Benthic Ostracods as Pollution Indicator: A Case Study from Sharm Obhur, Red Sea Coast, Saudi Arabia

The Red Sea has been consistently exposed to pollution from industrial waste, and ship activities, raising apprehensions about the potential ecological consequences for its marine ecosystems. Benthic ostracods, small crustaceans inhabiting surface sediment of shallow marine environments that are highly sensitive to environmental changes, were utilized in this study due to their usefulness as bioindicators. Thus, 47 sediment samples collected from Sharm Obhur, northern Jeddah, Saudi Arabia have been examined to assess the repercussion of environmental stresses on benthic ostracods. Spatial distribution patterns of heavy metals and organic pollutant exhibit significantly high concentrations around stations anthropogenically influenced at the sharm head and decline toward the Red Sea entrance. Moreover, these stations rendered low living ostracods percentage suggesting deterioration of their environment. Statistically, redundancy analysis categorized stations and benthic ostracods communities as well as environmental factors into two ecological biotopes. Biotope I comprises stations from the sharm head (i.e., O11, and O16) influenced by elevated heavy metals, and organic pollutants contents. High ostracod percentages of the tolerant-living Hemicytheridea paiki and Alocopocythere reticulata dominate these stations, while species diversity is low. Biotope II consists of stations near the Red Sea entrance (i.e., O47, and O44), and is populated by Loxocorniculum ghardaqensis, Cyprideis torosa, Moosella striata, and Xestoleberis spp. These taxa are accompanied by three controlling factors, CaCO3%, water depth, and sand%. The study revealed an environmental system already expressing symptoms of anthropogenic degradation, emphasizing urgent need for prioritized recovery. Such information is crucial for effective management and conservation strategies in the Sharm Obhur ecosystem.