Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Research (2016) 42, 437–448

H O S T E D BY
National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries

Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Research

http://ees.elsevier.com/ejar
www.sciencedirect.com

The effect of water quality on the distribution

of macro-benthic fauna in Western Lagoon
and Timsah Lake, Egypt.I
Aisha Ahmed M. Belal *, Mohamed A. El-Sawy, Mahmoud A. Dar

National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Egypt

Received 11 August 2016; revised 1 December 2016; accepted 1 December 2016

Available online 17 January 2017

KEYWORDS Abstract Macro-benthic fauna are considered the good bio-indicators for the environmental
Macro-benthic fauna; changes of any aquatic ecosystems. Samples of macro-benthos, sediments and surface water were
Diversity; collected from 13 stations representing different conditions in the Western Lagoon (10 stations)
Western Lagoon; and Timsah Lake (3 stations) from autumn 2014 to summer 2015. Macro-benthic density and diver-
Timsah Lake; sity in Timsah Lake were higher than those in the Western Lagoon; the density at Timsah Lake
Suez Canal encompassed 167,649 individual/m2 representing 42 species from the total of 46 species recorded
in the investigated area. While species density in the Western Lagoon constituted 12,008 individ-
ual/m2 presenting only 16 species. Winter recorded the highest density (74,854 individual/m2); the
highest dominance (CDI = 0.858) and the lowest Equitability (0.293) due to the dominance of
the opportunistic species. Spring harvested both the highest diversity (28 species) and species rich-
ness (SR = 2.917). While autumn and summer procured both the lowest density and diversity
(34,021 and 29,544 individual/m2 and 23 and 25 species respectively). The equitability index (E0 )
showed its highest values within the Western Lagoon (>0.90) owing to the species poorness relative
to Timsah Lake. The water quality data showed that the Western Lagoon and Timsah Lake had
significant high oxygen influx in spring (11.00 and 9.35 mg/l, respectively) and oxygen depletion
in summer (1.00 and 3.00 mg/l, respectively). Reactive phosphorus and ammonia in the Western
Lagoon exceeded the world averages. Timsah Lake sediments were highly affected by the sediment
drifts from the Western Lagoon. The highest influx of the fine sediment group (FSG) was estimated
during spring with an average of 62.77% and 61.18% in Timsah Lake and Western Lagoon, respec-
tively. Total organic matter (TOM) in Western Lagoon recorded the highest average of 17.05% in
spring accompanied with the high biological productivities.
Ó 2017 National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries. Hosting by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access
article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Introduction
* Corresponding author.
E-mail address: aisha_belal29@yahoo.com (A.A.M. Belal). Macro-benthic fauna have a vital role in the marine ecosystem.
Peer review under responsibility of National Institute of Oceanography They provide the essential food source for most of the marine
and Fisheries.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejar.2016.12.003
1687-4285 Ó 2017 National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries. Hosting by Elsevier B.V.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
438 A.A.M. Belal et al.

organisms throughout their different stages of life from juve-

niles to adults. Most macro-benthos process and oxygenate
the underlying sediments as well as break down organic matter
before bacterial demineralization. Many of them, particularly
clams, are considered as human food source in addition to
using them in ornamental and recreational purposes
(Tagliapietra and Sigovini, 2010). The anthropogenic distur-
bances strongly affect the species richness of aquatic macro
invertebrates (Rosenberg and Resh, 1993). The macro-
benthic fauna are tending to remain in their original habitats
with great acclimation capability. They can tolerate any
changes in water quality and high loads of pollution. Under
pollution conditions, the community structure may simplify
in favor of tolerant species, but the abundance of a certain spe-
cies may increase but the diversity and species richness
decrease. By assessing the diversity and functional groups of
the indicator species of the benthic macro-faunal community,
it is possible to evaluate water quality. Consequently; they
can be considered as good bio-indicators for the environmental
changes of any aquatic ecosystem.
The wide range of activities surrounding Timsah Lake and
Figure 1 Map of sampling stations at the Western Lagoon and
the huge discharge effluents at the north and eastern parts of
Timsah Lake.
the lake led to high level of pollution in the lake water much
more than the navigation activities in the nearby Suez Canal
(Abd El Samie et al., 2008). trial and municipal drains. Timsah Lake receives freshwater
In Timsah Lake, most of the studies have been done on from the Western Lagoon and Ismailia Channel meanwhile
specific groups of macro-benthic fauna. Mohammad et al. the saltwater was from Suez Canal.
(2009) investigated the clams Cerastoderma gilaucum as a bio
monitor aspect of oil Pollution. Mohammad et al. (2014) stud- Sampling and analysis
ied the growth, age and reproduction of the clams Venerupis
aurea and Ruditapes decussatus. Extensive studies on fouling
Surface water, sediment and macro-benthic fauna were col-
groups were done by Ghobashy and El-Komi (1981a,b),
lected from 13 stations; 3 stations were inside Timsah Lake
Ghobashy et al. (1980), Emara and Belal (2004). In the same
(Stations; 1, 2 and 3) and the remaining 10 stations (St. 4–St.
area Ghobashy et al. (1986) investigated the Serpulids poly-
13) were in the Western Lagoon (Fig. 1).
chaetes, while Belal and Ghobashy (2012) studied the distribu-
tion of newly recorded benthic polychaetes in the Lake. But
the Western Lagoon has not received any attention, although Physicochemical parameters
it is considered the entrance to Timsah Lake from the western
side and the main cause of pollution in the Lake. Physico-chemical parameters surface water temperature, pH,
Therefore, this is the first study that is concerned with the and dissolved oxygen (DO) were measured in situ using
bottom fauna of the Western Lagoon. Hydrolab. Ver. 4. Nutrients salts; ammonia, nitrates, nitrites
The present study aims to identify the macro-benthic fauna and dissolved phosphorus were measured seasonally in the
of Timsah Lake and Western Lagoon and to determine the lake water samples according to standard methods of APHA
relationship between macro-benthos and some environmental (2005) using JENWAY spectrophotometer.
variables in this polluted area.
Grain size analyses
Materials and methods
The grain-size analyses of the collected sediment samples were
Study area performed using dry method depending upon Wentworth
Scale (Folk, 1974) each one phi (Ø) interval. Seven fractions
Timsah Lake is located at the midpoint of Suez Canal at 80 km were obtained beginning from gravel (Ø1) to mud fraction
south of Port Said with surface area of 15 km2 with variable (Ø5). These fractions were categorized into three groups;
depth between 3 m and about 16 m and containing about coarse sediment group CSG (Ø1 + Ø0), medium sediment
90  106 m3 of water (Fig. 1). The Western Lagoon is located group MSG (Ø1 + Ø2) and fine sediment group FSG
to the Western side of Timsah Lake and connected with the (Ø3 + Ø4 + Ø5).
lake through one inlet of about 20 m width. The lagoon is
small with average surface area of about 4 km2 and shallow Total organic matter (TOM) determination
with an average depth of about 2.5 m. It is partially covered
with dense mats of floating plants growing in patches such as Determination of organic matter contents (TOM) was calcu-
water hyacinths and water weeds. It receives about lated as ignition loss at 550 °C (Dean, 1974) according the
106 m3/day of wastewater and sewage from agriculture, indus- formula:
Water quality on the distribution of macro-benthic fauna 439

wt: of sample  wt: of ash
TOM% ¼¼  100
wt: of sample
Macro-benthic fauna
The macro-benthic fauna were collected by Van Veen grab
with an opening area 0.0288 m2 of seabed. In the laboratory
each sample was spread into a shallow white glass panel with
7% magnesium chloride for four hours to narcotize organisms
before fixing them in 10% formalin solution. The organisms
were identified to species level by exploitation Stereo and com-
pound microscopes. The polychaetes were identified according
to Abele (1976), Abou Zied (1991), Amoureux (1983), Appy
et al. (1980), Ben-Eliahu (1972), Day (1955), Fauchald
(1977), Fauvel (1923, 1927). Fishelson (1971), Jones (1986),
Sharabati (1984), Vine (1986) were used to identify the other
benthic fauna.
Statistical analyses
Species richness (SR), diversity index (H0 ), evenness index (J0 )
and community dominance index (CDI) were applied to com-
pare the variation of macro-benthos community between the
lagoon and Timsah Lake according to Margalef’s equation
(1958), Shannon-Wiener (1963), McNaughton (1968).
Results
Physicochemical parameters
Western Lagoon recorded high water temperature ranged
from 19.10 °C in autumn and 32.70 °C in summer. Whereas
water temperature in Timsah Lake ranged between 19.00 °C
in winter and 28.10 °C in summer. A wide variation was
observed in the hydrogen ion concentration (pH) in the Wes-
tern Lagoon which fluctuated between 7.06 and 9.20. On the
other hand, there was pH variation in Timsah Lake between
7.57 at the connection with the lagoon to 8.45 at the lake cen-
ter. Dissolved oxygen showed high depletion and fluxing rates
in the Western Lagoon; it declined to 1.00 mg/l in summer and
increased to 11.00 mg/l in spring season. At Timsah Lake, DO
was highly affected by the water coming from the Western
Lagoon, it varied between 3.00 mg/l in summer and 9.35 mg/
l in spring.
The recoded values of the dissolved nutrients (ammonia,
nitrates, nitrites and phosphates) were higher in the Western
Lagoon than in Timsah Lake. Ammonia showed the highest
average (5.23 lmol/l) at the Western Lagoon in winter and
at Timsah Lake (2.92 lmol/l) in spring. Nitrates recorded the
highest averages (13.30 lmol/l and 4.97 lmol/l) in autumn at
the Western Lagoon and Timsah Lake respectively. Nitrites
recorded the highest average contents (3.09 lmol/l) in the Wes-
tern Lagoon in autumn and (1.96 lmol/l) at Timsah Lake in
spring. Summer season showed the highest averages of the dis-
solved phosphates (4.93 lmol/l) at the Western Lagoon and
(3.50 lmol/l) at Timsah Lake (Fig. 2).
Grain size analyses
The fine sediment group (FSG) recorded significant occur-
rences in the Western Lagoon and Timsah Lake. Its average
percentage varied between 41.55% in winter and 61.18% in
spring at the Western Lagoon, while its average percentage
in Timsah Lake fluctuated between 38.65% in autumn and
62.77% in summer. CSG recorded low occurrences in the
lagoon and the lake; it varied between 0.86% and 11.37% in
the Western Lagoon and from 1.59% to 13.27% in Timsah
Lake. The changes in MSG were limited between both the
lagoon and the lake in different seasons (Fig. 3a).

Winter Autumn Summer Spring

35

30

25

20

15

10

0
W. Bay T. Lake W. Bay T. Lake W. Bay T. Lake W. Bay T. Lake W. Bay T. Lake W. Bay T. Lake W. Bay T. Lake

Temp. pH DO Phosphates Nitrates Nitrites Ammonia

Figure 2 Seasonal variations of physico-chemical parameters (mg o/l & lmol/l) at the different stations.
440 A.A.M. Belal et al.

(a) (b)

Figure 3 (a) Distribution patterns of the different sediment groups in the West Lagoon and Timsah. (b) TOM distributions in the West
Lagoon and Timsah Lake.

(a) T. Lake W. lago o n (b) 25

140000
20
120000
No. of Species
100000
No. of Individuals

15
80000

60000 10
40000

20000 5

0
0
a
ta

ea
sc

at
ae

ac

rd
lu

IX

X
I

II

III

XI

XII

XIII
ch

IV

VI

VII

VIII
ho
st
ol
ly

ru
M

oc
Po

l
ha
ep

Stations
C

Figure 4 (a) The difference in the group densities within Timsah lake and Western Lagoon. (b) Spatial variations in the species diversity
at Timsah Lake and Western Lagoon.

Total organic matter (TOM)
TOM percentage recorded in the Western Lagoon reached
twice the measured percentage in the Timsah Lake. It fluctu-
ated between 6.46% in autumn and 17.05% in spring at the
Western Lagoon and varied from 4.27% in autumn to
7.70% in winter at Timsah Lake (Fig. 3b).
Distribution patterns of macro-benthic fauna in the Western
Lagoon and Timsah Lake
and also the lowest density (20 species and 10,025 individuals/
m2).
Whereas molluscs recorded the highest density and also the
second highest species number (134,254 individuals/m2 and 18
species). This high density clearly was due to the dominance of
one species (Modiolus auriculatus) that was delineated by
119,086 individuals/m2 and constituted 34.33% of the full pop-
ulation within the area. This was followed by crustaceans
(22,911 individuals/m2 and 7 species). Cephalochordate were
represented by 1 species and 12,467 individuals/m2.

Descriptive analysis, spatial variation and biological quality

Forty-six species of macro-benthic fauna belonging to four
phyla (20 annelids, 18 molluscs, 7 crustaceans and one
Cephalochordate) were collected in the study area. From that
16 species were solely collected from Western Lagoon and the
remaining 42 species were collected from Timsah Lake (30 spe-
cies recorded exclusively in Timsah Lake; 4 species in the Wes-
tern Lagoon and 12 species were involved between the two
water bodies). The annelids were composed of polychaetes
formed of 12 errantes and 8 sedentaries. The molluscs were
represented by 6 gastropods and 12 bivalves. The crustaceans
contained 1 cirripedia, 2 amphipods and 4 decapods. (Table 1
and Fig. 4a). Polychaetes formed the highest number of species
parameters
The distribution pattern of the benthic fauna in Timsah Lake
and the Western Lagoon showed wide variations among the
different stations.
Spatial variations
At Lake Timsah, Stations 1 and 3 recorded the highest density
(113,842 and 25,168 individuals/m2, respectively). Also, the
highest diversity of species were found in these two stations
Water quality on the distribution of macro-benthic fauna 441

Table 1 Distribution of macro benthic species in the different stations at Timsah Lake and Western Lagoon.
Timsah Lake Western Lagoon
St. I St.II St.III Total St. St. St. St. St. St. St.X St. St. St. Total
IV V VI VII VIII IX XI XII XIII
Polychaeta, A – Sedentaria forms
Dasychone lucullana 35 – – 35 – – – – – – – – – – 0
Polydora sp. 346 – – 346 – – – – – – – – – 208 208
Ophelina sp. 277 312 – 589 – – – – – – – – – – –
Amphitrite sp. 69 – 1699 1768 – – – – – – – – – – –
Chaetozone setosa – 208 660 868 – – – – – – – – 104 278 382
Nainereis setosa 278 – 938 1216 – – – – – – – – – – –
Cirratulus cirratus – 590 208 798 – – – – – – – – – – –
Euclymen zonalis 382 139 – 521 – – – – – – – – – – –
Polychaeta, BErrantia forms
Lumbriconereis 208 69 243 520 – – – – – – – – – – –
funcalensis
Nereis (ceratonereis) – 138 0 138 – – – – – – – – – – –
costae
Leocrates sp. – 104 174 278 – – – – – – – – – – –
Syllis sp. – 278 0 278 – – – – – – – – – – –
Lepidonotus squamatus – 139 173 312 – – – – – – – – – – –
Goniada norvegica – 174 – 174 – – – – – – – – – – –
Glycinde multidens 69 104 – 173 – – – – – – – – – – –
Onuphis (onuphis) 69 – 208 277 – – – – – – – – – – –
eremita
Perinereis cultrifera 104 – – 104 – – – – – – – – – – –
Nereis (Neanthes) – – 208 208 – – – – – – - – – – –
caudata
Nereis (Nereis) – 312 – 312 – – – – – – – – – – –
heteromorpha
Perinereis nuntia 69 0 451 520 – – – – – – – – – – –
heterodonta
Mollusca, A – Gastropoda
Bellamya unicolor – – 382 382 312 – – – 69 416 243 – – 348 1388
Melanoides tuberculata – – 139 139 – – – – – 139 – 208 243 – 590
Cyclope neritea – – – 0 – – – – – 104 – – – 1041 1145
Thais sp. – – 416 416 – – – – – – – – – – –
Diadora rueppelli – – 69 69 – – – – – – – – – – –
Lanistes carinatus – – – 0 – 69 104 – 139 – – – – – 312
Mollusca, B – Bivalvia
Venerupis pullastra 174 139 556 869 69 – – – – 139 – – – 694 902
Venerupis aurea – 208 139 347 – – – – – – – – – 382 382
Ruditapes decussata – – – 0 – – – – – – – – – 347 347
Cerastoderma glaucum – – 139 139 – – – – – – – – – 382 382
Atactodea sp. – – 660 660 – – – – – – 69 – – 452 521
Modiolus auriculatus 13,194 105,892 – 119,086 – – – – – – – – – – –
Paphia undulata 139 – – 139 – – – – – – – – – – –
Paphia textile 416 – – 416 – – – – – – – – – – –
Papyridae papyracea – 69 – 69 – – – – – – – – – – –
Brachydontes variabilis – – 2187 2187 – – – – – 522 451 139 – 208 1320
Tellina sp. 139 208 – 347 – – – – – – – – – – –
Curbicula sp. – – – 0 278 – – – – 520 555 – 69 278 1700
Crustacea, A-Cirripedia
Balanus sp. 694 – 14,929 15,623 – – – – – – – – – 2152 2152
Crustacea, B – Amphipoda
Stenothoe gallensis – – 417 417 – – – – – – – – – – –
Elasmopus rapax 3472 – – 3472 – – – – – – – – – – –
Crustacea, C-Decapoda
Leptodius exaratus 138 208 – 346 – – – – – – – – 69 104 173
Alpheus sp. 139 104 69 312 – – – – – – – – – – –
Pilumnus sp. – 69 – 69 – – – – – – – – – – –
(continued on next page)
442 A.A.M. Belal et al.

Table 1 (continued)
Timsah Lake Western Lagoon
St. I St.II St.III Total St. St. St. St. St. St. St.X St. St. St. Total
IV V VI VII VIII IX XI XII XIII
Metopograpsus messor – 139 104 243 – – – – – – – – – 104 104
Cephalochordata
Branchiostoma 8228 4239 – 12,467 – – – – – – – – – –
lanceolat..
Total no.of indiv. 28,639 113,842 25,168 167,649 659 69 104 0 208 1840 1318 347 485 6978 12,008
Total no. of species 21 22 23 42 3 1 1 0 2 6 4 2 4 14 16

Table 2 Species number, population density, species richness (SR), diversity index (H), Equitability (E) and dominance% (CDI) of
macro-benthic fauna in the investigated stations.:
Timsah Lake Western Lagoon
Stations St. I St. II St.III St. IV St. V St. IV St.VII St. VIII St. IX St. X St. XI St.XII St. XIII
Total individuals 28,639 113,842 25,168 659 69 104 0 208 1840 1318 347 485 6978
Species numbers 21 22 23 3 1 1 0 2 6 4 2 4 14
Sp. Richness (SR) 1.949 1.804 2.171 0.308 0 0 0 0.187 0.665 0.418 0.171 0.485 1.469
Equitability (E) 0.52 0.13 0.56 0.87 0 0 0 0.9172 0.9 0.86 0.97 0.89 0.86
Diversity index (H) 1.58 0.39 1.75 0.95 0 0 0 0.64 1.6 1.2 0.67 1.23 2.26
Dominance% (CDI) 0.748 0.967 0.68 0.895 0 0 0 0 0.51 0.763 0 0.715 0.458

as they recorded 22 and 23 species for each, respectively
(Tables 1 and 2 and Fig. 4b). Station 2 recorded the third Spe-
cies Richness (1.804). The highest number of individuals in sta-
tion 2 is owing to dominance of the bivalve (M. auriculatus)
that recorded 105,892 individuals/m2 and constituent 93.02%
of the total population at this station. As a result of this species
it estimated the highest Dominance (CDI = 0.967) and there-
fore the lowest value of each Evenness and diversity (E = 0.13
and H = 0.39, respectively). Balanus sp., Brachidontes vari-
abilis and also the polychaete worm Amphitrite sp. recorded
14,929, 2187 and 1699 individual/m2 respectively at St. 3,
therefore it gained the highest species richness (SR = 2.17)
within Timsah Lake. Station 1 gave the third highest number
of species (21 species) and also the second highest density
(28,639 individuals/m2). So, it recorded the second highest of
Species Richness (SR = 1.949). The highest number of indi-
viduals is especially attributable to dominance of the bivalve (
M. auriculatus) that was found by 13,194 individuals/m2 and
constituted 46.07% of the total population at this station.
Also, the cephalochordates (Branchiostoma lanceolatum)
recorded 8228 individuals/m2 at this station. Therefore, the
low Evenness (E = 0.52) and high dominance (CDI = 0.748)
were mainly due to the uneven distribution of individuals
among the species (Table 2).
At the Western Lagoon, St. 13 recorded the highest abun-
dance (6978 individual/m2), the highest diversity (14 sp.), the
highest richness (SR = 1.469) and the highest diversity index
(H0 = 2.26) and the lowest dominance (CDI = 0.458) due to
the equal distribution of individuals among species and there
was no dominant species. Balanus sp., Cyclope neritea and
Venerupis pullastra were the most dominant species at St. 13
(2152, 1041 and 694 individual/m2, respectively). Station 9
recorded 1840 individual/m2 and 6 species, so it gained the
highest Equitability or Evenness (E = 0.9) and this is attribu-
table to the equal distribution of individuals among the spe-
cies. Low density and species number were found at Stations
4, 10, and 12 (659, 1318 and 485 individual/m2 and 3, 4 and
4 species for each, respectively). They recorded low values of
biological indices (Table 2). On the other hand stations 5, 6,
7, 8 and 11 recorded both the lowest population density and
species number (69, 104, 0, 208 and 347 individual/m2 and 1,
1, 0, 2, 2 species for each, respectively). Only one species was
found in stations 5, 6. So, they gained zero values of biological
indices as shown in Table 2 whereas station VII did not record
any fauna at all during the study period and that its existence
was next to an Abu Jamous drain.
Seasonal variations
The distribution of the benthic fauna within the Western
Lagoon and Lake Timsah varied widely among the various
seasons. Winter and spring harvested each the highest density
and species number (74,854 and 41,238 individual/m2 and 28
and 32 species, respectively). On the other hand Autumn and
Summer each recorded the lowest density and species number
(34,021 and 29,544 individual/m2 and 23 and 25 species,
respectively). In Autumn, the macro-benthic community com-
prised 23 species; 9 polychaete species; 11 molluscs species; 2
crustaceans species and one species of cephalochordates. M.
auriculatus; Balanus sp. and B. lanceolatum constitute the key
individuals during this season which are found with an average
of 23,610; 2082 and 2500 individual/m2, respectively. This sea-
son had the third density (34,021 individual/m2) and also the
fourth diversity (23 species). The lowest Species Richness
Water quality on the distribution of macro-benthic fauna
Table 3 Seasonal variations of population density, species number, species richness (SR), Equitability (E), diversity index (H), and
dominance%(CDI) of macro-benthic fauna.
Seasons Autumn Winter
Total individuals 34,021 74,854
Species numbers 23 28
Sp. Richness (SR) 2.108 2.406
Equitability (E) 0.441 0.293
Diversity index (H) 1.383 0.977
Dominance % (CDI) 0.767 0.858
was found in autumn (SR = 2.108) (Table 3). At the Western
Lagoon, polychaetes were not detected while molluscs and
crustaceans recorded limited occurrences mostly at St. 13
(Table 3).
Twenty-eight species of benthic fauna procured in winter
season; 12 polychaetes species; 9 molluscs species; 6 crus-
taceans species and one species of cephalochordates. Winter
season estimated the highest density within the area
(74,854 individual/m2) and also the second diversity (28 spe-
cies). The leading individuals during this season were M. auric-
ulatus; Balanus sp.; Elasmopus rapax and B. lanceolatum. They
found with an average of 60,760; 1042; 3472 and 3056 individ-
ual/m2 respectively. As a result of the four dominant species,
winter estimated the lowest Equitability (E = 0.293) and
Diversity (H = 0.977). Consequently, it harvested the highest
Dominance (CDI = 0.858) (Table 3). At the Western Lagoon,
molluscs were followed by crustaceans and polychaetes at St.
13 (1665, 1146 and 486 individual/m2 respectively).
In Spring the community encompassed 32 species; 15 poly-
chaete species; 14 molluscs; 2 crustaceans; and one species
from Cephalochordate. The highest diversity were in Spring
(32 species) and it recorded the second density within the inves-
tigated area (41,238 individual/m2). Almost like the winter sea-
son the overwhelming amount of a similar species was the
explanation for the richness of spring season. They were M.
auriculatus; Brachidontes variabilis, Balanus sp. and B. lanceo-
latum which recorded (24,300, 2326, 4027 and 4827 individual/
m2, respectively) Spring recorded the highest Species Richness
(SR = 2.917). There were equal distribution between individu-
als thus, Spring recorded the lowest Dominance
(CDI = 0.706) (Table 3). At the Western Lagoon, polychaetes
were not appeared, while molluscs and crustaceans recorded
low occurrences (1908 and 381 individual/m2 respectively)
most of them at St. 13.
In Summer there were 25 species in Western Lagoon and
Lake Timsah, 10 polychaete species; 12 molluscs; 2 crustaceans
and Cephalochordate recorded one species. Summer recorded
the lowest density and therefore the third diversity (29,544 ani-
mals/m2 and 25 species). M. auriculatus; Balanus sp. and B.
lanceolatum were the dominant species and found with an
average of (10416, 10624, 2084 individual/m2, respectively).
In spite of summer procured 25 species it recorded each the
highest diversity index (H = 1.876) and Evenness
(E = 0.538) thus, it recorded moderate Dominance
(CDI = 0.712) (Table 3). Polychaetes, molluscs and crus-
taceans at the Western Lagoon were lower than in Timsah
Lake; polychaetes recorded 104 individual/m2 at St. 12 and
St. 13 showed the highest averages of molluscs and crus-
taceans; 2465 and 208 individual/m2 respectively.
443
Spring Summer Total
41,238 29,544 179,657
32 25 46
2.917 2.332
0.48 0.538
1.663 1.876
0.706 0.712
Discussion
Western Lagoon and consequently Timsah Lake were highly
polluted due to the high influx of detrital sediments, organic
matter and dissolved nutrient salts. The Western lagoon was
highly eutrophic lake, it receives about 106 m3 daily of wastew-
ater, sewage and freshwater from many sources. Macro-
benthic are performing a variety of functions in the lakes
and shallow water habitats; they are accelerating the decompo-
sition of detritus and dead organic matter (Wallace and
Webster, 1996). One of the essential roles of the macro-
benthic fauna is releasing the bound nutrients into the sur-
rounding media throughout their feeding activities, excretion,
and burrowing within sediments (Covich et al., 1999). The sta-
tus of the macro-benthic fauna at the Western Lagoon was
worthy and vulnerable much more than in Timsah Lake. Most
stations at the Western Lagoon especially near the drainage
outlets showed miserable occurrence or absence for most of
the recorded species, in Timsah Lake, due to the extremely
wide variations in some local conditions throughout the differ-
ent seasons.
The community of macro-benthic fauna is structured by the
chemical portion of the abiotic environment in conjunction
with the effects of sediment and water chemistry (Jackson
and Harvey, 1993). The main factors affecting the density
and diversity of macro-benthic fauna at Timsah Lake and
Western Lagoon are as follows:
(1) Sediment nature and total organic matter (TOM)
Sediments in the Western Lagoon have sludgy nature due
to the high contents of the fine sediment group (FSG), mud
and the total organic matter (TOM) with obvious seasonal
variations. At the Western Lagoon, spring season showed
the optimum percentages for both FGS and TOM average per-
centages (61.18% and 17.05%) followed by summer season
(47.57% and 13.94% respectively) due to the high terrestrial
runoff from the different drains. At Timsah Lake, spring sea-
son showed the highest FSG average (62.7%) but TOM aver-
ages percentages were significantly lower than the Western
Lagoon, whereas winter and spring recorded the highest
TOM overages (7.70% and 7.13). Dar et al. (2015) presented
that the fine sediments group (FSG) recorded the highest aver-
age percentage in summer season. These conditions at the Wes-
tern Lagoon transformed the nature of the surface layer to
anoxic with high hypoxia status. Hypoxia changes the benthic
communities function and their structure. The response of ben-
thos to hypoxia depends on the duration, predictability, and
intensity of oxygen depletion as well as the formation of H2S
444
(Levin et al., 2009). The anoxia and hypoxia in the surface sed-
iment layer led to oxygen depletion within the sediment layer
itself. In the shallow water whereas nutrient inputs and sedi-
mentation rates are often high, organic matter accumulates
on the seafloor and causes the water column to turn hypoxic
or anoxic. These hypoxic conditions spread into the water col-
umn (Ekau et al., 2010). Because all the studied benthos were
buried within the surface layer, under the anoxic and hypoxic
conditions the macro-benthic fauna were disappeared com-
pletely or found in low numbers at most stations of the Wes-
tern Lagoon. Throughout the seasons; winter, spring and
summer, macro-benthic fauna at the stations (5, 6, 7, 8 and
11) were totally absent, while stations 4, 9, 10 and 12 recorded
between 1 and 3 species with seasonal abundance between
69 individual/m2 at St. 5 and 523 individual/m2 at St. 9 in
autumn. At Timsah Lake the situation well improved due to
the significant decreases in TOM content and the winnowing
actions for the surface sediment layer by the natural and arti-
ficial waves from Suez Canal. Stations 3 and 13 represented the
transition zone between the Western Lagoon and Timsah
Lake. These two stations recorded the highest diversities (13
and 10 sp.) comparing with the other stations at the different
seasons. Both stations were characterized by high water stream
toward the lake and Suez Canal that minimizes the effects of
the sludgy, anoxic and hypoxic nature of sediments. Naser
(2010) attributed the significant reduction in biodiversity, rich-
ness and evenness of macro-benthos inhabiting the sub tidal
areas surrounding the major sewage treatment plant in Bah-
rain to the increase in organic matter, ammonia and
phosphates.
Ewais et al. (2000) pointed out; the discharged fine and par-
ticulate sediments to Timsah Lake from the different drainages
are much higher than the recorded percentages in the collected
sediments, it is clear that most of these fine and particulate
fractions were dispersed by waves and marine currents. The
extreme weather and hydraulic conditions can produce impor-
tant changes in fluxes of matter and sedimentation rates as well
as the suspended load concentrations and the rates of sedimen-
tations have a dynamic equilibrium governed by the diurnal
tidal changes (Abril and Abdel-Aal, 2000). They attributed
the suspended matter concentrations of Timsah Lake to waves
generated from ships traffic. They assumed that 25% of the
material in the top layer of bottom sediments in the Suez Canal
and connected lakes can be re-suspended when the water
velocity is higher than a critical velocity of 0.232 m/s. Accord-
ing to Abd El Samie et al. (2008), the formations of the bottom
sediments of Timsah Lake show the presence of fluviatile sed-
iments in the central part which is identical with species now
living in the Nile. Bedding is of alternating layers of fine to
coarse grain sands. These layers are few meters thick, often
salty or calcareous, sometimes, with gypsum or clay as minor
constituent. Therefore, Gab-Alla (2007) found that Timsah
Lake sediments tend to be fine composed of variable mixture
of sand and mud with varying hues.
(2) Temperature variations and salinity in the lake water
The distribution patterns of the macro-benthos and other
organisms are determined by the temperature regime and its
interactions with other abiotic factors, like water velocities,
oxygen levels etc. Temperature is controlling the oxygen sup-
ply, the mode of metabolism and the other associated mecha-
A.A.M. Belal et al.
nisms of thermal adaptation in invertebrates (Ekau et al.,
2010). The seasonal variation in the lake water temperature
has a direct effect on the aquatic benthos and an indirect effect
throughout its influence on the other environmental factors
such as dissolved oxygen and nutrients. The increase in water
temperature tends to decrease the solubility of oxygen in water
(Abdel-Gawad and Mola, 2014). The extremely high tempera-
ture in summer and low temperatures in winter may reach the
upper and lower lethal temperatures. Because the Western
Lagoon is shallow at most of the studied stations, the temper-
ature variations throughout different seasons and their effects
are reasonable much more than Timsah Lake. The oxygen
demand of the inhabited individuals and species is
temperature-dependent and oxygen saturation is affected by
variations in temperature and salinity.
At the Western Lagoon, the temperature variation fluctu-
ated between 19.10 °C at St. 8 in autumn and 32.70 °C at St.
6 in summer while at Timsah Lake found between 19.00 °C
in winter and 28.10 °C at St. I in summer. This wide variation
in the Western Lagoon temperature with the shallow nature
and the high turbidity rates in the lagoon may lead to disap-
pear of the sensitive benthos species as well as the thermal
stress may cause systemic hypoxemia. Otherwise, the decrease
in macro-benthic diversity in hypoxic areas will reduce ecosys-
tem resilience and resistance and may decrease its function in
nutrient cycling processes (Ekau et al., 2010).
Water salinity in Lake Timsah was between 30.30‰ and
30.60‰ whereas it receives four different sources of water, sal-
ine water from the Suez Canal, the outlet of Ismailia freshwa-
ter canal, agricultural drainage water from El Forsan Drain in
the north and wastewater discharges from Western Lagoon
which connected to the lake. In Western Lagoon, the water
salinity was low and fluctuated between 2.77‰ and 2.80‰
mainly due to the continuous runoff of the different drains
as; EL-Mahsama Drain and Abu Gamous Drain (Saad El-
Din et al., 2013).
(3) Oxygen fluxes and depletion
Dissolved oxygen is one of the most important abiotic fac-
tors for the marine life. Measure of dissolved oxygen defines
the living conditions for oxygen-requiring aquatic organisms.
Ekau et al. (2010) reported that the changes in species compo-
sition are a common response to changing oxygen conditions,
the strength of which depends on the duration and amplitude
of the hypoxic events. Dissolved oxygen affects the solubility
and availability of nutrients; a low level of dissolved oxygen
facilitates the release of nutrients from the sediments and
therefore affects the productivity of aquatic ecosystems (Abu
Hend and El-Moselhy, 2015). Oxygen depletion is exacerbated
in situations where water masses are highly stratified or iso-
lated from oxygenated water bodies (Levin et al. (2009). The
toxicity of many metals as; lead, zinc, copper, cyanide may
reach double under oxygen depletion state. In aquatic ecosys-
tems, oxygen depletion (hypoxia) usually means a concentra-
tion of less than 2–3 of oxygen per liter of water (mg/l).
(ANZECC, 2000) stated that, the death of immobile organisms
and avoidance of low-oxygen conditions by mobile organisms
can also cause changes in the structure and diversity of aquatic
communities. Levin et al. (2009) stated that the benthic com-
munities responses, elicited at oxygen levels below 2 ml L1,
typically involve avoidance or mortality of large species and
Water quality on the distribution of macro-benthic fauna
elevated abundances of enrichment opportunists, sometimes
prior to population crashes. They also suggested that under
the natural and eutrophication conditions, hypoxia causes loss
in diversity throughout attrition the intolerant species, and
reducing their dominancy and body size. The Western Lagoon
recorded a wide oxygen variation representing the highly oxy-
gen depletion state (high hypoxia about 1.00 mg/l) in front of
the drainage outlets at the stations IV, V, VI and VII due to
the high organic matter and pollutants inputs through the dis-
posal of untreated sewage and agricultural effluents in summer
season to high oxygen influx in spring 11.00 mg/l at St. VIII
due to the flourishing of water hyacinth and water weeds in
addition to waves winnowing. This wide variation in oxygen
contents in water column directly affects the oxygenation pro-
cess in the underlying sediment layer, which leads to benthos
destruction. In Timsah Lake, dissolved oxygen fluctuated
between 3.00 mg/l at St. III in summer and 9.24 mg/l at St.
II in spring. St. III was the nearest station to the Western
Lagoon and was directly affected by its situation.
(4) Nutrient enrichment and hydrogen ion concentration
(pH)
Eutrophication is an increase in the rate of organic matter
production in an ecosystem, and therefore of particulate
organic matter supplied to bottom sediments. Eutrophication
is caused by excessive nutrient loads (Nixon, 1995). Anon
(2000) stated that, sediment carbon and nutrient concentra-
tions increase with decreasing grain size because organic mat-
ter adsorbs onto mineral surfaces and has a high affinity for
fine-grained sediment. Yang et al. (2008) suggested that the
large amount of phosphorus in the water body leads to
eutrophication. Typical concentrations for the eutrophic
coastal waters are above 0.15 lmol/l, but for the highly
eutrophic systems concentrations can be greater than
0.3 lmol/l (UNEP, 1996). In the Western Lagoon, stations 7,
10, 12 and 13 recorded PO4 between 2.04 and 2.53 lmol/l in
autumn while stations 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 and 13 recorded dissolved
PO4 between 2.03 lmol/l and 2.65 lmol/l during winter sea-
son. Stations 4, 7, 8 and 13 recorded PO4 between
2.07 lmol/l and 2.45 lmol/l in autumn, winter and spring sea-
sons. The seasonal average of PO4 in the Western Lagoon was
varied between 1.02 lmol/l in summer and 1.89 lmol/l in win-
ter. This situation may be attributed to high hypoxic condi-
tions at the Western Lagoon due to the huge amount of
sewage water enriched by organic matter and nutrients. The
most pernicious of these reactions is the release of phosphorus
from the large inventories in the bottom sediments causing
long-term eutrophic conditions inside the lagoon, meanwhile
in Timsah Lake it was much lower and between 0.70 lmol/l
in summer and 0.97 lmol/l in spring.
Ammonia, nitrite and nitrate were the most important
forms of nutrients in seawater of the inorganic nitrogen
(Hamed et al., 2012). The concentrations of dissolved inor-
ganic nitrogen salts in the oxygenated water are usually in
the ranges of; 0.15–3 mg NH3-N/l, 0.01–3 mg NO2-N/l and
0.1–35 mg NO3-N/l in (Riley and Chester, 1971).
Ammonia (NH+ 4 ) is biologically active compound present
in most water as normal biological degradation product of
organic nitrogen. It can be utilized directly as nutrients by sev-
eral algal species and aquatic plants (UNESCO, 1988). At the
Western Lagoon, the concentration levels of NH+ 4 exceeded
445
the natural level at the stations 4, 5, 7, 8, 10 and 11 in the four
seasons, while the other stations recorded high NH+ 4 in two or
three seasons. Inversely, at Timsah Lake the different stations
recorded NH+ 4 within the ranges of natural water with some
exceeding limits at St. 3 during spring and summer. The
recorded high contents of NH+ 4 at the Western Lagoon have
exacerbating and permanent the eutrophication state in the
lagoon. Nassar et al. (2016) advocated that the dissolved
ammonium salt is generally present in small quantities (unde-
tectable to 2 lmol/L), except in the polluted areas it was raised
to 600 lmol/l.
Nitrite is an intermediate oxidation state between ammonia
and nitrate but it has the highest toxicological significance of
human health, if present in perceptible concentration in diets
(Nassar and Hamed, 2003). Nitrate is considered as the most
stable and predominant inorganic nitrogen form in seawater
(Al-Qutob et al., 2002). Nitrate concentration ranges between
undetectable and 50 lmol/l in oceanic waters, and up to
500 lmol/l in coastal waters (Gardner et al., 2008 and
Domingues et al., 2011). In general dissolved salts, nitrites
(NO+ +
2 ) and nitrate (NO3 ) recorded values lie within the
acceptable universally at the Western Lagoon and Timsah
Lake except stations; 6, 7, 10 and 11 in autumn. They recorded
slightly high values between 4.44 lmol/l and 5.36 lmol/l with
seasonal averages 63.00 lmol/l for NO+ 2 and between
2.36 lmol/l and 13.30 lmol/l for NO+ 3 at the different stations
indicating an insignificant role for both in the eutrophication
status.
Hydrogen ion concentration (pH) is one of the vital envi-
ronmental characteristics for the survival, metabolism, physi-
ology, growth of aquatic organisms and chemical processes
(Ramanathan et al., 2005). Low pH values could allow toxic
elements to become more available for uptake by aquatic biota
producing toxic conditions for aquatic life (Faragallah et al.,
2009). In Western Lagoon and Timsah Lake the pH ranged
between 7.06 at St. 6 in spring and 9.20 at St. 13 in autumn.
The high pH concentration estimated at St. 13 may be due
to high NH+ 4 in this station. Seasonally, the relatively high
pH values (8.51 and 8.14) were recorded during the warmer
seasons (autumn and summer).
According to the current results some species in Timsah
Lake such as M. auriculatus represented by 105,892 individ-
ual/m2 and constituted 93.02% of the total population at St.
2 whereas the eutrophication state is low. This station showed
high abundance, high species richness (SR = 1.804); low
equitability index (E0 = 0.13) and low diversity index
(H = 0.39) but showed the highest dominance
(CDI = 0.967) this is mainly due to the uneven distribution
of individuals among the species. That situation is in agree-
ment with that of (Grall and Chauvaud, 2002; Savage et al.,
2002). They stated that the changes in macro-benthic commu-
nity structure associated with moderate organic enrichment are
represented by an increase in species richness, abundance and
biomass. However, excessive organic enrichment reduces spe-
cies richness, and increases densities and numbers of few
opportunistic species and their associated biomass.
Similarity index
As shown in Fig. 5 several significant similarities were clus-
tered between various stations. The highest similarity found
446
Figure 5 Cluster diagram showed the degrees of similarities between the different stations within Timsah Lake and Western Lagoon.
between stations 5 and 6 (89.78%). Also, there is a significant
similarity between station 8 and stations 5 and 6 (58.49 and
67.33%, respectively) this is because of the presence of Lanistes
carinatus. In addition the highest similarity between stations 9
and 10 (70.77%) as well as the similarity of station 4 with sta-
tions 9 and 10 (59.86% and 57.96%, respectively) is attributed
to the presence of; Bellamya unicolor, Brachidontes variabilis
and Curbicula sp.. In Timsah most important similarities were
clustered between stations 1 and 2 (46.69) each station
recorded high densities of individuals and diversities of species.
The second important cluster was between stations 3 and 8,
they presented the transition zone between the Western
Lagoon and Timsah Lake and were characterized by high
diversities in both areas.
Present investigation indicated that macro-benthic commu-
nity can be useful in evaluating the effects of organic enrich-
ment in the aquatic systems, whereas the macro-invertebrate
assemblage and biotic index found in Western Lagoon is very
low and moderate in Lake Timsah. Consequently, benthos
indicate the water quality as a whole and this came in accor-
dance with that of Saad El-Din et al., 2013 in which the
macro-invertebrate assemblage and biotic index were found
in Lake Timsah to be very low and this indicates that its water
quality ranges from poor to fairly poor. Also, these results are
in agreement with those of Hamed et al., 2012 who stated that
the aquatic system of Timsah Lake became deteriolized where
the concentrations of nutrients were relatively high, due to the
continuous discharge of untreated sewage and agricultural
wastes from the Western Lagoon.
Finally, there is a strong recommendation to treat the efflu-
ent before discharging into the sea and to take in consideration
the marine life in particular and the environment in general
(i.e. to perform an environmental impact assessment) before
establishing any new project in the area.
Conclusion
Wide variations in density and diversity of macro-benthic
fauna were recorded between the extremely eutrophic Western
Lagoon and the Timsah Lake. Timsah Lake recorded the over-
all of 42 species while Western Lagoon recorded 16 species
only from the total recorded species (46 sp.). The species abun-
A.A.M. Belal et al.
dances and diversities within the Western Lagoon stations var-
ied from the completely absent to scarce prevalence in all
stations except station 13 throughout the investigated seasons.
The effective parameters within the species absence and inade-
quacy within the Western Lagoon are mainly due to the sludgy
nature of surface sediments, high muddiness, high TOM con-
tents, the wide variation in temperature, oxygen depletion
and also the high reactive phosphorus and ammonia within
the lagoon water. Similarity indices showed a completely dif-
ferent relation between the studied stations, the foremost nec-
essary relations were clustered between stations I and II
(Timsah Lake) due to the high individual abundances in the
two stations. Also, the other important cluster was between
station 3 and station 13 representing high diversities among
the Western Lagoon and Timsah Lake within these two sta-
tions only.
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