[Impact of phosphogypsum and other factory effluents on Meiofauna communities of Batroun coastal region]

ABSTRACT

Meiofauna assemblages were sampled in summer 2007 and winter 2008 at ten stations along Batroun coastal region in North Lebanon, offshore from the fertilizer factory. A survey of the major meiofaunal taxa was made in order to study the impact of chemical discharges [phosphogypsum] on meiofaunal population composition and density. There were significant changes in the community density and composition in the stations located in front of the plant [S5 to S8]. Total meiofauna abundance was the lowest in the stations located in front of the plant, ranging between 8.7 +/- 5.5 [S6] and 161.1 +/- 35.3 [S5] individuals 10 cm[-2] in August and between 10.5 +/- 9.4 [S6] and 42.3 +/- 31.2 [S5] individuals 10 cm[-2] in January. The highest densities were recorded at the stations located at the south and the north of the discharge pipe [S1 to S4 and S9 to S10]. At these stations total meiofauna abundance ranged between 344 +/- 68.4 and 827.1 +/- 58.2 individuals 10 cm[-2] in August and 167.6 +/- 31.3 and 758.6 +/- 274.2 in January. Nematodes, followed by copepods exhibited the greatest densities among the 22 meiofauna taxa recorded at the 10 stations. The diversity within meiofaunal assemblages was low at the stations located near the plant [2 to 6 taxa] and higher at the other stations [9 to 19 taxa]