Municipal Wastewater Effluent Effects on Intertidal Zone Gastropod Communities of Boushehr City Coastal Area

Abstract

In order to investigate the effects of Boushehr municipal wastewater on the structural diversity and dominance of Gastropods' colonies in intertidal zones, to understand the species of the biological indices, and finally to assess the impacts of the sewage, samples were taken from 7 stations affected by the sewage and from one station without any sewage pollutants (reference station), from March 2002 to February 2003. For the purposes of this study, 1056 benthos were collected, separated, fixed, and then identified. Samples were taken using a 50×50 cm quadrate, a scraper in rocky beds, and a core sampler in sandy beaches to a depth of 5 cm. In this study, 25 species relating to 16 families of gastropods were identified. An important finding was that the species Planaxis sulcatus and Cerithidea cingulata were identified as the biological indices of the polluted areas. The results of this study revealed high pollution in these coasts due to organic materials resulting from the sewage disposal.

Keywords

• Municipal wastewater
• Gastropods
• Intertidal Zone
• Pollution
• Diversity
• Dominance
• Boushehr