Ecological Investigation of the Tintinnid Community Along the Coastal Waters of Alexandria, Egypt

Abstract

T he distribution of the tintinnid assemblages was studied in samples collected from 2 areas subjected to primary treated sewage flow and agricultural/industrial mixed discharge along the coastal water of Alexandria during summer 1999 and winter 2000. During the entire investigation, the protozoopiankton were numerically dominated by tintinnids with densities ranging between 26 and 9464 Ind./m. Distinct differences that appeared in the patterns of occurrence and numbers of the tintinnids in those locations, were attributed to different physical and chemical conditions. Tintinnid assemblages were represented by 19 species, the most dominant of which were: Tintinnopsis beroidea, Favella ehrenbergii, Eutintinnus macilentus and Tintinnopsis campanula. Two freshwater tintinnids appeared at the near-shore locations of El-Mex Bay during high flow when salinity reached 9 psu.