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RESEARCH ARTICLE

Microphytoplankton and ciliate communities’ structure and distribution in a stressed area of the south coast of Sfax, Tunisia (eastern Mediterranean Sea)

Amira Rekik A , Jannet Elloumi A B , Dorra Chaari A and Habib Ayadi A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A University of Sfax, Faculty of Sciences of Sfax, Department of Sciences of Life, Research Unity UR/11ES72 Biodiversity and Aquatic Ecosystem, Street Soukra kilomètre 3.5, BP 1171, CP 3000 Sfax, Tunisia.

B Corresponding author. Email: jannetelloumi@yahoo.fr

Marine and Freshwater Research 67(10) 1445-1462 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF15057
Submitted: 15 February 2015  Accepted: 9 June 2015   Published: 28 September 2015

Abstract

The environmental parameters, microphytoplankton and ciliate communities in the area were studied in spring and autumn at 20 stations along the coast south of Sfax over two seasons during 2011. The results showed that the environmental parameters indicated high nutrient levels and their concentrations ranges reported as criteria of eutrophication in coastal waters. A total of 78 microphytoplankton species were identified, belonging to Diatoms, Dinoflagellates, Cyanobacteriae, Euglenophyceae, Dictyochophyceae and Chlorophyceae. The numerical density of phytoplankton was high over the whole area, with season averages between 44.10 × 102 ± 41.93 × 102 and 103.55 × 102 ± 107.33 × 102 cells L–1. A total of 58 ciliate species were identified at all of the stations. Tintinnids abundance was generally higher than naked ciliate abundance reported for autumn and spring seasons, both at the surface layer and water–sediment interface. One striking point was that ciliate abundance was unchanged in autumn (4 × 102 cells L–1) but was still higher in spring (6 × 102 cells L–1). Some species reported in this study are commonly found in the stressed coastal waters.

Additional keywords: environmental parameters, pollution.


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