Ecological factors affecting the distribution of zooplankton community in the Massa Lagoon (Southern Morocco)

  • H Badsi
  • H Oulad Ali
  • M Loudiki
  • M El Hafa
  • R Chakli
  • A Aamiri

Abstract

In this study, the zooplankton structure and the water quality of Massa Lagoon were investigated. Samples were collected biweekly at the three stations for 6 months from winter to summer 2008. Results show that the state of the lagoon is a hyper-eutrophic environment, characterized by high levels of chlorophyll-a and nitrogen. Pollution-tolerant zooplankton such as Brachionus was the dominant species in the lagoon. A total of 61 taxa were recorded, including 35 rotifers, 13 copepods, 5 ostracods, 6 protozoa and 6 cladocera. Salinity and nutrients in the water were the main environmental factors that affected the distribution of the zooplankton species.

Key words: Massa Lagoon, zooplankton, environmental factors.

Section
Articles

Journal Identifiers


eISSN: 1996-0786
print ISSN: 1996-0786