Species composition and seasonal variation of phytoplankton in Himreen reservoir, middle of Iraq

Abstract

The Phytoplanktons of Himreen reservoir were studied during the period Feb. 1996 to Jan. 1997. A total of 98 algal species were identified, dominated by diatoms (69 species), followed by green algae (15 species), blue green algae (10 species) and the other taxa (4 species).

Diatoms were the most abundant group, followed by green and blue green algae and the dominant species were Navicula cryptocephala, Nitzschia palee, Cymbella affinis, and Fragillaria ulna. The number of species revealed clear differences and irregular seasonal variations at different stations of the study area