Biodiversity of epipelic algae in the Baghdad Island tourist lake, Iraq.

Abstract

The aim of the current study is to estimate the biodiversity of epipelic algae of the waters of the Baghdad Island tourist lake, where samples were collected monthly from three selected sites for the period from November 2021 to May 2022 and the results were expressed quarterly. A qualitative and quantitative study of epipelic algae was conducted, with tests for the physical and chemical factors of water. Three biodiversity indices ware studied: Shannon's index, Richness index, and Similarity index. There are 248 species belonging to 86 genera of epipelic algae. The highest total number of algae cells was recorded at 246.6 x 103 cells / cm2, while the lowest total number was recorded at 89.7 x 103 cells / cm2. The waters of the Baghdad Island tourist lake are considered to be of high biodiversity, medium rich in species, and similarity ratios are close between the sites and the current study seasons due to the small area of the lake.