Community Structure of Zoobenthos in Some Freshwater Bodies in Taif, Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is one of the most arid countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and its freshwater resources are rapidly changing which greatly influences the freshwater fauna. The present work aimed to investigate the faunal community of some freshwater bodies in Taif, Saudi Arabia and their response to some environmental variables. Five different sites were selected for the study. 32 taxa were recorded in the random samples collected from these sites 13 of them are dominant. The highest macrobenthos density in the present study was in site (I) followed by site (II) while, the minimum density was recorded in site (V). Sites (I & III) were heavily populated by Chironomus larvae which indicate their organic pollution from the sewage treatment planet. The highest species richness was recorded in site (II) followed by site (I) on the other hand; site (III) was the lowest value among the study sites. This may indicate the impact of pollution in this area from the poultry farm nearby. Species diversity showed the maximum value of Shannon Waever index in site (V) followed by site (II), while site (III) was the lowest diversity among the study sites.