The shore crab, Cyclograpsus aff. integer (Subfamily Cyclograpsinae, Family Varunidae: Superfamily Grapsoidea), is recorded for the first time from the Egyptian Red Sea coasts and from the entire Red Sea. This species is a small-sized crab, lives in burrows at the upper intertidal zone of the sandy-mud and sandy bottom mixed with small pebbles. The diagnostic characters with illustrations distinguished it from other closely allied species were given. All information on crab habitat, color, diagnostic and morphological characters of this species were given and discussed.
Coral reef health has declined significantly around the world as a result of anthropogenic activities and natural environment changes, such sewage pollution and climate change due to global warming. These significant threats can interrupt coral’s fluorescence yield and also modify the zooxanthellae performance, which can lead to bleaching events if prolonged stress. Nowadays, other than using zooxanthellae density to determine coral’s health, numerous study starts to focus more on observing the effective quantum yield, Y(II) of corals by using Pulse Amplitude (PAM) fluorometer, as it is an effective and non-lethal way in determining coral’s health. In this study, there are two objectives to be achieved which are i) To measure the effective quantum yield of Montipora sp. before and after nitrate and temperature stress and ii) To calculate the zooxanthellae density of Montipora sp. after nitrate and temperature stress. Montipora sp. that was exposed to high nitrate (HN), high temperature (HT) and high nitrate with high temperature (HNHT) treatment exhibited the decrement of their Y(II) reading and zooxanthellae density after 48 hours exposure. Major decrease of Y(II) resulted from the HN treatment while major drop of zooxanthellae is caused by HT treatment. For future studies, longer term experiment duration, various coral species and molecular studies should be done to understand the photoinhibition process and its effect to the coral body system.
Sharm Obhur, situated approximately 35 km north of Jeddah City along the Red Sea coast, is a prominent recreational area with diverse benthic habitats. Accurate mapping of seabed sediments is critical for characterizing marine ecosystems and elucidating benthic habitat distribution in this region. This study underscores the importance of assessing sediment distribution patterns in Sharm Obhur, particularly due to the prevalence of recreational activities and navigational traffic. This research investigates sediment dynamics in Sharm Obhur, a coastal creek near Jeddah, utilizing Multibeam Echo Sounder (MBES) backscatter data and grab sample analyses. The study focuses on understanding sediment distribution patterns and their implications for coastal management. MBES technology provides high-resolution data on seafloor composition and roughness, essential for assessing sediment types and bedforms. Through spatial alignment of MBES data with ground truth sediment samples, we analyze sediment characteristics and validate findings. Results indicate predominant sand presence with detectable mud in deeper channels and northern anthropogenically impacted areas. Gravel deposits correlate with coral formations near the creek edges. Tidal influence is evident, with increased sand presence at the creek entrance. The study demonstrates MBES backscatter's efficacy in mapping sediment distributions and seabed characteristics, benefiting marine science and coastal management. This research enhances knowledge of sediment transport processes, facilitating informed decision-making for sustainable coastal development and conservation efforts.
The Red Sea coast is overcrowded by many international and local harbors, particularly Shalateen harbor, that imposes environmental threats on the marine biota. The Shalateen ecosystem is assessed using benthic foraminifera, a sensitive proxy to environmental change. This study investigated the relationship between ecological parameters and benthic foraminifera distribution in the Shalateen site, a coastal area on the Red Sea facing increasing environmental deterioration. A total of 17 stations were sampled, and their benthic foraminiferal contents were analyzed. The findings revealed enriched benthic foraminiferal assemblages, dominated by Miliolida and Rotaliida, where counted morphological deformities in foraminiferal tests were observed and counted. Siamese twins, wrong direction of coiling, and aberrant chambers are the depicted test abnormalities. They are higher in the miliolids than rotaliids. A statistical analysis identified two distinct foraminiferal assemblages; group 1 is associated with shallow, high-energy habitats with elevated salinity and carbonate content, while group 2 occupies deeper waters with higher organic matter and finer sediments. The environmental-based foraminiferal indices (FAI, FI, FMI and AEI) highlighted that the stations in the nearby harbor have higher environmental impacts than the offshore stations. These findings provide crucial baseline data for future environmental management and conservation efforts in this vulnerable ecosystem.
No first crab of the genus Etisus has been described yet. Thirty five megalops of an Etisus sp. were collected from Obhur Creek, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and reared in the laboratory upto first crab stage. These first crabs were identified using molecular barcode methods and morphologically described herein and compared with those of the two species of Xanthoidean crabs, Eurytium limnosum and Leptodius exaratus. Apart fromsome minor variations, three characters differentiate the first crabs of the present study with those of the other two species: presence of several minute spines on the basal segment of the peduncle of antennule, presence of crista dentate in the endopod of third maxilliped and serrated lateral margins of third abdominal segment.
Almost all habitats on the planet are home to birds, from the lowest deserts to the highest mountains. Birds have proved to be excellent indicators of biodiversity or productivity as they are easily observed and are relatively well known compared to other animals. This study aims to assess wading birds and shorebirds diversity in the Aden lagoons from October 2021 to December 2022. fifty four species belong to seven families of shorebirds and five families of wading birds were recorded in the study area. A highest relative abundance 14.78 % was recorded in June 2022, while the lowest was 3.03 % recorded in April 2022. The highest values of Simpson diversity index and Shannon-Weiner index were 0.95 and 3.25, respectively. Species richness index reached 5.432, while an evenness index was 0.862. Dominance index recorded a high value in November 2021, July 2022, August 2022, September 2022and November 2022. The assemblage of wading birds and shorebirds at Aden lagoons was moderate, whereas showed disturbed and semi-balanced assemblage in terms of the richness and evenness respectively.
This article explores the potential of seaweed as a sustainable resource for the environment. Seaweed has been traditionally consumed as food by coastal communities and used as animal feed, but it also has applications in other industries. Seaweed can capture carbon and can also provide a habitat for fish species. Seaweed reduces the use of antibiotics and boosts the immune system. Several types of seaweed are often utilized in medications in their raw form. It is an important biorefinery feedstock it is used to produce a variety of materials like cosmetic products, polymeric substances (Protein, cellulose), agrifood, and food supplements with several health advantages. seaweed has the best nutritional profile and higher polysaccharides % making it the best choice to use as a fuel resource.Seaweed farming is a simple eco-friendly approach to sustainable development and provides massive biomass for the production of food and related products in the food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and agro-industries. Seaweed production significantly contributes to catalyzing sustainable aquaculture by providing food to aquaculture species. All three types of red, brown, and green seaweeds have been extensively used in various wastewater treatment processes as they can store high concentrations of nitrogen in their tissues. Seaweed is an enriched source of bioactive compounds that affect the rumen microbiome, enhance rumen digestibility, and check the levels of CH4 production in livestock. Seaweeds also act as bioindicators and bioremediator of eutrophied areas. Moreover, seaweeds are important bio-resource of renewable energy.
Diatoms are photosynthetic organisms that can produce lipids in large amounts within a short time. Their biomass can be processed into biofuels and other valuable commercial products. In this research, six diatom species were isolated from Malaysian water (seawater and freshwater) and grown under the same conditions to observe differences in their lipids and fatty acids composition. The results showed significant differences in total lipid contents between freshwater and marine species. Where Sellaphora pupula, Nitzschia palea, and Craticula cuspidate (Freshwater species) had a relatively constant percentage of lipid (13 to 16.1 % of dw) while Nitzschia sp, Chetoceros calcitrans, and Nitzschia sigma (marine species) had high lipid contents (>18 %). Total fatty acid content slightly varied between marine and freshwater diatoms (43.5 to 60.5). Palmitoleic acid-C16:1 (29.9 to 39.5% of TFA) and Palmitic acid-C16:0 (15.6 to 33.2% of TFA) was predominant in most of the six diatoms studied. In addition, ω-3 and ω-6 PUFA showed a high percentage in some marine and freshwater species (Nitzschia sp and C. cuspidata), which suggested both species had a good quality of polyunsaturated fatty acid and could be used as food sources in aquaculture or in other useful applications.
assessment and distribution of coral reefs were studied in three sites in front of Marsa Alam city, Red Sea, Egypt These sites were surveyed mainly for the sensitivity of coral reefs to tourism activities. The survey was conducted using diving equipment throughout the period 2020-2022. line intercepted transect method was used to determined corals and other benthic fauna percentage cover. The results of the current study revealed a significant degradation in the quality of coral reefs in all studied sites, compared to other studies in the Red Sea. While the percentage of live coral cover ranged from 55% in site 1 to 67.6% in site 3 Coral reefs in the studied sites are characterized by higher degraded reefs above the 2 m and 5 m depth zone. Dead coral coverage was 27.8%, 22.9% and 20.6% at sites 1, 2 and 3, respectively. However, the Newly broken colonies were highest at site 1 (2.7%) than at sites 2 (1.4 %) and site 3 (0.9 %). Shannon diversity index H` are all less than 0.70 ranging from 0.65 site 1 to 0.67 at site 3; however, Shannon evenness index J` is in the range between 0.5 site 1 and 0.8 at site 3. Berger-Parker dominance d represents higher variations between sites ranging from 0.25 at site 1 to 0.3 at site 3. Simpson diversity D has lower values ranging from 0.13 at site 1 and Canyon to 0.14 at sites 1 & 2. Margalef diversity M has higher values of diversity but in contrast to other indices, it is lowest in site 1 (0.13) and highest in sites 2 & 3 (0.14). Although Mackintosh diversity D and Mackintosh evenness index E has values lower than those of Margalef, they have a similar variation between sites having lowest values in site 1 and highest value in site 3. Mackintosh D and Mackintosh E are grouped together having the highest % similarity (97.13%), followed by Shannon H` and Shannon J` which are grouped together (92.29%). However, Simpson D and Berger-Parker are grouped together having a % similarity of 71.23%, finally Margalef index is separated in one group having the lowest % similarity with other groups. Values of indices for richness in general are lowest where the study sites recorded a recent damage. There are some variances in variety between sites in this study, which can be explained by the varying pressures that the sites are subjected to (Boumeester 2005). Site 3 is considered as the healthiest site (based on Shannon species diversity H`) while site 1 is the least healthiest of all
Mangroves are trees or large shrubs which have special adaptations to survive in this environment and grow within the intertidal zone in tropical and subtropical regions. Sesuvium portulacastrum (seapurslane) is, herbaceous, perennial, dichotomous, halophyte fast growing plant that belongs to family Aizoaceae. Salicornia brachiata Roxb, is a halophyte, commonly known as sea asparagus widely used as food item in several countries. Then, In vitro studies like, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimycobacterial assay was carried out. The IC50 values of Salicornia brachiata and Sesuvium portulacastru was found to be 288.166, 369.451 and 369.764 µg/ml for DPPH scavenging activity. The presence of various primary and secondary metabolites was revealed in the present study. It also showed the better in vitro activities and was the most active plants against MDRTB, MTB and H37RV strain. This study validates the medicinal use of plants in the treatment of TB which have promising effect against MDRTB, MTB and H37RV.
Twenty-one specimens of Portunus sp. first crab were obtained from plankton samples collected from the Obhur Creek, Central Red Sea, Saudi Arabia. These specimens have been morphologically described herein. The setal patterns of the first crabs of the present specimens were compared with those of the first crabs of P. sanguinolentus. Presence of two to three rows of setae on the coxa of maxillule and coxa and basial of the first maxilliped are found in both the species of Portunus first crabs compared herein. These features seem to be taxonomically significant as these features are found in one of the other genera of Portunidae – Thalamita.
The use of beneficial bacteria to improve fish health and growth is an innovative method in aquaculture practice. A study was conducted to test the efficiency of two commercial probiotics, such as Sanolife Pro-W and Protexin Balance on the microbial load in culture water and growth performance of Sabaki tilapia, Oreochromis spilurus in fiber glass tanks (400 liters) for a period of 75 days. Sanolife was supplied at 3ppm in the rearing water daily, and designated as Treatment 1. Protexin was incorporated at the rate of 1ppm in a supplementary feed, containing 35% protein in diet and considered as treatment 2. A control was also maintained without treating with probiotics in culture water or feed. Healthy and uniform size fish (3.1 ± 0.5g) were stocked at the rate of 25peaces/tank and both treatments and control tanks were set on a randomized design and triplicated. Water quality parameters (physical and chemical), microbial load in water, growth performance and body composition (nutrients) of fish were assessed during the culture period. Significant difference (p<0.01) on growth was observed between control and treatments, the highest growth was recorded in Protexin treated fish. Water quality parameters did not show significant variations. Carcass protein and lipid content showed significant difference between control and treatments. Considerable reduction in bacterial population and improved growth were observed in Sanolife Pro W treated water, when compared to Control. The result shows that Sanolife significantly reduce the bacterial population in culture water and Protexin improves the growth of fish. The outcome of the study has great application in the field of tilapia aquaculture sector in the Kingdom.
Jeddah is the sea gateway to the commercial heart of Saudi Arabia, and there are high expectations from the port to significantly increase its contribution to non-oil gross domestic product. However, the geopolitical issues between the United States of America and China intruded, then the COVID-19 pandemic which will significantly impact global trade. This study investigates the effects of these conditions and rising port competition on government policy (Vision 2030) for Jeddah Islamic Port. Interviewing key respondents in the public and private domains, this research fleshes out statistical measures, and critically reviews information from many sources to establish the ongoing status of Jeddah Islamic Port. Significant bottlenecks in landside logistics, such as road and storage facilities are currently being addressed. Current digitisation advances have been adopted in a supply chain logistics platform focussed on the port, and with plans for container loading-unloading and on-site storage automation. Sustainability is viewed by Mawani (i.e., port authority) as meeting international protocols on emissions and waste. However, the rise of mega-container ships, the enhanced Suez Canal traffic, and the dominance of Chinese shipping put pressure on the port administrators to engage with their port tenants and with foreign ports to ensure that Jeddah Islamic Port remains a key player in global trade. Inter-port communications are found to be a critical trade practice in the face of emerging competitions in the region.
In this study, the ability of bacteria presents in soils contaminated with crude oil to degrade petroleum hydrocarbons at the study sites (Al-Fatha and AL-Qayyarah) is investigated. Ten bacterial isolates are isolated from the soils of the study area, collected from different areas of Al-Fatha near the North Refineries in Salah-Din Governorate and AL-Qayyarah Refinery in Nineveh Governorate. These bacterial isolates show uneven growth in the mineral medium prepared with crude oil. Three new bacterial genera and two species are obtained, one of which belongs to the genus Bacillus and the other to the genus Exiguobacterium. The new bacterial isolates are recorded in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) for the first time with the following numbers:(LC596402, LC596403& LC596406) for the genus (AM-I-1, AM-I- 2, and AM-I-5), respectively and (LC596404, LC596405) for the species (AM-I-3 and AM-I-4), respectively. The results show the ability of the isolates (AM-I-1, AM-I-2, AM-I-3, AM-I-4, and AM-I-5) to consume Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) compounds in the mineral medium prepared with crude oil with different concentrations and degrees, temperatures and pH conditions. The optimum conditions are pH 7, temperature 40°C and 2% crude oil concentration with a period of 12 days. The bacteria (AM-I-3) has outperformed the rest of the bacterial isolates with a consumption of (PAHs) compounds of 86.5%, followed by bacterial isolates and their mixture with a consumption rate of (84.42%, 78.19%, and 75.20%) (AM-I-1, AM-I-4, & mix of isolates), respectively.
Larvae of Grapsus albolineatus (Latreille, in Milbert, 1812) of the Red Sea were reared in the laboratory for 24 days and four zoeal stages were obtained. In this paper, these first four zoeal stages of Grapsus albolineatus have been described for the first time; these descriptions aid to compare this species with other congeneric species and to show that its morphological features are basically equal to those defined for grapsid zoeae. Cephalothorax lateral spines are present from the second zoeal stage, however, a third seta on the second segment of the endopod of the first maxilliped in the fourth zoea is observed for the first time in a grapsid four zoea and the diagnostic value of this character needs to be investigated further.
The present study uses benthic foraminiferal abundance and diversity indices in the coastal bottom sediments of the Farasan Island, Southern Cornich of Jeddah (SCJ) and Rabigh areas, Saudi Arabia to identify the ecological controls on their distribution. A total of 20 recent sediment samples were collected from the studied sites. Grain size analysis, CaCO3 content and organic matter were determined. Multivariate analyses were applied to test and represent the diversity indices and distribution of benthic foraminiferal assemblage. Two main benthic foraminiferal assemblages; A and B have been distinguished. The assemblage-A includes a high abundance of T. trigonula (33%), S. communis (30%), Q. bosciana (21%), E. striatopunctatum (18%) with low diversity indices in the Rabigh coastal sediments indicating high ecological stress. The Farasan ecosystem is dominated by sub-assemblage-B1 P. planatus (55%), S. orbiculus (27%), N. calcar (15%), Q. limbata (14%), which totally ranges between 60%-82%, indicating a highly oxic marine environment and normal ecology stress. Sub-assemblage-B2 such as P. planatus (39%),C. hemprichii (26%), V. neostriata (15%),Q. costata (10%) dominate the Southern Corniche of Jeddah (SCJ) with relatively high diversity indices, indicating moderate stress ecology or unstable environmental conditions.The cluster and the canonical correspondence analyses (CCA) indicated that the distribution and diversity pattern of benthic foraminifera are controlled by the enrichment of organic matters, CaCO3 contents, and sediments grain size characteristics. The concept of differentiation between these ecosystems is probably related to several factors, such as seasonal flash floods carrying a considerable amount of dissolved nutrients and mangrove communities on the Rabigh coast. In contrast, it is negligible on the south Jeddah coast and absence on Farasan Island.
The metabolites produced by the marine macroalgae are considered as a source for the natural product antifoulants. In this study, the surface and whole thallus extracts of the marine macroalgae Dictyota dichotoma was tested against a biofilm-forming bacterial strain Vibrio harveyi and barnacle larval settlement to understand the best extraction strategies for antifouling screening bioassays. The surface extracts were prepared in different time duration by dipping the algal samples for 10, 20 and 30 seconds in hexane. The results indicated that the extracts (both surface and whole thallus) obtained from the macroalgal samples have strong antifouling activities against the bacterial strain V. harveyi and barnacle larvae settlement. The extraction duration of the surface extracts strongly affected the antifouling activity. In all the assays, the surface extract obtained by 30 sec. dipping in the solvent showed high inhibitory activity than whole thallus extract. In conclusion, this study indicated the necessity for the inclusion of surface extraction methods for antifouling screening assays using marine macroalgae as a source for natural products.
The temporal and diel variability in mesozooplankton abundance were studied between January and December 2018 at a station in front of Obhur Creek, central Red Sea. Temperature and salinity reflected the hot and saline conditions of the Red Sea. Inorganic nutrients and phytoplankton biomass (chlorophyll a) depicted the oligotrophic characteristics of the region with occasional increase. Phytoplankton displayed low numerical densities (average 246.80±306.98×103 cells m-3) except for the high value in May (1082.34×103 cells m-3). Diatoms dominated the total phytoplankton (70.6%) most of the year, while dinoflagellates during summer. The mesozooplankton average abundance varied temporally between 1523±1377 in February and 23171±9704 individuals m-3 in December, while diel values fluctuated between 2694±3482 and 9009±6851 individuals m-3. The seasonal abundance was the higher in cold period; while the high diel abundance appeared mainly from the evening and midnight collections. Copepods were the dominant group, contributing 79.5 % to total zooplankton. Cladocerans, chaetognaths, appendicularians and crab larvae were represented considerable percentages of total zooplankton (4.8, 1.7, 1.5 and 2.8%, respectively). All of these groups exhibited clear seasonal and diel variations. The dominant calanoid copepod Centropages spp. attained its high abundance during the spring and autumn, but it recorded the highest diel from the evening and midnight. It is evident from this study that the distribution of zooplankton in the central Red sea is mainly dependent on the cumulative effect of both temperature and solar radiation, while the Centropages spp. have a particular affinity towards the moderate temperature indicating its native behavior.
The present study investigates the gut contents and feeding habits of Crenidens crenidens in the Red Sea coast of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Gonadosomatic index, length-weight relationship and relative condition factor were also determined. Samples were collected monthly during the period from November 2018 to October 2019.
The rapid development of the intensive sea cucumber industry poses the appearance of potential threats, which makes it necessary to develop safe concentrations of common disinfectants used in aquaculture for controlling pathogens or infestation of predators.
