Document of bibliographic reference 393370

BibliographicReference record

Type

Bibliographic resource

Type of document

Journal article

Type of document

Preprint

BibLvlCode

AS

Title

Diversity of macro-benthic invertebrates in the Egyptian Nile estuaries

Abstract

The Nile is the world's longest river, stretching over 6,000 kilometers from source to outlet, representing a dominant feature of Africa. This study is the first to evaluate the diversity of macro-benthic invertebrate communities in the Egyptian Nile estuarine (Rosetta and Damietta) habitats, as well as their variation in distributions. Using the Ponar grab sampler (18 ×13 cm, 0.02 m²), seasonal sediment samples were collected from 11 stations in each estuary during the year 2022. Samples were washed through a 100 µm sieve. A total of 103 taxa were recorded in the Rosetta estuary, compared with 112 taxa in the Damietta estuary. Of these, 63 taxa were common between the two estuaries. Annelida (Polychaeta) was the most diverse phylum in both Rosetta and Damietta estuaries, constituting 47 and 61% of the total recorded species, respectively; meanwhile, Arthropoda was the most dominant phylum, forming 63 and 66% of the total individuals. Results of seasonal variation in the Rosetta estuary indicated that Arthropoda and Annelida showed higher abundances in November and March. Meanwhile, in the Damietta estuary, both phyla also demonstrated higher abundances in March, November, or September. Local variations among stations in the Rosetta Estuary revealed that total abundance and average diversity showed higher values at the three first stations, while in the Damietta Estuary, both parameters showed another trend. All the recorded benthic fauna were saltwater in origin, indicating the intrusion of saltwater into the habitats, leading to higher values of the bottom water salinity. Furthermore, the results indicated that the type of substrate may significantly influences the structure of benthic communities, particularly mud, plant detritus, and shell fragments.

Bibliographic citation

Abdelsalam, K.M.; Abd-Elnaby, F.A. (2024). Diversity of macro-benthic invertebrates in the Egyptian Nile estuaries. Regional Studies in Marine Science 77: 103689. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rsma.2024.103689

Is peer reviewed

true