Assessing the Biodiversity of Coastal Benthic Fauna Along the Eastern Side of the Gulf of Suez , Red Sea, Egypt | ||||
| Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries | ||||
| Article 116, Volume 28, Issue 4, July and August 2024, Page 1957-1992 PDF (1.36 MB) | ||||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||||
| DOI: 10.21608/ejabf.2024.375361 | ||||
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| Author | ||||
| Belal et al. | ||||
| Abstract | ||||
| This study investigated the benthic fauna in the eastern side of the Gulf of Suez and Suez Bay. The samples of macro-benthos living in the intertidal zone were collected from autumn 2019 to summer 2020. 57 different species were found with a density of 91,117 individuals per square meter. These macro-benthos belong to five main groups (phyla): bristle worms (polychaetes) were the most abundant with 18 species and 47,650 individuals/m², followed by mollusks (18 species, 22,299indiv./ m²), crustaceans (14 species, 19,373indiv./ m²), echinoderms (6 species, 945indiv./ m²), and acorn worms (cephalochordates), with just 1 species and 850indiv./ m². Various water quality factors were examined in the current study to understand the environment where the macro-benthos under study live. This included measuring the acidity (pH), oxygen levels (DO), and the amount of organic material present (BOD and COD). The total dissolved solids (TDS) in the water was measured. Additionally, the grain size of the sediment on the bottom was analyzed and checked for the presence of heavy metals (copper, lead, zinc) in both the water and sediment.Higher concentrations of zinc were detected compared to lead and copper in the surface water, while the opposite was true for the sediments. Finally, the levels of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) and nutrients (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and phosphate) were measured in both the water and sediment samples. The results showed that most Gulf locations had high benthic organism diversity, indicating little contamination by heavy metals. However, the Suez Bay had lower diversity, likely due to organic matter and nutrient enrichment (eutrophication) from the nearby Suez City's wastewater. This highlights the negative effects of human activity on marine ecosystems. | ||||
| Keywords | ||||
| Biodiversity; Macro-benthic fauna; Heavy metals; Total hydrocarbons; Nutrient salts; Sediment analysis; Suez Gulf; Red Sea | ||||
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