ABSTRACT
The concentration of heavy metals in drinking water is very important. To to evaluate the chemistry of some heavy metals in surface drinking water of Dakahlia Governorate, Egypt. 51 surface drinking water samples were collected from the main surface water stations and compact units in October 2009 and analyzed chemically. 26 water samples were analyzed by atomic absorption spectrophotometer for iron, manganese, lead, nickel, chromium, zinc, copper, cobalt, aluminum, and cadmium concentrations. Aluminum concentration was slightly high in water sample of Bosat network. Cadmium concentration in samples of up-streams of shark and Mit-Khamis stations, networks of Mit-Antar, Demera, Bosat, Bilqas, El-satamony, EI-Gamalia, Mit-asim and Bilqas station exceeded the permissible limits of Egyptian Ministry of Health [EMH, 2007] and World Health Organization [WHO, 2008]. The nickel concentration in the network samples taken from Shoha, Bosat and EI-Gamalia as well as up-stream of Bosat station exceeded the permissible limits. Also, lead concentrations of the network samples of Shoha, Mit-Antar, Demera and Nabaru exceeded the permissible limits. Regular chemical analysis of surface drinking water is required. Since these heavy metals are most likely originate from steel, plastics and batteries industries working in the region, we believe that activities of these industries must be stopped or at least limited in urban zones
ABSTRACT
Six strains of Chlorella were isolated as unialgal, then axenic cultures, starting from algal samples collected from different sites and habitats of Damietta county. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of isozymal systems for malate dehydrogenase, glutamate dehydrogenase, alkaline phosphatase, acid phosphatase and alpha-esterase was employed in an attempt to improve the current taxonomic status of such microalgae depending mainly on morphological criteria. Data had been clustered in the form of similarity matrices and dendrograms. The isozymal analyses for the six species and strains of the genus Chlorella do strengthen their differentiation into two species: ellipsoids and vulgaris. Though members of each species showed isozymal similarities enough to keep them within one and the same species but none of those strains proved to be identical or even near to be identical in its isozymal patterns to any other member. This makes one think about them as different varieties instead of just keeping them as strains of the same species. The present work is an evidence that isozymal taxonomy could help in improving the taxonomic status of microlgae, especially when using several isozymal systems rather than just one or two systems
Subject(s)
EukaryotaABSTRACT
Ten strains of Chlamydomonas were isolated as unialgal, then axenic cultures, starting from algal samples collected from different sites and habitats of Damietta county. Biochemical taxonomy in the form of polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of isozymal systems for malate dehydrogenase, glutamate dehydrogenase, alkaline phosphatase, acid phosphatase and alpha- esterase was employed in an attempt to improve the current taxonomic status of such microalgae depending mainly on morphological criteria. Data had been clustered in the form of similarity matrices and dendrograms. The eleecttrophoretic isozymal analysis of the ten Chlamydomonas species and strains showed the possibility of building up species groupings. Each grouping with an isozymal similarity which is good enough to tie its members together. These species groupings are suggested as follows: a] C.sphagnophfla I and C.isphagnophila II. b] C:asymmetrica, C.gloeogama and C.terricola c] C.sphagnophila III, C.debaryana and C.bicocca. Each of C.fimbryata and Ci.globosa didn't show isozymal similarity enough to fit to any of the above mentioned species groupings, and would rather stand as real independent genuine species by themselves. Although C.sphagnophila I and C.sphagnophila II showed strong isozymal relationships, they proved not to be identical and hence are suggested to be considered as two different varieties of the species sphagnophila. C.sphagnophila III, though it looks morphologically identical with C.sphagnofila I and C.sphagnophila II, its isozymal patterns showed to be dissimilar enough with them, so that it is better to split it as another different species rather than keeping it as a strain of the sphagnophila species. The present work shows the significance of biochemical tools to improve the taxonomy of microalgae and -necessity of using as many isozymal systems as possible and the risk of relying on one or two systems only