Monitoring of Water Pollution and Eutrophication using Phytoplankton as Bioindicator in Burullus Lake, Egypt

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Marine Pollution Department, National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Alexandria, Egypt

Abstract

Lake Burullus face tremendous ecological stresses due to rising of pollution originated
from the discharges of the drains without treatment; eight stations were monitored in order to
assess the eutrophication and the pollution levels at these stations using some species of
phytoplankton as bio-indicator to the pollution. An average density of 1.406000 units l-1
phytoplankton belonging to four divisions namely; Euglenophyceae, Bacillariophceae,
Chlorophyceae and Cyanophyceae were identified.
The most abundant genera at these stations were Euglena spp. and Phacus spp.
(euglenords), Scenedesmus spp. (chlorophytes), Cyelotella spp. and Nitzschia sp.
(Bacillariophyceae), while the genera of Merismopedia spp. and Microcystis spp. were the
most dominant among cyanophytes (blue-green algae). These genera were the most
dominant at the stations near to the drains which affected by the discharges originated from
the drains (organic pollution) as well as the high levels of nutrient salts especially ammonia
nitrogen (eutophication). The members of euglenoids were the most indicators to the
pollution at station 2, 3 and 7 near to the drains.

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