Abstract
The Red Sea encompasses a wide range of tropical marine habitats that are stressed due to anthropogenic activities. The main anthropogenic activities are hydrocarbon exploration and important trading harbors. This work aims to assess the influence of the Red Sea coastal heavy metal contamination on the marine meiofauna along three sites (Ras Gharib, Safaga, and Quseir). Eight heavy metal (Cu, Cd, Zn, Pb, Cr, Co, Ni, and Mn) contents are considered in four benthic foraminiferal species (Elphidium striatopunctatum, Amphistegina lobifera, Amphisorus hemprichii, and Ammonia beccarii). Quseir Harbor showed the highest level of pollution followed by Safaga and Ras Gharib sites. The analyzed benthic foraminiferal tests displayed noteworthy high concentrations of Cd, Zn, and Pb in Quseir Harbor which could be attributed to the anthropogenic activities in the nearshore areas. Some foraminiferal tests exhibited abnormalities in their apertures, coiling, and shape of chambers. A comparison between normal and deformed foraminiferal tests revealed that the deformed ones are highly contaminated with elevated heavy metal contents such as Fe, Mn, Ni, and Cd. Statistics in addition to geo-accumulation and pollution load indices reveal a whistling alarm for the Quseir harbor. The present data are necessary to improve conservation and management of the Red Sea ecosystem in the near future.
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Acknowledgements
The authors wish to thank the National Oceanography and Fisheries Institute, Hurghada Branch, for the help during sampling. Also, the authors are gratitude to Prof. Dr. Neil Sturchio (the head of the Geoscience Department, Delaware’s University College of Earth Science, USA) for revising this manuscript. Thanking should be extended to the anonymous reviewers for evolving the manuscript.
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El-Kahawy, R., El-Shafeiy, M., Helal, S.A. et al. Morphological deformities of benthic foraminifera in response to nearshore pollution of the Red Sea, Egypt. Environ Monit Assess 190, 312 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-018-6695-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-018-6695-2