A preliminary Investigation of Man-Made Effects on Water Quality and Phytoplankton of Lake Nasser and NearbyWater Bodies

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Aswan University, Aswan 81528, Egypt

Abstract

Water quality as well as phytoplankton qualitative and quantitative compositions of different aquatic
habitats (Lake Nasser, fish ponds, and potable water) in a reclaimed cultivated area on the west shore
of Lake Nasser were investigated in winter of 2007. In spite of the sampling sites were located in close
proximity, the data obtained may indicate that the different water habitats acquired specific
environmental conditions and man-made effects. The relatively alkaline pH value and oxygen super
saturation of the majority of water samples may be in part attributed to the photosynthetic activity of
phytoplankton. The differences that were recorded in nutrient concentrations of the collected water
samples could be mainly due to the phytoplankton density, human activity in the vicinity of sampling
sites in Lake Nasser, or due to manuring with various nutrients in fish ponds. The structure of
phytoplankton assemblages revealed a floristic diversity and composed of various species appertaining
to green algae, diatoms, cyanobacteria and dinoflagellates. Numerically, diatoms dominated the
phytoplankton community in Lake Nasser and drinking water habitats. However, in fish ponds, green
algae represented the dominant group. Species diversity did not differ significantly among the three
investigated habitats. The sustainable management plan of the aquatic ecosystems in this region should
include establishment of environmental monitoring system in order to record any alterations that may
take place in water quality. For potable water supply, maintenance of high-quality water should be
among the principal priorities in management plans

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