Epilithic diatoms diversity in the Lower Zab River within Kirkuk province

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Department of Biology, College of Science, Tikrit University, Iraq

Abstract

This study was conducted in the lower Zab River within Kirkuk province to determine epilithic diatoms diversity, which may reflect the water quality of the river from October 2024 to March 2025. Epilithic diatoms samples were collected by scraping submerged rock surfaces at the four study sites (S1: Sadr River Bridge, S2: Ashraya, S3: Al-Shamit, S4: Al-Shak villages). Biodiversity indices, including Richness Index (RI), Shannon-Wiener Index (H'), Evenness Index (EI), and Simpson’s diversity index (D) were calculated. Pennate diatoms dominated (90.86%), while centric forms accounted for 7.14%. Diatom abundance varied from 158×104 to 214×104 cells mL-1. Dominant epilithic diatom species included Cymbella cistula, Gomphonema minutum, G. olivaceum, Nitzschia palea, and Navicula capitatoradiata, indicating ecological relevance. Shannon Index (H') and Simpson index (D)ranged from 2.834 to 3.200 and 0.932 to 0.954, respectively, reflecting moderate to high diversity along the river. Evenness (EI) values between (0.880-0.893) which reflects a stable ecosystem and high evenness. These results showed that epilithic diatom communities in this river are of higher diversity and the river can be categorized as high biodiversity and slightly polluted water.

Keywords

Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries
Volume 29, Issue 5
September and October 2025
Pages 187-195

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