Environmental

Rotifers are one of the most common, abundant components of plankton in the coastal waters of the Mediterranean Sea, which means that they can be used as bio-indicators and provide useful information on the long-term dynamics of the El-Mex Bay ecosystem. Rotifera species were quantitatively and qual...

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Main Authors: Sawsan M. Aboul Ezz, Nagwa E. Abdel Aziz, Mohamed M. Abou Zaid, M. El Raey, Hamdy A. Abo-Taleb
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2014-01-01
Series:Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Research
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1687428514000272
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author Sawsan M. Aboul Ezz
Nagwa E. Abdel Aziz
Mohamed M. Abou Zaid
M. El Raey
Hamdy A. Abo-Taleb
author_facet Sawsan M. Aboul Ezz
Nagwa E. Abdel Aziz
Mohamed M. Abou Zaid
M. El Raey
Hamdy A. Abo-Taleb
author_sort Sawsan M. Aboul Ezz
collection DOAJ
description Rotifers are one of the most common, abundant components of plankton in the coastal waters of the Mediterranean Sea, which means that they can be used as bio-indicators and provide useful information on the long-term dynamics of the El-Mex Bay ecosystem. Rotifera species were quantitatively and qualitatively assessed in the El-Mex Bay, west of Alexandria at eight stations to study spatial, temporal, dominance, and abundance of the rotifer community and their relation with changes in environmental conditions. Samples were collected seasonally from autumn 2011 to autumn 2012. Ecological parameters were determined and correlated with total rotifers abundance to gain information about the forces that structure the rotifer community in this dynamic environment. A total of 38 rotifer species were identified belonging to 16 genera within 12 families and 3 orders under one class and contributed about 12.1% of the total zooplankton in the study area with an average of 1077 specimens/m3. Maximum density was observed in summer 2012 with an average of 1445 specimens/m3. During autumn 2011 rotifers appeared in low density (434 specimens/m3). The predominant species Ascomorpha saltans, Brachionus urceolaris, Synchaeta oblonga, Synchaeta okai, Synchaeta pectinata and Synchaeta tremula were recorded in all study stations of the bay. Salinity, temperature, depth, and chlorophyll-a concentration were the most important environmental factors co-related with the abundance of rotifers in the El-Mex Bay. A significant positive correlation between the total rotifer abundance and chlorophyll-a was observed during winter 2012 and summer 2012 (r = 0.763 and r = 0.694, respectively, at p ⩽ 0.05).
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spelling doaj.art-3fa7d58897d5432a88b75ef1c72746ab2022-12-21T21:57:58ZengElsevierEgyptian Journal of Aquatic Research1687-42852014-01-01401435710.1016/j.ejar.2014.03.005EnvironmentalSawsan M. Aboul Ezz0Nagwa E. Abdel Aziz1Mohamed M. Abou Zaid2M. El Raey3Hamdy A. Abo-Taleb4National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Alexandria, EgyptNational Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Alexandria, EgyptFaculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, EgyptInstitute of Graduate Studies and Research, Department of Environmental Studies, Alexandria, EgyptFaculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, EgyptRotifers are one of the most common, abundant components of plankton in the coastal waters of the Mediterranean Sea, which means that they can be used as bio-indicators and provide useful information on the long-term dynamics of the El-Mex Bay ecosystem. Rotifera species were quantitatively and qualitatively assessed in the El-Mex Bay, west of Alexandria at eight stations to study spatial, temporal, dominance, and abundance of the rotifer community and their relation with changes in environmental conditions. Samples were collected seasonally from autumn 2011 to autumn 2012. Ecological parameters were determined and correlated with total rotifers abundance to gain information about the forces that structure the rotifer community in this dynamic environment. A total of 38 rotifer species were identified belonging to 16 genera within 12 families and 3 orders under one class and contributed about 12.1% of the total zooplankton in the study area with an average of 1077 specimens/m3. Maximum density was observed in summer 2012 with an average of 1445 specimens/m3. During autumn 2011 rotifers appeared in low density (434 specimens/m3). The predominant species Ascomorpha saltans, Brachionus urceolaris, Synchaeta oblonga, Synchaeta okai, Synchaeta pectinata and Synchaeta tremula were recorded in all study stations of the bay. Salinity, temperature, depth, and chlorophyll-a concentration were the most important environmental factors co-related with the abundance of rotifers in the El-Mex Bay. A significant positive correlation between the total rotifer abundance and chlorophyll-a was observed during winter 2012 and summer 2012 (r = 0.763 and r = 0.694, respectively, at p ⩽ 0.05).http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1687428514000272RotiferaEl-Mex BayBio-indicatorEnvironmental parameters
spellingShingle Sawsan M. Aboul Ezz
Nagwa E. Abdel Aziz
Mohamed M. Abou Zaid
M. El Raey
Hamdy A. Abo-Taleb
Environmental
Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Research
Rotifera
El-Mex Bay
Bio-indicator
Environmental parameters
title Environmental
title_full Environmental
title_fullStr Environmental
title_full_unstemmed Environmental
title_short Environmental
title_sort environmental
topic Rotifera
El-Mex Bay
Bio-indicator
Environmental parameters
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1687428514000272
work_keys_str_mv AT sawsanmaboulezz environmental
AT nagwaeabdelaziz environmental
AT mohamedmabouzaid environmental
AT melraey environmental
AT hamdyaabotaleb environmental