Abundance, Species Composition, Biodiversity, Size and Ecology of Tintinnids in Doha harbour (Arabian Gulf) PDF

Keywords

Tintinnids, abundance, species composition, biodiversity, marine environment, Arabian Gulf, Doha Harbour

Abstract

The qualitative and quantitative dynamics of the tintinnid community in Doha Harbour (Arabian Gulf) were studied monthly for 13 months. The results showed that the harbour was characterized by a tintinnid community with a comparatively great number of species (76 spp.) and high diversity (diversity index: up to 2.96). The standing crop appeared to be very low (35-2529 cells/m3) showing a bimodal peak of abundance in February and November at a temperature of 18.4- 21.5°C. A few species were responsible for the bulk of the tintinnid abundance, while frequently existing species attained temporary abundance. The biometric measurements reflected a wide range of variations among different species in lorica length (34.9- 297.5 µm), oral diameter (20- 97µm) and volume (0.06 x10^5 - 15.13 x 10^5 µm3). Significant correlation was found between tintinnid abundance and temperature, nitrite, nitrate and phosphate, while with dissolved oxygen, ammonia and silicate the correlation was not significant.