Hard-Bottom Polychaetes Exposed to Multiple Human Pressure along the Mediterranean Coast of Egypt

Abstract

The complex mixture of anthropogenic pressure determines the impact on the marine biota, hampering the ecosystem’s functioning. The coast of Alexandria, Egypt, experiences multiple human pressure, including sewage discharge, engineering activities (urbanization) for armoring purposes, and beach nourishment. Hard-bottom polychaete assemblages are demonstrated to reflect coastal areas’ environmental status, though their use in monitoring programs is uncommon. The sensitivity of hard-bottom polychaete assemblages in depicting variations in environmental conditions of two sites exposed to the discharge of polluted water and three sites exposed to urbanization was analyzed. The high spatial and temporal variation in species abundance and diversity probably hid differences among the assemblages exposed to the two forms of pressure while highlighting differences among sites exposed to the same impact form. In addition, changes in the algal substrate probably influenced the observed pattern. Temporal variation of salinity and differences in biological oxygen demand (BOD) and the organic matter appeared to indirectly affect polychaete abundance and diversity by favoring tolerant algal taxa such as Ulva sp. Contrary to what was expected, assemblage variation due to site-specific environmental features accounted for more than the variations due to the two forms of human pressure in shaping differences among polychaete assemblages.