Marsh Bulletin

Two species of turtle, Mauremys caspica caspica and Rafetus euphraticus, were surveyed monthly
from Al-Burgah, Al-Mashab, and Al-Sallal stations in the East Hammar tidal mesohaline marsh
from November 2019 to October 2020. Air and water temperatures fluctuated between (12- 41 C0
)
and (12 to 35 C0
) in winter and summer, respectively. Salinity varied between (2.4- 6.2 PSU) and
pH (7.2-8.4). In total, 90 specimens of both species were collected from the marshes. Al-Mashb
station occupied the highest rank in the number of individuals collected 39 followed by Al –Sallal
station (30) and in the lowest rank was Al-Burgh station with 21 individuals. The highest M
.caspica caspica (16 individuals) were recorded in November 2019 at air and water temperatures 24
and 23 C0,
respectively. The highest number of R. euphraticus was observed in eight individuals in
March 2020 at air and water temperatures of 17 and 16 C0, respectively. Salinity fluctuations
affected the specimens collected (21 and 9 individuals) at 2.0 and 6.2 PSU, respectively. The
highest density of M. caspica was 0.00054 ind/m2
/yr at the Al-Mashab station in November 2019,
and the lowest was zero in April and September 2020. The highest density for R. euphraticus was
0.00023 ind/m2
/yr in March 2020 and the lowest in January, May, and September.

The aim of this study was to assess the presence and biodiversity of aquatic insects in four stations of
Eastern Al-Hammar Marsh in 2021. The study measured abiotic factors such as Electric
Conductivity, pH, air and water temperature, turbidity, and wind speed monthly. Statistical
analysis ANOVA indicated significant differences among the study stations regarding Electric
Conductivity and pH. However, no significant differences were observed in air and water
temperature, turbidity, and wind speed among the stations. Eight species of aquatic insects belonging
to four taxonomic orders were recorded during the study period. The order Diptera had the highest
relative abundance (38%), while the order Odonata had the lowest relative abundance (10%). The
genus Culex spp. (Larva) had the highest annual abundance of genera and species for all study
stations. Environmental evidence showed that Al-Seddah station had the highest spatial diversity
value of 1.8, while Al-Mansoury station had the highest evenness index value of 0.89. The richness
index value of 1.33 was recorded in Al-Seddah station. The highest dominance index value of 0.5
was recorded in Al-Manthoury station. The temporal diversity index Shannon and Wiener recorded
the highest value of 1.9 in Al-Seddah station during May, while the highest value of the richness
index was 2.2 in Al-Mansoury station during May. The highest value of dominance was recorded in
November and December and was 1 for all stations. The study concluded that the community of
aquatic insects in Eastern Al-Hammar Marsh is moderate in diversity, semi-disordered in richness,
and has a balanced evenness.

Phytoremediation is eco-friendly and cost-effective technology compared to traditional treatments.
It uses plants and associated microbes to remove organic and inorganic pollutants from soil, water,
and sediment. This study aims to evaluate the ability of water hyssop Bacopa monnieri L. to
remediate lead (Pb), nickel (Ni), and iron (Fe) and to illustrate some physiological and biochemical
changes that occur in the plant. The experiments were done in the laboratory for forty days. The
parameters measured were metal residual in water, removal efficiency, bioconcentration factor
(BCF), fresh and dry weight, relative growth rate (RGR), total chlorophyll, protein, and proline
content. The results showed that the metal residual in water declined in all treatments with different
values. The reduction was higher in low concentrations than in high concentrations. Calculating
the removal efficiency, the highest value was 80% at 1 mg/L of Fe, and the lowest was 16.875%
at 8 mg/L of Ni. The result revealed that the highest BCF value was at 1 mg/L of Fe and the
lowest value was at 8 mg/L of Ni. The result showed that the highest reduction in fresh weight,
RGR, total chlorophyll, and protein was respectively at 8 mg/L of Ni and the Fe boosted the plant's
growth. The results also indicate that the proline content increased as Ni and Pb concentrations
increased compared with the control. The conclusion of this study indicates that the plant can
survive and tolerate selected metal concentrations, making it a good candidate for use in
phytoremediation.

Bioethanol has been identified as the most used biofuel worldwide since it significantly
contributes to the reduction of crude oil consumption, and environmental pollution. In this work
we concentrated on studying the ability of fungi to produce biofuel from plants residues, for that
reason the fungus Aspergillus flavus was isolated from soil and screened for its ability to degrade
sugars and bioethanol production. The results showed its ability to degrade the simple sugar
glucose in the primary test and produce 4.795 g/l bioethanol. The results showed its ability to
degrade corn, and barley wastes and produce bioethanol, as the highest concentration of
bioethanol was 6.363 g/l with corn waste, and 5.570 g/l with barley waste after 96h of
incubation. Then, the optimal pH and nitrogen source were applied to the fungus A. flavus to
know their effect on its ability to produce bioethanol in liquid media containing corn or barley
wastes. The results showed that the application of optimum conditions improved the production
of bioethanol, where the highest bioethanol production was 8.041 g/l after 96h with corn, and
7.018 g/l with barley wastes after 144h of incubation.

The present study aimed to investigate the impact of cadmium and lead on the phenotypic and
physiological characteristics of Trigonella foenum-graecum L. in soils with varying concentrations
of these two elements. Additionally, the study aimed to examine the effect of cadmium and lead
on the active chemical compounds in the plant and their medicinal function. The experiment
involved planting and monitoring plant seeds for a duration of seven months, from November 2020
to May 2021. Observations and results were recorded after subjecting the plants to different
concentrations (10, 25, 50 ppm) of cadmium, lead, and a mixture of the two elements. The highest
salinity level of 1.848 mg/L was recorded in the soil treated with 50 ppm concentration of cadmium,
while the lowest salinity level of 0.884 mg/L was observed in the soil treated with a mixture at a
concentration of 10 ppm. The treatment with a mixture of cadmium and lead at a concentration of
50 ppm resulted in the highest number of active chemical compounds, with 41 compounds detected,
while the control treatment exhibited the lowest number of active compounds, with 21 compounds
identified.

This study analyzed per capita fish consumption in the Al-Basrah Governorate, Iraq from 2016-2018
to. The total amount of fish consumed was 137,121 tons, comprising 27.6% (37,901 tons) in 2016,
30.9% (42,357 tons) in 2017, and 41.5% (56,863 tons) in 2018. Freshwater fish accounted for 52.0%
(71,362 tons) of consumption, while marine fish accounted for 44.9% (61,541 tons). Frozen fish
accounted for 3.1% (4,219 tons). The per capita consumption rates were 8.8, 9.8, and 13.2 kg/year in
2016, 2017, and 2018, respectively. Consumption peaked in Al-Faw district at 36.6 kg/year in 2018
and was lowest in the Al-Basrah district at 6.5 kg/year in 2016. Overall, the per capita fish
consumption increased across the Al-Basrah governorate from 2016 to 2018. This study provides
important data regarding fish consumption patterns and trends in southern Iraq.

This study aimed to assess the levels of heavy metals in economically important fish species
obtained from local markets in Basrah City, Iraq, during the 2021-2022 period. The fish samples,
comprising Otolithes ruber and Acanthoparus arabicus, were stored in refrigerated containers
until reaching the laboratory, where laboratory analyses were conducted. Flame Atomic
Absorption spectroscopy was employed to estimate the concentrations of Pb, Cu, Cd, and Zn in
the fish muscle tissues. In fresh fish samples, O. ruber exhibited Pb, Cu, Cd, and Zn concentrations
of (5.774, 0.013, and 0.127) mg/kg dry weight, respectively, while A. arabicus showed
concentrations of (5.774, 0.367, and 0.120) mg/kg dry weight, respectively. For frozen fish, O.
ruber displayed concentrations of (3.464, N.D, 0.341, and 0.176) mg/kg dry weight, respectively,
whereas A. arabicus demonstrated concentrations of (4.619, N.D, 0.341, and 0.135) mg/kg dry
weight, respectively. These findings provide valuable information regarding the levels of heavy
metals in fresh and frozen fish species from local markets in the Basrah Province, emphasizing the
need for ongoing monitoring and management strategies to ensure the safety and quality of seafood
products consumed by the local population

Bacteria are widely used in the manufacture of nanoparticles as an alternative means for
chemical and physical manufacturing. Studies have begun to use the biomass of bacterial cells
for manufacturing. Bacteria are effective factories for the manufacture of various types of
nanoparticles, such as silver, gold, platinum, and palladium. In the present study, three bacterial
isolates were obtained from petroleum-contaminated soils and sewage water. The isolates were
diagnosed using the Vitek 2 system and screened for AgNPs. The AgNPs were characterized
by visible ultraviolet (UV) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis.
The results showed that three isolates, B1, B4, and B5, were Pseudomonas aeruginosa with
79, 99 %, and 99% identity, respectively. The results showed that all isolates had the ability to
synthesize AgNPs, and the color of the supernatant of all isolates changed from green to dark
brown; B1 was the best for the production of AgNPs with the highest weight of 0.005 g /100
ml and absorption peak 420 nm compared with other isolates B4, and B5 0.0024 g and 0.003
g/100 ml at absorption peaks 410 nm and 365 nm, respectively.