers,
soft fruits, seeds, small insects, farming honey
dews from aphids.

 Common name: Red Harvester ant

 Scientific name: Pogonomyrnux barbatus
 Feeding habit: diest primarily consist of seeds
 Description: They have ant – plant interaction which
helps in seed dispersal. They live in grassland areas
trees etc
 The dipterans are groups of invertebrates with one pair of wings
(forewings), hind wings reduced to club-like halters, a large and movable
head, compound eyes those are often very large, sucking, piercing and
sucking or sponge-like mouthparts (all adapted for a liquid diet).

TABLE – IIC Class: Insecta, Order: Diptera

No. of specimen
Sl.
recorded
No Common Name Scientific Name
Rainy Winter
.
Season Season
01. Common fly Musca domestica 62 47
02. Long legged fly Dolichopus sp. 05 00
03. Mosquito Anopheles sp. 49 10
04 Stilt legged fly Rainieria sp. 00 06

 Name: Stilt legged flies

 Rainieria sp
 Season: Winter
 Habitat: They are most diverse in tropical and
subtropical habitats, especially in neotropical
region.
 Feeding habits: Feed on dung, decaying
vegetation, other organic matters.

 Name: Common fly

 Musca domestica
 Season: Winter
 Habitat: Live in both urban and rural areas.
Specifically found in human faeces, garbage
cans, dung heaps, mammalian road kill,
rotten vegetables etc.
 Feeding habits: Fed on semi-liquid food e.g.
faces and decaying matter etc.
 Name: Dolichopus sp.
 Season: Rainy
 Habitat: Dump habitats, wet grassland,
woodland edge, shrub and hedgerous.
 Feeding habits: The adults are predators, feed
on collembolan, aphids etc.

 Name: Anopheles
 Season: Rainy, summer
 Habitat: larvae found in clean, unpolluted
water or saltwater or mangrove or swamps.
Adults rest in tall grasses, weeds, bush near
inhabited locations.
 Feeding habits: Males feed on nectar and other
sources of sugar and females feed on sugar
sources for energy but usually require a blood
meal for development of eggs.
 The lepidopterans are groups of invertebrates with scales that cover the
bodies’ wings and a proboscis. The scales are modified flattened ‘hairs’ and
give butterflies and moths their wide variety of colours and patterns,
presence of some form of membranous wings and larvae are commonly
called Caterpillars.

TABLE – IID Class: Insecta, Order Lepidoptera

No. of specimen
Sl.
recorded
No Common Name Scientific Name
Rainy Winter
.
Season Season
01. Skipper Hesperia sassacus 09 00
Satyrs, allies,
02. Melanitis sp. 00 04
morphos
03. Psyche Leptosianina 00 08
04. Gulls Cepora sp. 08 04

Banded pearl moth Sameodes cancellalis 06 06

05.
 Name: Hesperia sassacus.
This butterfly group is known as skipper. This
group falls between butterfly and moths
 Season: Rainy
 Habitat: Old brushy fields, pastures, clearings,
headlands.
 Feeding habits: Nectar from flower, ripe fruits,
leaves of plants etc.

 Name: Satyrs, Morphos and Allies

Melanitis sp.
 Season: Winter
 Habitat: These butterflies can be seen flying in
the bush during evening before complete
darkness. In day time they rest on forest
ground, amongst dry leaves.
 Feeding habit: Nectars of flowers, grass, rotten
fruit, ripped fruit etc.

Name: Psyche
Leptosianina sp.
Season: Winter
Habitat: They fly low over the grass and the
butterfly rarely leaves the ground level. They are
not found in desert tracts.
Feeding habits: Small insects such as flies, moths,
beetles, wasps and mosquitoes etc.
 Name: Cepora sp.
Season: Both Rainy and Winter
Habitat: Found in grassland, pondside, savanna,
shrub land, Estuary, marsh, Rocky area garden,
riverside etc.
Feeding habits: Feed on nectar from flowers, tree
sap, dung pollen etc.

Name: Sameodes cancellalis

Season: both rainy and winter
Habitat: lowland forest, wetlands, grasslands
Feeding habits: flower nectar, sap of
flowers,rotting fruits, bird droppings etc.
 The arachnids are groups of invertebrates with eight legs, either six or eight
eyes, no wings or antennae and presence of chelicerae and pedipalps.

TABLE – IIE Spiders, of Class: Arachnida, Order: Araneae

No. of specimen
Sl.
recorded
No Common Name Scientific Name
Rainy Winter
.
Season Season
01. Ground Spider Tegenaria domestica 22 11
Long jawed orb
02. Leucauge sp. 12 20
weaver
03. Garden orb weavers Argiops sp. 00 02
Marbel Orchard orb
04. Leucauge sp. 03 7
weaver

Name: Ground Spider

Season: Rainy
Habitat: Found in a wide range of habitats both
coastal and inland. These include shrub land,
woodland. These include shrub land, woodland,
wet-coastal forest, suburban garden and homes.
Feeding habits: They mainly eat insects, but some
larger species are able to catch small fish.
 Name: Long jawed orb weaver
Leucauge sp.
Season: Winter
Habitat: This delicate and beautifully coloured
spider live in low bushes damp woodland. The
females build their small webs in low vegetation
and in small trees.
Feeding habits: Generally, eat small flying insects
e.g. moth and leaf hoppers.

Name: Garden orb weavers

Arqiope sp.
Season: Winter
Habitat: Yellow garden spiders often build webs in
areas adjacent to open sunny fields. Also found in
the caves of houses and tall vegetations.
Feeding habits: They usually fed on flying insects,
moths and beetles.
 Name: Marbel Orchard Orbweaver
Leucauge sp.
Season: Winter
Habitat: This delicate and beautifully coloured
spider live in low bushes damp woodland. The
females build their small webs in low vegetation
and in small trees.
Feeding habits: Small insects such as flies, moths,
beetles, wasps and mosquitoes etc.

INTERPRETATIONS
The abundance of arthropods recorded showed significantly higher numbers
cumulatively during rainy season among all the arthropods studied compared
to winter season. However, there was no difference in species diversity among
the arthropods studied between the different seasons. The absence of such
variation could be the result of a well-maintained trophic structure. A simple
ecological classification of soil trophic structure reflects the common
resources that different species use: primary producers (green plants) and
heterotrophs.
 Trophic structure of recorded arthropods:
Trophic structure Number
Arthropod Recorded
Groups Rainy Winter
season season
Predators,
Insecta, Odonata 92 14
Carnivores
Insecta, Herbivores
1357 1371
Hymenoptera
Herbivores,
Insecta, Diptera scavengers, 116 63
decomposers
Insecta, Herbivores
23 22
Lepidoptera
Spiders, Predators,
37 40
Arachnida Carnivores

Interestingly, the observed groups showed a homogeneity of trophic structure

distribution although the numbers varied in the two seasons, there was similar
distribution of trophic structure in the recorded arthropods. Sampled
arthropods represent herbivores, scavengers, decomposers, predators and
carnivores. The species diversity was conserved without any significant
difference. A greater intensity of rainfall, higher relative humidity, and higher
soil and air temperatures were reported to be major determinants of variation
in the abundance. Sulkava and Huhta (2003) reported effect of extremely low
soil temperature in winter instead of the constant benign temperatures on soil
fauna. Asikidis and Stamou (1991) have also reported that in colder climes, a
drop in temperature during the winter can result in decreasing population
densities.
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We all know that a tireless work and unconditional encouragement are the
basics to necessities of success. This is also applicable in case of furnishing
this Field Work Assessment.
I take this opportunity to thank the concerned authorities of University of
Calcutta for framing such type of syllabus and including these field trips in
our syllabus.
I also express my sincere gratitude to the Principle, Dr. Sudip Kr.
Chakrabarty of Raja Peary Mohan College, and our Head of the Zoology
Department, Prof. Bidisha Mondal for their support.
Finally, I would like to convey my gratefulness to my teachers, Dr. Maitri Bose
(Biswas) and Prof. Aradhana Choudhary for taking out a part of their
valuable time and accompanying as well as guiding us through the entire field
work.

_________________________ _________________________
Dr. Maitri Bose (Biswas) Manideepa Dey
Roll & No. - 3621-51-0042

_________________________
Prof. Aradhana Chaudhury

CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that Manideepa Dey, B.Sc. Part- III, Zoology Honours,
Roll– 3621-51-0042, Registration No.– 563-1211-0690-17, has participated
in the Zoological Field Excursion– 2019 to Ranthambore National Park,
Rajasthan which was organized by Dept. of Zoology, Raja Peary Mohan
College. And this Field Work Assessment, entitled “Study of Faunal Diversity
near Pond Banks at Bhadreshwar to Analyse Arthropod Community
Diversity and Abundance” is completely made by her and submitted for
Report on Environmental Audit under Part- III, Unit- II, Paper- 8
PRACTICAL, during the year- 2019, is an authentic record of work carries
out under our guidance and supervision.

_________________________
Dr. Maitri Bose (Biswas)

_________________________
Prof. Aradhana Chaudhury