Ecology and Biodiversity of Epiphytic Algae (Non-diatoms) on Typha Domingensis Pers. In the Upper Euphrates River Between Haditha Dam and Al Baghdadi in Western Iraq

This research aimed to determine the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of epiphytic non-diatom cells attached to the Typha domingensis plant and their connection to the water quality of the upper Euphrates river. The physical and chemical characteristics of the river water were examined. The water was found to be warm, slightly alkaline, firm, moderately turbid, and well ventilated, and the concentration of calcium was higher than the concentration of magnesium. The concentrations of chloride, sodium, potassium, nitrate, and phosphate did not exceed local and international permitted limits. A total of 112 epiphytic non-diatom species were found on the Typha domingensis plant, with Chlorophyceae (72 species, 65%) dominating the Cyanophyceae (36 species, 32%) and 3 species (3%) being isolated. The study showed a discrepancy in the quality and density of algae cells between the sites studied, with the highest total number of 1091 cells per 103/gm at site 1 (Haditha Dam) and the lowest total number of 600 cells per 103/gm at the rest of the sites. A range of biodiversity indices were applied, including the Shannon Diversity Index, richness index, evenness index, and the Jaccard index. These described the waters of the upper Euphrates river as having less to medium biodiversity and being moderately polluted with homogenization in the distribution of non-diatoms species adhesive to the Typha domingensis plant. According to the results, the nature and geography of the study sites affected the quality of the river water and the density of the epiphytic non-diatoms attached to the host plant.