QATAR UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES MEIOBENTHIC ASSEMBLAGES IN SOME INTERTIDAL AREAS AROUND QATAR, ARABIAN GULF BY DM G. ESTREMADURA A Project Submitted to the Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Masters of Science in Environmental Sciences January 2021 © 2021. DM Estremadura. All Rights Reserved. COMMITTEE PAGE The members of the Committee approve the Project of DM Estremadura defended on 07/12/2020. Dr. Jassim Al-Khayat Thesis/Dissertation Supervisor Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Muftah Committee Member Dr. Yousra Soliman Committee Member ii ABSTRACT ESTREMADURA, DM G., Masters : January : 2021, Master of Science in Environmental Sciences Title: Meiobenthic Assemblages in some Intertidal Areas around Qatar, Arabian Gulf Supervisor of Project: Jassim Al-Khayat. Sediment core samples were collected in 10 locations around intertidal areas of Qatar to acquire baseline information on meiobenthic density and composition. Temperature, salinity, and pH of interstitial waters were measured, in situ. Additional core samples were collected for nutrient and granulometry analysis. A total of 74 taxonomic groups belonging to 14 phyla were recorded. Total mean density was 120.89 ind/10cm2, with a range 0.42 to 16.73 ind/10cm2. High densities were recorded in Al Wakra 1 (rocky shore), Simaisma, Al Khor and Al Zubara. Furthermore, Al Zubara showed high species richness, expH’ and evenness index. High nematode/copepod ratios were recorded in Fuwairit and Al Wakra 2 (mangrove area). Meiofaunal densities and composition were associated with sediment characteristics and total organic matter availability in the area. Further investigations should be done on meiofaunal community of Qatar to determine the effect of seasons and other anthropogenic activities on the community. Keywords: Qatar, meiobenthos, meiofauna assemblage, intertidal zone, Arabian Gulf iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my colleagues in the Department of Biological and Environmental Science for the support, especially to my supervisor Dr. Jassim Al- Khayat, co-supervisor Dr. Abdulrahamn Al-Muftah, and panel member Dr. Yousra Soliman. I am also grateful to Mr. Abdul Ali Amoghadasi, Dr. Nayeem Mullungal, and Mr. Dean Estremadura for assistance during the field sampling. I would also like to thank the Environmental Science Center, especially Mr. Caesar Sorino and Ms. Amal Ismail for the assistance with nutrient and sediment analysis. Lastly, to my family and friends for the support and love. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................ iv LIST OF TABLES ..................................................................................................... viii LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................... ix CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .................................................................................. 1 1.1 Objectives ........................................................................................................... 2 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ....................................................................... 3 2.1 Qatar Waters and the Arabian Gulf .................................................................... 3 2.2 Meiofauna Definition .......................................................................................... 4 2.3 Importance of Meiobentic Studies ...................................................................... 4 2.4 Factors Affecting Patterns of Assemblage .......................................................... 5 CHAPTER 3: MATERIALS AND METHODS ........................................................... 6 3.1 Study Area .......................................................................................................... 6 3.2 Field Sampling .................................................................................................... 7 3.3 Biological Analysis ............................................................................................. 7 3.4 Granulometry ...................................................................................................... 9 3.5 Chemical analysis ............................................................................................... 9 3.6 Data Analysis ...................................................................................................... 9 CHAPTER 4: RESULTS ............................................................................................. 11 4.1 Physical Parameters .......................................................................................... 11 4.2 Granulometry .................................................................................................... 13 v 4.3 Chemical Analysis ............................................................................................ 13 4.4 Taxonomic Composition ................................................................................... 19 4.5 Distribution of Meiofaunal Assemblages ......................................................... 22 4.6 Ecological Indices ............................................................................................. 22 4.7 Nematode/Copepod Ration (N/C Ratio) ........................................................... 27 4.8 Cluster Analysis ................................................................................................ 28 4.9 Principal Component Analysis ......................................................................... 28 CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION ....................................................................................... 34 5.1 Future Research and Recommendations ........................................................... 38 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................ 40 APPENDIX .................................................................................................................. 44 Appendix A.. Details of Sampling Conducted on 10 Stations in the Intertidal Waters of Qatar ............................................................................................................................. 44 Appendix B. Checklist of all Taxonomic Groups Recorded from the Meiofaunal Samples Collected in the Intertidal Waters around Qatar, Stations 1-5 (Station Numbers Correspond to Locations as Indicated in Table 1) ....................................................... 45 Appendix C. Checklist of all Taxonomic Groups Recorded from the Meiofaunal Samples Collected in the Intertidal Waters around Qatar, Stations 6-10 (Station Numbers Correspond to Locations as Indicated in Table 1)........................................ 48 Appendix D. Checklist of all Taxonomic Groups Recorded from the Meiofaunal Samples Collected in the Intertidal Waters around Qatar, Stations 11 – 15 (Station Numbers correspond to locations as indicated in Table 1) .......................................... 51 vi Appendix E. Checklist of all Taxonomic Groups Recorded from the Meiofaunal Samples Collected in the Intertidal Waters around Qatar, Stations 16 – 20 (Station Numbers correspond to locations as indicated in Table 1) .......................................... 54 vii LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Physical Parameter Measurements on 10 Stations in the Intertidal Waters of Qatar (MIT = middle intertidal; UIT = upper intertidal) ............................................ 12 Table 2. Grain Size Composition of Sediments Collected from 10 Stations in the Intertidal Areas of Qatar .............................................................................................. 15 Table 3 Granulometry Measurements of Sediments Collected from 10 Stations in the Intertidal Areas of Qatar .............................................................................................. 16 Table 4. Total Organic Matter (%) and Carbonate Composition (%) of Sediments Collected from the 10 Stations in the Intertidal Areas of Qatar .................................. 17 Table 5. Measurements of Various Nitrogen Forms and Phosphates of Sediments Collected from the 10 Stations in the Intertidal Areas of Qatar .................................. 18 Table 6. Mean Density (individuals/10cm2) of Meiobenthic Assemblages per Station and Zone....................................................................................................................... 20 Table 7. Twenty Most Abundant Taxa of Meiofauna Collected from the Intertidal Areas of Qatar ........................................................................................................................ 21 Table 8 The Eigenanalysis of Correlation Matrix from Principal Component Analysis of various Physico-Chemical and Biological Variables .............................................. 33 viii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Qatar map showing the study area and sampling locations. ........................... 8 Figure 2. Mean density (individuals /10cm 2) by phylum of meiofauna collected in the intertidal areas around Qatar. ....................................................................................... 24 Figure 3. Mean density (individuals /10cm 2) of meiofauna collected in the intertidal areas around Qatar. A: three types of nematodes; B: different groups under Subphylum Crustacea. ....................................................................................................................