Journal of Environmental Biology

Phytoplankton composition of Euphrates River in Al-Hindiya

barrage and Kifil City region of Iraq

 

Fikrat M. Hassan*¹, William D. Taylor², Mayson M.S. Al-Taee³ and Hassan J.J. Al-Fatlawi⁴

¹Department of Biology, College of Science for Women, University of Bhaghdad, Jadirya, P.O. Box 4732, Baghdad, Iraq

²Department of Biology, University of Waterloo,? N2L 3G1, ON Canada

³College of Science, University of Babylon, P.O. Box 4

⁴College of Science, University of Karbala-Iraq, Baldersgatan 6 A, 10041 Stockholm, Box 26031, Sweden

(Received: August 08, 2008; Revised received: May 10, 2009; Accepted: August 08, 2009)

 

Abstract: Seasonal variations in phytoplankton abundance and their composition were studied at five stations in the middle region (between Al-Hindiya barrage to Kifil City) of the Euphrates River in Iraq between March, 2004, and February, 2005. A total 151 taxa of phytoplankton were identified, belonging to Bacillariophyceae (98), Chlorophyceae (33), Cyanophyceae (14), Euglenophyceae (2), Xanthophyceae (2), and Dinophyceae (2). The total abundance of phytoplankton cells varied from 136 to 5312 cells l^{-1? with} maxima in spring and fall.? Bacillariophyceae were the most abundant group at all stations. Some species of phytoplankton occurred continuously during the study period (Cyclotella ocellata, C. meneghiana, Cocconeis placentula, Nitzchia spp, Meringosphaera spinosa).? The study recorded four species as new records for Iraqi. The phytoplankton was indicative of oligotrophic conditions although it showed some signs of organic pollution near cities.

Key words: Algae, Phytoplankton, Seasonal variation, Euphrates river

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