Mesozooplankton dynamics in the coastal waters of Sharm El-Sheikh, Red Sea, Egypt | ||||
| Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries | ||||
| Article 34, Volume 24, Issue 5, July and August 2020, Page 563-587 PDF (1.18 MB) | ||||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||||
| DOI: 10.21608/ejabf.2020.110612 | ||||
 View on SCiNiTO | ||||
| Authors | ||||
| Mohsen El-Sherbiny; Mahmoud Hanafy; Mohamed Dorgham | ||||
| Abstract | ||||
| The zooplankton community was studied monthly in shallow embayments around Sharm El-Sheikh, northern Red Sea, in relation to physical-chemical properties. The study recorded a total of 91 species, amounting monthly to 2169 - 12319 ind./m3 in the whole area and 3382 - 7835 ind./m3 at the sampling sites. Copepods were the most diverse group represented by 68 species, with clear species diversity of calanoids (48), and less so for cyclopoids (13) and harpacticoids (7). Copepods constituted 68.2% of the total zooplankton count. Thirty two species were persistent in the whole area, including 28 copepods, while all other zooplankton groups were pronouncedly less diversified. Among these groups, larvaceans formed 3.1% and cladocerans (2.1%). The meroplankton representatives played a crucial role, forming 23.7% of the zooplankton count. The Bray-Curtis analysis demonstrated high similarity between sites I, III, and IV. Eleven epipelagic, mesopelagic, or bathypelagic forms were recorded in the shallow waters of Sharm El-Sheikh, indicating the effect of winter vertical mixing on zooplankton distribution. | ||||
| Keywords | ||||
| Zooplankton; copepods; Sharm El-Sheikh; Red Sea | ||||
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