Study of the Biomass of Some Macroinvertebrates in Khor Al Zubair, Southern Iraq

Ali, Hanan Abdulhafd; Hammadi, Naeem Shanad; Abdulsahib, Ibtsam

doi:10.21608/ejabf.2025.420100.6509

Study of the Biomass of Some Macroinvertebrates in Khor Al Zubair, Southern Iraq

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ university

² Department of Fisheries and Marine Resources, College of Agriculture, University of Basrah, Iraq.

³ Department of Invertebrates, Marine Science Center, University of Basrah, Basrah, Iraq

10.21608/ejabf.2025.420100.6509

Abstract

In the current study, the relationship between length and weight (or biomass) of some marine invertebrates prevalent in the Khor Al-Zubair area, located in southern Iraq, was analyzed. The primary objective of this study was to estimate the biomass of organisms using allometric relationships between length and weights. Barnacle and crab samples were collected for further analyses; an estimation of biomass was conducted; length was accurately measured, followed by the determination of wet, dry, and organic matter weights. According to the average lengths, the average weights of the dominant species in Khor Al Zubair, barnacles, and crabs, were recorded at the selected study stations along the Khor Al Zubair waterway. According to the annual average biomass (¯B) as a function of dry weight and organic matter weight, positive correlations were recorded between length, dry weight, ash, and organic matter. The length, wet and dry weights, ash content, and organic matter were calculated for each animal, and the results showed that the longer the animal, the higher the weight. The biomass of barnacles and crabs was calculated for 50 samples each, as a function of length and average dry weight. The highest crab biomass was recorded at station 1 (61.274 g/m2/yr), and the barnacle biomass as a function of average length and dry weight was 269.338 g/m2/yr at the first station. The results indicate that barnacles had the highest biomass in Khor Al-Zubair.

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