STUDY OF NATURAL COMPONENTS IN SOME MARINE MACROALGAE IN RELATION TO NUTRIENTS ALONG ALEXANDRIAL COAST, EGYPT.

STUDY OF NATURAL COMPONENTS IN SOME MARINE
MACROALGAE IN RELATION TO NUTRIENTS ALONG
ALEXANDRIAL COAST, EGYPT.
NIHAL G. SHAMS EL-DIN; ADEL M. AMER AND MAHA. A. ABDALLAH
National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries
[email protected]
Keywords: Natural components, macroalgae, nutrients, Alexandrial coast.
ABSTRACT
The two species Ulva lactuca (Linnaeus) and Enteromorpha compressa (Linnaeus)
Nees belonging to Chlorophyceae, Jania rubens (Linnaeus) Lamouroux (Rhodophyceae)
and Petalonia fascia (Müller; O.Kuntze) (Phaeophyceae) were collected from five stations
along the Alexandrial coast subjected to different ecological conditions. Natural
components of macroalgae (total protein, total carbohydrates and total lipid content) iodine
and pigments (chlorophylls and β-carotene) were measured seasonally in these four algal
species from September 2004 to July 2005. In addition, nutrient salts (Nitrate, nitrite,
ammonia, and reactive phosphate) were determined. However, the results indicated that
Abu-Qir Bay recorded the highest concentration of nitrate (18.16 µg at/L), ammonia (19.1
µg at/L), total organic nitrogen (114 µg at/L), total nitrogen (152.6 µg at/L), reactive
phosphate (6.8µg at/L) and total phosphate (13.28 µg at/L), while El-Maadiya recorded the
highest concentration of nitrite (4.06 µg at/L). On the other hand, there were great
variations in the level and the pattern of distribution of the measured natural components in
the four algal species, with a general decrease in their concentrations than the previous
records. The correlation coefficient between the natural components in the four algal
species was calculated (n= 26 at p< 0.05). In addition, the correlation coefficient between nutrients and the natural components in the two species Ulva lactuca and Enteromorpha compressa was calculated (n= 17, n= 5), respectively, at a confidence limit 95% and revealed that nutrients were not limiting factors for total protein content (TPr) and total carbohydrates content (TCH) while total lipid content (TL) was negatively correlated with total nitrogen and total organic nitrogen in Ulva lactuca whereas nutrients were not significantly correlated with natural components in Enteromorpha compressa. Thus, further studies are still needed to search for other environmental conditions affecting the level and pattern of distribution of these components and for the factors responsible for the decrease in their concentrations since there is a worldwide interest for their production.