PHYTOPLANKTON COMPOSITIONS AS A RESPONSE OF WATER QUALITY IN EL SALAM CANAL HADOUS DRAIN AND DAMIETTA BRANCH OF RIVER NILE EGYPT

Considerable variation in water quality was found in El Salam canal; Hadous drain and Damietta branch of River Nile, Egypt. These resulted in variation of phytoplankton flora at the study area. Sixty seven species of phytoplankton were recorded at River Nile (site I) with maximum mean individual numbers (4810.6x10(5) cell/l), Bacillariophyta predominant group followed by Cyanophyta, Chlorophyta, Euglenophyta and Dinophyta. Hadous Drain recorded maximum mean species number 72 species but with low mean individual number (195x10(5) cell/l) mean while, El Salam canal have local variation in phytoplankton standing crop (32-65 species). Cyanophyta or Chlorophyta were the predominant groups followed by Bacillariophyta and Euglenophyta in both El Salam and Hadous water. Phycological monitors (Diversity, Saprobic indices and Saprobic quotient) indicated that Hadous Drain has relatively high polluted water and El Salam canal water more polluted than River Nile water. The matrix of biological (phytoplankton number and biomass standing crops) parameters and environmental variables of 36 samples were subjected to Canonical correspond analysis and cluster analysis.