Spatio-Temporal Variations of Zooplankton Community in the Hypersaline Lagoon of Bardawil, North Sinai, Egypt
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Spatio-temporal variations of zooplankton community in the hypersaline lagoon of Bardawil, North Sinai, Egypt Item Type Journal Contribution Authors Mageed, A.A.A. Citation Egyptian journal of aquatic research, 32(1). p. 168-183 Publisher National Institute of Oceanograhy and Fisheries (NIOF) Download date 01/10/2021 05:54:11 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/1834/1456 EGYPTIAN JOURNAL OF AQUATIC RESEARCH 1687-4285 VOL. 32 NO. 1, 2006: 168-183. SPATIO-TEMPORAL VARIATIONS OF ZOOPLANKTON COMMUNITY IN THE HYPERSALINE LAGOON OF BARDAWIL, NORTH SINAI – EGYPT ADEL ALI A. MAGEED National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, 101 Kasr Al Ainy St., Cairo Egypt E. mail: [email protected] Key words: Bardawil, hypersaline lagoon, zooplankton, salinity ABSTRACT Bardawil Lagoon is a shallow oligotrophic hypersaline lake, located at the northern periphery of Sinai peninsula-Egypt, connected to SE Mediterranean Sea through two main openings known as Boughazes. Distribution of zooplankton in Bardawil Lagoon during 2004 was studied, not only in space and time but also with reference to species assemblages and environmental factors. Copepoda, Protozoa, and Mollusca were dominating the lagoon zooplankton community during the period of study with 58 identified forma. Zooplankton stock peaked during August and October with severe depletion in spring. Spatially, the maximum density occurred near the sea opening I. The lowest density and species richness were noticed at stations with high salinity. The community composition was highly changed with time series. Twenty new taxa were recorded during the study, whereas thirty three taxa disappeared from the lagoon along twenty years 1. INTRODUCTION rises creating the danger of drying up of the lagoon and subsequent loss of its biological Bardawil Lagoon is a large hypersaline and economic value. An extensive salt coastal lagoon on the Mediterranean coast of production system, constructed in the eastern Sinai, Egypt. Although it is shallow and part of the lagoon, leads to considerable oligotrophic (Touliabah et al., 2002), it is one ecological changes. There is an increasing of the most important lakes in Egypt as a pressure to establish tourism developments source of good quality fish and a habitat for along the lakeshores. There is a large-scale wildlife. agriculture reclamation project in North Sinai The significance of Bardawil Lagoon near the lake, the inflow of freshwater from fisheries lies not only in the supply of fish for these lands will change the lake from a saline regional domestic consumption (3,300 tons in to brackish lagoon, leading to the 2003), but especially in regional employment deterioration of water quality. and in export earnings. The lagoon represents Zooplankton is among the most important a spawning area for fish and supports the components of the aquatic ecosystem, following commercially important playing a major role in energy transfer populations; Sparus aurata, Mugil cephalus, between the phytoplankton and the various Dicentrarchus labrax, Argyrosomus regium, economically important fish populations. The Solea solea and Epinephelus aeneus. abundance of zooplankton in Bardawil The lagoon is known to suffer from many Lagoon depends on a great variety of abiotic problems which might lead to substantial and biotic factors, which collectively affect changes in its ecosystem. The closure of individual species of the zooplankton boughaz connecting the lagoon with the sea community. ADEL ALI A. MAGEED Despite the importance of zooplankton in and 2m. It is separated from the lagoon food chain, that are utilized by early Mediterranean Sea along most of its length life stages of many species of fishes, little is by a long, narrow sand bar. Bardawil Lagoon known about the distribution and standing crop is about 35 km to the west of El Arish city, of zooplankton in Bardawil Lagoon. Kimor north of Sinai Peninsula - Egypt, between (1975) conducted preliminary studies on the longitudes 320 40\ to 330 30\ E and latitude plankton of Bardawil Lagoon, while Fouda et 310 03\ to 310 14\ N. Three openings al. (1985) listed 87 zooplankton species in (Boughazes) connect the lagoon to the sea. the lagoon and mentioned that some species Two of these are man-made (the western occur over a relatively wide range of habitats, Boughaz I and the Middle Eastern Boughaz while others were confined to certain II), while the third one is natural (eastern localities. They added that zooplankton Boughaz III at Zaranik Protectorate). The populations were poor in a variety of species, main water supply of the lagoon comes from compared to phytoplankton. They were the Mediterranean Sea which flows dominated by copepods and tintinnids, while constantly mainly through the first two the other groups were infrequently recorded. openings. Bardawil is a hypersaline coastal Ibrahim et al. (1987) included zooplankton in lagoon, the highest salinities are reached their studies on fishery and management of along the southern shore. It is the least the lagoon. Recently, Shabrawy (2002) polluted wetland in Egypt and the entire recorded 57 zooplankton species, where Mediterranean region. copepods were the most abundant group Twelve sites were selected for sampling, (70% to total zooplankton). to represent different microhabitats of the Many environmental factors can affect lagoon (Fig. 1), five at the eastern arm (I, II, zooplankton assemblages, including water III, IV, and V), two in the middle (VI and temperature, nutrient concentrations, and VII), and five at the western one (VIII, IX, X, salinity. Increased nutrient concentrations XI, and XII). Sites IV and X were in-front of typically correspond with increased the opening of the lagoon to the phytoplankton abundance, which can have an Mediterranean Sea directly, representing effect on zooplankton. Therefore, changes in Boughaz II (BII) and Boughaz I (BI), primary production lead to changes in the respectively. Samples were monthly collected distribution and abundance of zooplankton through twelve cruises during Jan. – Dec. species (Francis et al., 1998). Thus, the 2004. objectives of this study were to describe the A number of physico-chemical and dynamic of the community composition and zooplankton density variables were structure of the lagoon zooplankton and to investigated in Bardawil Lagoon during the describe environmental parameters that may sampling program. One liter of subsurface best correlate with patterns in species water sample was collected from each distribution. location, for which seven water variables were measured. In the field, water 2. MATERIALS AND MATHODS temperature, pH value, and dissolved oxygen (DO) were measured during daytime, while Bardawil Lagoon is the largest lagoon in in the laboratory, water samples were Egypt with an area of about 650 km2 (Por, analyzed using standard methods (APHA, 1972). In the present time, the area has 1985) for measuring salinity, nitrate (NO3-N), recently decreased, reaching to 595 km2, with total phosphorus (TP), and orthophosphate 95km long and 25 km wide. It is extremely (PO4-P). shallow; the water depth ranges between 0.5 ١٦٩ SPATIO-TEMPORAL VARIATIONS OF ZOOPLANKTON COMMUNITY IN THE HYPERSALINE LAGOON OF BARDAWIL, NORTH SINAI – EGYPT Zooplankton quantitative analysis was January - March. The highest salinity was carried out by filtration of 50 liters through measured at sites VIII and XI (avg. 58psu) 30 cm diameter plankton net with 20µm mesh reaching the maximum at site XII (avg. size. Horizontal hauls for qualitative analysis 63psu), whereas the lowest values were were taken from each station. Samples were measured near the Boughazes (avg. 40psu). preserved immediately after collection in 4% The nitrate average values varied from 36µg/l neutral formalin solution. Eight main groups at site V to 48µg/l at site II, while the range of zooplankton (Protozoa, Rotifera, of orthophosphate and total phosphorus Cladocera, Copepoda, Coelenterata, average values were 26-42 and 93-130µg/L Pteropods, Chaetognatha, and with maximum values at the Boughazes (Ali Appendicularia) were examined in details in and Ebdellah, personal communication). addition to the meroplankton. The density of organisms were expressed 3.2. POPULATION DYNAMICS AND as organisms/m3. Correlation, regression, and COMMUNITY STRUCTURE OF cluster analyses for data were carried out by ZOOPLANKTON: Minitab 12, under Windows 2003. A total of 58 zooplankton species and taxa belonging to 17 groups were recorded. 3. RESULTS Three groups were dominant (Copepoda, Protozoa, and Mollusca) and three were rare 3.1. PHYSICO-CHEMICAL FACTORS: (Polychaeta, Rotifera, and Planocera), The average monthly water temperature whereas the others were very rare which fluctuated between 15.6°C in January and occasionally occurred in the plankton hauls 32.7°C in August. The highest average (Table 1). The holoplankton groups (The dissolved oxygen value of 7.93mg/L was crustaceans Copepoda & Cladocera, recorded in January, while the lowest (avg. Protozoa, Rotifera, Coelenterata, 6.87mg/L) occurred in July. The pH values Chaetognatha and Pteropoda) contributed always, fluctuated within alkaline side at a about 81% to the total zooplankton density; narrow range of 7.94 to 8.79. The water while meroplankton represented about 19% salinity reached its maximum in July- to total zooplankton. The latter were September (avg. 53psu), while the lowest composed of the larvae of Mollusca, average value of 46 psu was recorded in Polychaeta, Planocera, Cirripedia, ١٧٠ ADEL ALI A. MAGEED Mysidacea, Echinodermata and other groups org./m3). Spatially, sites IX and X harbored as Ostracoda, Nematoda and Chordata. the highest density of these larvae (avg. The standing crop of zooplankton in 180,044 and 144,589 org./m3) followed by Bardawil Lagoon was subjected to significant sites VII and XI. The nauplii numbers were temporal and regional variations (Fig. 2). It low, with more or less similar density to the was more abundant in August and October, other sites (avg. 70,597 org./m3). Copepodid with a mean of 316,871 and 331,083 org./m3 stages of Cyclopoida, Calanoida, and respectively. There was a severe decline in Harpacticoida were recorded.