Open AccessDiversity and Distribution of Polychaetes Associated with Macroalgae along the Alexandria Coast, Egypt
Author(s) -
Rasha Hamdy
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of king abdulaziz university-marine sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1658-4325
pISSN - 1012-8840
DOI - 10.4197/mar.28-2.5
Subject(s) - polychaete , red algae , algae , biology , brown algae , green algae , benthic zone , ecology , botany
The relationship between benthic macroalgae and associated polychaetes was studiedmonthly from October 2014 to October 2015 along the Alexandria coast, Egypt. A total of 56polychaete species were found among 28 macroalgal species, which belonging to green, brownand red algae. The red algae hosted pronouncedly higher number of polychaete species than thebrown and green algae, particularly during winter and spring, while green algae were associatedwith higher number of polychaete species in January, April, August and October 2015. Incontrast, the average count of polychaete individuals associated with the green algae was higherin winter and autumn than that recorded with the red algae, while low with both red and greenalgae in spring and summer, and very poor within the brown algae. The present study revealedthat the structure of algal species my affect the diversity and abundance of the associatedpolychaetes and the diversity of these worms varied among the hosting algal species.