Remote sensing technique for assessment of zooplankton community in lake mariout, Egypt

Abstract

Lake Mariout is a shallow, brackish water basin located in the north of Egypt. Zooplankton samples were collected seasonally from 10 stations during the period from summer 2009 to autumn 2015 to evaluate the ecological status of Lake Mariout through variations in zooplankton community using time series analyses and remote sensing technique. Fifty zooplankton taxa belong to 36 genera were recorded all over the period of study. Rotifera was the most abundant and diversified group, followed by Copepoda and Ostracoda. The time series trending of the total zooplankton density was decreasing with time. Rotifers showed stability in abundance all over the study period. Copepod density tended to increase gradually with time while ostracod and cladoceran densities tended to decrease. Brachionus urceolaris and Brachionus calyciflorus were the most common species over the study period at all lake basins. The present results confirmed the continued deterioration of Lake Mariout situation, which threatens the breakdown of the Lake ecosystem that could have a negative impact on its fish production.