Ali BADREDDINE
Tyre Coast Nature Reserve-Tyre-south Lebanon
E-mail: ali.badreddine@hotmail.com
INDIGENOUS VS EXOTIC: STUDY OF THE FAUNA AND FLORA
ASSOCIATED WITH THE VERMETID REEFS ALONG THE
LEBANESE COAST
Abstract
Non-Indigenous Species (NIS) are significantly increasing along the Lebanese coast. This study
aims to evaluate the impact of NIS on the fauna and flora associated with the vermetid reefs.
Accordingly, benthic communities of vermetid reefs were collected by rock scraping using a
hammer along four sites of the Lebanese coast. The results show a significant dominance in the
abundance of NIS in all the monitored sites. In addition, this study confirms the invasion status
of newly introduced species along the Lebanese coast (e.g. the Macroalgae/ Ochrophyta Dictyota
acutiloba, and the Mollusca rayed dwarf-turban Turbo radiatus). Based on this finding, it is
essential to establish a sustainable monitoring program of NIS along the Lebanese coast to
evaluate their impact on the local communities and the whole habitat.
Key-words: Non-Indigenous Species, Benthic communities, Dictyota acutiloba, Turbo
radiatus, Lebanese coast
Introduction
The Lebanese coast, which at its southern end is about 400 km distant from the Suez
Canal, is fully exposed to the arrival of marine “lessepsian” species. Indeed, the number
of alien species is still increasing along the Lebanese waters (Badreddine, 2018 and
references therein). Invaders represent a threat to local flora and fauna, as in the case of
the Indigenous Species (IS), the Mollusca Mytilus galloprovincialis, which was abundant
in the past, according to Gruvel (1931), and is now totally replaced by the invasive NIS
Brachidontes pharaonis and Cerithium scabridum. This study aims to evaluate the impact
of NIS on the fauna and flora associated with the vermetid reefs along the Lebanese coast.
Material and Methods
The study was performed in May 2021 along four sites (Tab. 1) characterized by large
vermetid reefs along the Lebanese coast. Subsequently, the assessment of benthic
communities was performed by random 10 x 10 cm quadrats. At each sampling site, five
10 x 10 cm plots were randomly placed on the inner and outer edges of the vermetid reefs,
and the benthic assemblage was collected from each plot by the destructive methods of
rock scraping using a hammer. Each sample was stored in a plastic zipper bag with a
mixture of seawater and 10% formalin solution until their identification.
2nd Mediterranean Symposium on the Non-Indigenous Species (Genoa, Italy, 22-23 September 2022)
77
Tyre Coast Nature Reserve-Tyre-south Lebanon
E-mail: ali.badreddine@hotmail.com
INDIGENOUS VS EXOTIC: STUDY OF THE FAUNA AND FLORA
ASSOCIATED WITH THE VERMETID REEFS ALONG THE
LEBANESE COAST
Abstract
Non-Indigenous Species (NIS) are significantly increasing along the Lebanese coast. This study
aims to evaluate the impact of NIS on the fauna and flora associated with the vermetid reefs.
Accordingly, benthic communities of vermetid reefs were collected by rock scraping using a
hammer along four sites of the Lebanese coast. The results show a significant dominance in the
abundance of NIS in all the monitored sites. In addition, this study confirms the invasion status
of newly introduced species along the Lebanese coast (e.g. the Macroalgae/ Ochrophyta Dictyota
acutiloba, and the Mollusca rayed dwarf-turban Turbo radiatus). Based on this finding, it is
essential to establish a sustainable monitoring program of NIS along the Lebanese coast to
evaluate their impact on the local communities and the whole habitat.
Key-words: Non-Indigenous Species, Benthic communities, Dictyota acutiloba, Turbo
radiatus, Lebanese coast
Introduction
The Lebanese coast, which at its southern end is about 400 km distant from the Suez
Canal, is fully exposed to the arrival of marine “lessepsian” species. Indeed, the number
of alien species is still increasing along the Lebanese waters (Badreddine, 2018 and
references therein). Invaders represent a threat to local flora and fauna, as in the case of
the Indigenous Species (IS), the Mollusca Mytilus galloprovincialis, which was abundant
in the past, according to Gruvel (1931), and is now totally replaced by the invasive NIS
Brachidontes pharaonis and Cerithium scabridum. This study aims to evaluate the impact
of NIS on the fauna and flora associated with the vermetid reefs along the Lebanese coast.
Material and Methods
The study was performed in May 2021 along four sites (Tab. 1) characterized by large
vermetid reefs along the Lebanese coast. Subsequently, the assessment of benthic
communities was performed by random 10 x 10 cm quadrats. At each sampling site, five
10 x 10 cm plots were randomly placed on the inner and outer edges of the vermetid reefs,
and the benthic assemblage was collected from each plot by the destructive methods of
rock scraping using a hammer. Each sample was stored in a plastic zipper bag with a
mixture of seawater and 10% formalin solution until their identification.
2nd Mediterranean Symposium on the Non-Indigenous Species (Genoa, Italy, 22-23 September 2022)
77