A Study of biodiversity Spatial and nutrient Changes of Phytoplankton in Al-Kabir Al-Shamali River Lattakia – Syria)

Abstract

This research aims to be acquainted with the phytoplankton present in the water of
 Al-Kabir Al-Shamali River. Four stations were selected of River during (9/6/2024), Water samples were collected for analysis and to determine the concentrations of chlorophyll(a), phytoplankton abundance, and its specific composition, which collected, in addition to field measurements of some physical and chemical factors (temperature – salinity – dissolved oxygen – pH). The concentration of nutrients, NO₃^- concentrations ranged between (1.09-0.04umol/L), and PO₄^-3 concentrations ranged between(1,39-1,37umol/L)
, and SiO₄^-4 concentrations ranged between (166.63-56.62umol/L), The registered concentrations for chlorophyll(a) are ranged between (0.001-0.013) mg/m³ for chlorophyll(a). Values of the total abundance ranged between (232-1470) cell/L. (154) species of phytoplankton were identified, belonging to five phyla and six classes distributed as: (3) species belonging to Chrysophyta specifically Chrysophceae, (88) species belonging to Chrysophyta specifically Diatomophyceae, (26) species belonging to Pyrrhophyta specifically Dinophceae, (27) species belonging to Chlorophyta specifically Chlorophyceae, (8) species belonging to Cyanophyta specifically Cyanophyceae, (2) species belonging to Euglenophyta specifically Euglenophyceae.