Salih Hassan Jazza¹ , Hamid.T. Al-Saad² , Abdul-Hussain.Y. Al-Adhub³

1 Department of Biology, College of Science, University of Missan, Missan, Iraq
2 Department of Marine Environmental Chemistry, Marine Science Center, University of Basrah, Basrah, Iraq
3 Department of Biology, College of science, University of Basrah, Basrah, Iraq
Author    Correspondence author
International Journal of Marine Science, 2016, Vol. 6, No. 3   doi: 10.5376/ijms.2016.06.0003
Received: 20 Dec., 2015    Accepted: 19 Feb., 2016    Published: 19 Feb., 2016

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Jazza S.H., Al-Saad H.T., and Al-Adhub A.Y., 2016, Using Two Species From Common Aquatic Plants as Bio-indicators of Pollution With Hydrocarbons Compounds in Al-Kahlaa River -Missan Province/ Iraq, International Journal of Marine Science, 6(3): 1-4 (doi: 10.5376/ijms.2016.06.0003)

Two species from common aquatic plants (Ceratophyllum demersum and Paspalum pespaioides) were used as bio-indicators of pollution with hydrocarbons compounds at Al-Kahlaa River in Missan province .Plant samples were collected during the period from October 2012 to November 2013. Concentrations of Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPHs) in C. demersum ranged between 5 µg/g dry weight during winter and 58.97 µg/g dry weight during summer, whereas in P. pespaioides ranged between 3.18 µg/g dry weight during winter and 43.44 µg/g dry weight during summer. Also results of this study revealed a seasonal and spatial variations in concentrations of TPHs in both plants, the highest concentrations were recorded during summer whereas the lowest during winter. Results of statistical analysis revealed that there is no significant spatial variation whereas there is a significant seasonal variation in C. demersum. While results in P. pespaioides revealed that there was a significant spatial variation, whereas there is a significant seasonal variation. These plants are capable of accumulating TPHs and can be used as bio-indicators for monitoring pollution by this type of pollutants in aquatic environment.

Aquatic plants; Total hydrocarbons pollution; Al-Kahlaa River