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Distribution Pattern of Diatom Flora in the Surface Sediments of Bardawil Lagoon (North Sinai), Egypt

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Abstract

Examination of the surficial sediments of Bardawil lagoon displayed variations in the relative abundance of diatoms deposited in different sites. The disparities were dependent on several environmental factors such as pH, salinity, water depth, and some biological productivity and chemical elements. A total of 88 diatom species belonging to 37 genera were identified and counted from 12 samples that distributed along the lake. The composition of the diatom assemblage showed that the planktonic forms are not dominant as the epiphytic and benthic ones. The recorded assemblage is mainly dominated by littoral cosmopolitan marine species associated with a considerable amount of oligohalobous and mesohalobous diatom taxa. The freshwater forms are normally allochthonous and may be originated from the adjacent areas. Multivariate statistical techniques including canonical correspondence analysis and hierarchical ascending clustering were used to identify the diatom ecological groups and to investigate which environmental variables were important in explaining the variation between these groups. Five ecological groups containing distinctive diatom assemblages were recognized.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geology Department, Faculty of Science, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt

    Abdelfattah A. Zalat

  2. Botany Department, Faculty of Science, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt

    Mostafa M. El-Sheekh

  3. Botany Department, Faculty of Science, Suez Canal University, Tanta, Egypt

    Mona Gaballa

Authors
  1. Abdelfattah A. Zalat
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  2. Mostafa M. El-Sheekh
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  3. Mona Gaballa
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Correspondence to Mostafa M. El-Sheekh.

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Appendix

Appendix

Table 2 The identified diatoms from the surface sediments of the Bardawil Lagoon, which are arranged in alphabetical order with the abbreviation of taxa that used in the statistical evaluations
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Zalat, A.A., El-Sheekh, M.M. & Gaballa, M. Distribution Pattern of Diatom Flora in the Surface Sediments of Bardawil Lagoon (North Sinai), Egypt. Thalassas 35, 531–539 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41208-019-00160-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41208-019-00160-4

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