Ecological diagnosis of the marine environment of the Algerian West Coast using benthic macroalgae
Abstract
I. Bouri, O. Rouane-Hacene* and Z. Boutiba
The main objective of this study is to carry out an ecological diagnostic of intertidal rocky marine habitats on the Oran coastline (South Western Mediterranean). Ecological status and ecological quality were evaluated using the abundance and composition of benthic macroalgal to indicate changes in the aquatic ecosystem in nine (9) targeted stations. The floristic inventory has revealed a total of 18 taxa, including 5 Rhodophyta, 8 Phaeophyta, and 5 Chlorophyta. The calculation of environmental quality indices (average cover, global average cover and species richness) showed a heterogeneity in the composition and the distribution of macroalgae between the different stations, as well as a very high diversity at the station (S1), which was characterized by the presence of fourteen (14) algae species of algae of the three groups compared to the other stations. The algal flora of Oran Bay was characterized by the dominance of Chlorophyta, followed by Phaeophyta and Rhodophyta.