PARENT SESSION
Contributed Oral Session 169: Late Breaking and Newsworthy Research: Sustainable Development, and an Aquatic and Terrestrial Collage
Friday, August 12, 8:00 AM - 11:30 AM, Meeting Room 524 C, Level 5, Palais des congrès de Montréal
Vertical distribution of phytoplankton in Habbaniyah Lake,Iraq.
Kassim, Thaer*,1, Al-Saadi, Hussain2, Farhan, Rasha3, 1 Ministry of Science and Technology, Baghdad, IRAQ2 University of Baghdad, Baghdad, IRAQ3 Ministry of Science and Technology, Baghdad, IRAQ
ABSTRACT- The study includes the distribution of phytoplankton in water column of Habbaniya Lake during 1999 and 2000. Extra four water samples represent depths (1,3,5,10 meter) as well as the surface were collected using Van Dorn water sampler to filter 10 liters of water (from each depth) in phytoplankton net .A total of 116 taxa of phytoplankton were identified in difference depths of the lake during the study period .Out of that 53, 64,65,69,and 60 taxa were identified in the surface and depths 1,3,5,10 meter, respectively. It was found that the number of algal taxa were almost similar along the water column especially during summer and autumn. In the whole depths, Bacillariophyta was the most dominant group (60.3%) with 70 taxa. The majority of them belonged to pennales (53.4%), and 6.9% to the centrales, followed by Chlorophyta (25.8%) with 30 taxa, Cyanophyta (10.3%) with 12 taxa, Pyrrophyta (1.7%) with 2 taxa and one taxa of Chrysophyta. Few genera were represented by the highest species number such as Nitzschia (15 species), Navicula (7 species), Cymbella(6 species) and 5 species of Cyclotella Only six species were identified at the surface water, namely Arthrospira spirulinoides, Chroococcus minor, Pediastrum boryanum, Amphora sp., Gomphonies olivacea, Navicula sp. and Rhopalodia gibba. While, three species (Tetraedron caidatum , Surirella biseriata and Surirella sp.) only were identified at 10 meters depth. High total cells number of algae were recorded at 10 metersdepth, followed by the depths 5,1,3 and the surface, respectively which dominated by diatoms in all depths without regular seasonal variations. Two peaks of total cells number and Bacillariophyta were observed during summer and autumn.
Key words: Phytoplankton, Vertical disribution, Habbaniyah Lake, Iraq