Abstract
Mangrove forests support a wide diversity of habitats for numerous macrofauna species that are crucial to the health of mangrove ecosystems, as well as a vast variety of macroinvertebrate species. Therefore, it is necessary to periodically update our knowledge of the diversity of macrofaunal communities found throughout the mangrove forests of the Aqaba Gulf. This study seeks to examine biodiversity and identify macroinvertebrate fauna in various mangrove-associated habitats, i.e., genuine mangrove forests and neighboring coastal mangrove zones with varying levels of ecological heterogeneity. The belt transects and quadrate approach were used to collect samples from five distinct locations along the Aqaba Gulf mangrove. Overall, 8186 organisms belong to 118 species. Eighty-four molluscan species, 23 crustacean species, and 11 echinoderm species were recorded throughout the present investigation. The diversity of species was estimated for each site. Rowaisseia station showed significantly greater numbers for taxonomic richness, and the lowest number was present in Gharqana station. The statistical assessment of the various environmental factors and sediment characteristics in terms of abundance and variety of species of macroinvertebrate fauna revealed that the composition of bed sediment has a strong influence on the distribution and variation of macrofaunal communities. The current study’s findings will aid in the conservation of mangrove forests by providing a better understanding of the ecological patterns and functions of benthic macrofaunal communities, which will be useful in future studies for habitat management and monitoring programs in the Gulf of Aqaba mangrove forests.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data availability
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author on request.
References
Abd El-Wakeil K, Said E, Obuid-Allah A, El-Shimy N (2009) Article hermit crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura) inhabiting the intertidal and shallow subtidal region of Red Sea coast of Egypt. Zootaxa 2213:57–63. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.2213.1.3
Abdelhady AA, Khalil MM, Ismail E, Fan J, Zhang S, Xiao J (2019) Water chemistry and substrate type as major determinants of molluscan feeding habit and life–mode in lagoon sediments. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 220:120–130
Afefe A, Abbas MS, Sh Soliman A, Khedr AHA, Hatab EBE (2019) Physical and chemical characteristics of mangrove soil under marine influence. A case study on the mangrove forests at Egyptian-African Red Sea coast. Egyptian J Aquatic Biol Fisher 23(3):385–399
Aiello G (2020) Sedimentary Processes: Examples from Asia, Turkey and Nigeria. BoD – Books on Demand
Alsaffar Z, Pearman JK, Cúrdia J, Ellis J, Calleja ML, Ruiz-Compean P, Roth F, Villalobos R, Jones BH, Morán XAG, Carvalho S (2020) The role of seagrass vegetation and local environmental conditions in shaping benthic bacterial and macroinvertebrate communities in a tropical coastal lagoon. Sci Rep 10(1):13550. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-70318-1
Biology IJA (2021) Benthic community structure in the Gorgan Bay (Southeast of the Caspian Sea, Iran): Correlation to water physiochemical factors and heavy metal concentration of sediment. Int J Aquat Biol. http://ij-aquaticbiology.com/index.php/ijab/article/view/155.
Blott SJ, Pye K (2001) GRADISTAT: a grain size distribution and statistics package for the analysis of unconsolidated sediments. Earth Surf Proc Land 26(11):1237–1248. https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.261
Blott SJ, Pye K (2012) Particle size scales and classification of sediment types based on particle size distributions: review and recommended procedures. Sedimentology 59(7):2071–2096
Buelow CA, Connolly RM, Turschwell MP, Adame MF, Ahmadia GN, Andradi-Brown DA, Bunting P, Canty SWJ, Dunic JC, Friess DA, Lee SY, Lovelock CE, McClure EC, Pearson RM, Sievers M, Sousa AI, Worthington TA, Brown CJ (2022) Ambitious global targets for mangrove and seagrass recovery. Curr Biol 32(7):1641-1649.e3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2022.02.013
Carrasquila Henao M, Juanes F (2017) Mangroves enhance local fisheries catches: a global meta-analysis. Fish Fish 18:79–93. https://doi.org/10.1111/faf.12168
Chakraborty SK (2019) Bioinvasion and environmental perturbation: synergistic impact on coastal–mangrove ecosystems of West Bengal, India. Impacts Invasive Species Coast Environ Coasts Crisis. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-91382-7_6
Connolly NM, Pearson RG (2007) The effect of fine sedimentation on tropical stream macroinvertebrate assemblages: a comparison using flow-through artificial stream channels and recirculating mesocosms. Hydrobiologia 592(1):423–438. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-007-0774-7
dos Reis Oliveira PC, Kraak MH, Pena-Ortiz M, van der Geest HG, Verdonschot PF (2020) Responses of macroinvertebrate communities to land use specific sediment food and habitat characteristics in lowland streams. Sci Total Environ 703:135060
Duke NC, Meynecke J-O, Dittmann S, Ellison AM, Anger K, Berger U, Cannicci S, Diele K, Ewel KC, Field CD, Koedam N, Lee SY, Marchand C, Nordhaus I, Dahdouh-Guebas F (2007) A world without mangroves? Science 317(5834):41–42. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.317.5834.41b
Duke N, Nagelkerken I, Agardy T, Wells S, van Lavieren H, Huxham M (2014) The importance of mangroves to people: A call to action. https://napier-repository.worktribe.com/output/429439/the-importance-of-mangroves-to-people-a-call-to-action
Fahmy MA, Fattah LMA, Abdel-Halim AM, Aly-Eldeen MA, Abo-El-Khair EM, Ahdy HH, Hemeilly A, El-Soud AA, Shreadah MA (2016) Evaluation of the quality for the Egyptian Red Sea coastal waters during 2011–2013. J Environ Protect. https://doi.org/10.4236/jep.2016.712145
FAO (2007) The world’s mangroves 1980–2005. A thematic study prepared in the framework of the global forest resources assessment 2005. FAO Forestry Paper (FAO). http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/a1427e/a1427e00.htm
Faridah-Hanum I, Yusoff FM, Fitrianto A, Ainuddin NA, Gandaseca S, Zaiton S, Norizah K, Nurhidayu S, Roslan MK, Hakeem KR, Shamsuddin I, Adnan I, Awang Noor AG, Balqis ARS, Rhyma PP, Siti Aminah I, Hilaluddin F, Fatin R, Harun NZN (2019) Development of a comprehensive mangrove quality index (MQI) in Matang Mangrove: assessing mangrove ecosystem health. Ecol Ind 102:103–117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2019.02.030
Farshchi M, Nasrolahi A, Shokri MR (2020) Variability in benthic invertebrate community structure near warm water effluents of a power plant in the southern Caspian Sea. Reg Stud Marine Sci 40:101507
Feller IC (1996) MANGROVE ECOLOGY: A Manual for a Field Course A Field Manual Focused on the Biocomplexity on Mangrove Ecosystems Edited by
Galal N, Thesis DP (1999) Studies on the coastal ecology and management of the Nabq Protected Area, South Sinai, Egypt
Gallucci F, Christofoletti RA, Fonseca G, Dias GM (2020) The effects of habitat heterogeneity at distinct spatial scales on hard-bottom-associated communities. Diversity. https://doi.org/10.3390/d12010039
Gamboa-García DE, Duque G, Cogua P. (2018) Structural and compositional dynamics of macroinvertebrates and their relation to environmental variables in Buenaventura Bay. http://www.scielo.org.co/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0122-97612018000100067
Goldberg L, Lagomasino D, Thomas N, Fatoyinbo T (2020) Global declines in human-driven mangrove loss. Glob Change Biol 26(10):5844–5855
Hajializadeh P, Safaie M, Naderloo R, Shojaei MG, Gammal J, Villnäs A, Norkko A (2020) Species composition and functional traits of macrofauna in different mangrove habitats in the Persian Gulf. Front Marine Sci. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.575480
Hamilton SE, Casey D (2016) Creation of a high spatio-temporal resolution global database of continuous mangrove forest cover for the 21st century (CGMFC-21). Glob Ecol Biogeogr 25(6):729–738. https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.12449
Hellal AM, El-Sayed AAM, Abu Zeid MM (1997) The macro-invertebrate fauna of Nabq Mangal Area, Wadi Kid, South Sinai. Egypt Al-Azhar Bull Sci 8(1):205–222
Ibrahim A, Fouda M, Abdou N (2015) Macro-invertebrates fauna of mangrove ecosystem in South Sinai. Egypt Int J Adv Res 3:1577–1594
Khalil ASM (2015) Mangroves of the Red Sea. In: NMA Rasul, Stewart ICF (eds.), The Red Sea: The Formation, Morphology, Oceanography and Environment of a Young Ocean Basin (pp. 585–597). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-45201-1_33
Khazaei, Safaie, Valinassab, Noorinezhad, Mortazavi (2021) Assessing the diversity of macroinvertebrates communities and their relationship with environmental factors in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. https://jifro.areeo.ac.ir/article_125455.html
Kottè-Mapoko EF, Ngo-Massou VM, Essomè-Koum GL, Nyamsi-Moussian L (2021) Dynamic of mangrove associated molluscs in anthropized areas of the Cameroon coastline. Open J Ecol. https://doi.org/10.4236/oje.2021.118036
Miatta M, Snelgrove PVR (2021) Sedimentary organic matter shapes macrofaunal communities but not benthic nutrient fluxes in contrasting habitats along the Northwest Atlantic continental margin. Front Marine Sci. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.756054
Mona MH, El-Naggar HA, El-Gayar EE, Masood MF, Mohamed E-SNE (2019) Effect of human activities on biodiversity in Nabq Protected Area, South Sinai. Egypt Egypt J Aquat Res 45(1):33–43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejar.2018.12.001
Nordström MC, Bonsdorff E (2017) Organic enrichment simplifies marine benthic food web structure. Limnol Oceanogr 62(5):2179–2188. https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.10558
Patang F, Soegianto A (2020) Oxidative responses of macro-invertebrates in relation to environmental variables in rivers of East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Chem Ecol 36(9):855–867. https://doi.org/10.1080/02757540.2020.1791101
Pielou EC (1966) The measurement of diversity in different types of biological collections. J Theor Biol 13:131–144. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-5193(66)90013-0
Polidoro BA, Carpenter KE, Collins L, Duke NC, Ellison AM, Ellison JC, Farnsworth EJ, Fernando ES, Kathiresan K, Koedam NE, Livingstone SR, Miyagi T, Moore GE, Nam VN, Ong JE, Primavera JH, Iii SGS, Sanciangco JC, Sukardjo S, Yong JWH (2010) The loss of species: mangrove extinction risk and geographic areas of global concern. PLOS ONE 5(4):e10095. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0010095
Por FD, Dor I, Amir A (1977) The mangal of Sinai: limits of an ecosystem. Helgoländer Meeresun 30(1):295–314. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02207843
Reef R, Lovelock CE (2015) Regulation of water balance in mangroves. Ann Bot 115(3):385–395. https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcu174
Riesch R, Plath M, Bierbach D (2018) Ecology and evolution along environmental gradients. Curr Zool 64(2):193–196. https://doi.org/10.1093/cz/zoy015
Romañach SS, DeAngelis DL, Koh HL, Li Y, Teh SY, Raja Barizan RS, Zhai L (2018) Conservation and restoration of mangroves: Global status, perspectives, and prognosis. Ocean Coast Manag 154:72–82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2018.01.009
Schofield O, Ducklow HW, Martinson DG, Meredith MP, Moline MA, Fraser WR (2010) How do polar marine ecosystems respond to rapid climate change? Science 328(5985):1520–1523. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1185779
Shaltout K, El-Bana M (2006) Environmental characteristics of the mangrove sites along the Egyptian Red Sea Coast: complementry report. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.1.2568.4327
Snelgrove PVR (1998) The biodiversity of macrofaunal organisms in marine sediments. Biodivers Conserv 7(9):1123–1132. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008867313340
Sumudumali RGI, Jayawardana JMCK (2021) A review of biological monitoring of aquatic ecosystems approaches: with special reference to macroinvertebrates and pesticide pollution. Environ Manage 67(2):263–276
Thukral AK (2017) A review on measurement of Alpha diversity in biology. Agric Res J 54(1):1–10
Tolhurst TJ, Chapman MG, Murphy RJ (2020) The effect of shading and nutrient addition on the microphytobenthos, macrofauna, and biogeochemical properties of intertidal flat sediments. Front Marine Sci. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.00419
Townsend C, Arbuckle C, Crowl T, Scarsbrook M (1997) The relationship between land use and physicochemistry, food resources and macroinvertebrate communities in tributaries of the Taieri River, New Zealand: a hierarchically scaled approach. Freshw Biol 37(1):177–191. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2427.1997.00151.x
Traunspurger W, Wilden B, Majdi N (2020) An overview of meiofaunal and nematode distribution patterns in lake ecosystems differing in their trophic state. Hydrobiologia 847:2665–2679
Trégarot E, Caillaud A, Cornet CC, Taureau F, Catry T, Cragg SM, Failler P (2021) Mangrove ecological services at the forefront of coastal change in the French overseas territories. Sci Total Environ 763:143004
Wang X, Liu X, Xu J (2019) Distribution patterns of meiofauna assemblages and their relationship with environmental factors of deep sea adjacent to the yap trench, Western Pacific Ocean. Front Marine Sci. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2019.00735
Wolf BM (2012) Ecosystem of the mangroves. University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Wisconsin
Woodroffe CD, Rogers K, McKee KL, Lovelock CE, Mendelssohn IA, Saintilan N (2016) Mangrove sedimentation and response to relative sea-level rise. Ann Rev Mar Sci 8(1):243–266. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-marine-122414-034025
Worm B, Lotze HK (2021) Marine biodiversity and climate change. In: Climate change (pp. 445–464). Elsevier
You Q, Yang W, Jian M, Hu Q (2021) A comparison of metric scoring and health status classification methods to evaluate benthic macroinvertebrate-based index of biotic integrity performance in Poyang Lake wetland. Sci Total Environ. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144112
Zeppilli D, Pusceddu A, Trincardi F, Danovaro R (2016) Seafloor heterogeneity influences the biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationships in the deep sea. Sci Rep. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep26352
Acknowledgments
The author is grateful to the Director of Nature Conservation Sector, Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency, for providing laboratory facilities. The author thanks the Editorial Board and reviewers for their invaluable comments to improve the quality of this manuscript. The author would like to thank the Deanship of Scientific Research at Majmaah University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, for supporting this work under Project Number (R-2021-51).
Funding
The Deanship of Scientific Research at Majmaah University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is supporting this work under Project Number (R-2021-51).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
The research done by one author.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The author declares that he has no known conflict of interest that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Ethical approval
This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.
Additional information
Editorial responsibility: Maryam Shabani.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Ibrahim, M.A. Biodiversity of mangrove macrofauna in different sites of Aqaba Gulf, Red Sea. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 21, 2627–2638 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-023-05142-x
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-023-05142-x