Impact of Heavy Metals Contamination on Spring Abundance of Aquatic Macro-Invertebrates Inhabiting Lake Timsah, Egypt

Abstract

Abstract. Lake Timsah, Egypt receives several kinds of pollutants coming from domestic sewage of unconnected areas adjoining the shore and possibly marine pollution. During the last decades heavy metals have become common contaminants of aquatic and wetland environments throughout the world because of human activity and technological development. Increasing attention has been given during the last decade to the protection of marine and freshwater aquatic environment against pollution, both nationally and internationally. Macro-benthoses are the most commonly organisms used as bio-indicators water quality assessment. All of the aquatic macro-invertebrates that were collected from El-Taween station, Lake Timsah, Egypt fell into three major groups that were fairly easy to identify. They were annelids (Polychaeta and Oligochaeta), molluscs (Bivalvia and Gastropoda) and arthropods (Crustacea). The small sized crustacean Sphaeroma. serratum are considered suitable species for aquatic bio-monitoring because they hold an important position in the aquatic food chain responds to many pollutants, easy to culture and has short life cycles. Iron was most important determinant; it appears in high concentrations in both water sample and the tissue of crustacean sample (S. serratum).

Water Pollution by Heavy Metals in The Western Lagoon and its Effect on Timsah Lake and Consequently on Suez Canal

“…Comparing the previous studies of Timsah Lake water, (Saad El-Din and Gad El-Hak, 2017), found lower metal concentrations; (El-Shenawy, 2004) obtained lower Cu, Fe, and Mn levels but higher Ni levels; (Ibrahim and Abu El-Regal, 2014) recorded higher values of Cr;and (Saad El-Din et al, 2014) found a higher value of Co and Cr respectively than in the present study.…”

A trial for improving thyroid gland dysfunction in rats by using a marine organism extract

“…Arca noae is considered as a marine invertebrate that is abundant in Egypt coastal governorates such as Alexandria, Port-Said and also exists in some lakes such as El-Timsah lake (Saad El-Din and Gad El-Hak, 2017). Its cheap cost and its easiness in consuming it raw without the need of cooking makes Arca noae a suitable and nutritious meal for the low-income people.…”