Mesopotamia Environmental Journal

The habitats of the southern part of the Tigris River in the north of Basrah province are going throughimpairment due to habitat modification and foundation of barriers, dams, and other human modificationsin the last decades. The composition of assemblage of fishes in the southern river part was assessed fromJanuary to December 2018. A total of 8995 fish are affiliated to bony fishes included 13 families, 23genera, and 26 fish species. The exotic fish species were nine; native species were twelve with fivemarine species. The small size Abu mullet Planiliza abu native species the highest abundant species inthe study area formed 26.96% of the overall species number, and the Blue tilapia Oreochromis aureusformed 20.08% of overall collected fishes. Prussian carp Carassius gibelio included 19.86% of the totalcaught. The rate of diversity index in the study area assessed as poor fluctuated from 1.83 to 1.94. Valuesof richness index pointed as disturbed, varied from 1.83 to 2.84, rates of evenness index differ from 0.77to 0.78 and expressed it as balanced. The occurrence of species in present study recoded twelve nativefish species formed 94.89% of the total caught, and five seasonal fish species formed 3.76% of the totalnumber of species and eight occasional fish species represented 1.35% of the total catch. The currentstudy affirms the non-attendance or scarceness of some important native species that constituted the corebuilding structure of the historical fish community as a result of anthropogenic activates caused habitatdegradations and increased beta diversity.

The area of Iraq is about 437.065 km2,its territory encompasses the Mesopotamian alluvial plain,the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, and the eastern part of the Syrian desert, includesnine to eleven main terrestrial ecoregions, some of which can be classified as key ecoregions that coverslarger areas of the country. Presence of these ecoregions resulted in a considerable environmental andhabitat diversity. The present study includes 23 locations throughout 5 central governorates in Iraq:Babylon, Holy Karbala, Al-Najaf alashraf, Qadisiya, Wasit, these locations extended between thegeographical coordinates 30º 48ʹ 19.36ʺ -32º 41ʹ N and 43º 29ʹ 25.89ʺ -45º 37ʹ 38ʺ E, with the altitude(minimum: 10; maximum: 344 and mean: 50.25± 73.062 m) above sea level. The study was carried outfrom 20th Sep.2013 to 3rd Nov. 2015.

Iraq possesses varied climatic and geographical conditions includes eleven main terrestrial ecoregions,some of which can be classified as a key ecoregion that covers larger areas of the country that led to richbiodiversity and a considerable heterogeneity of the herpetofauna, little current information exists onglobally important herpetofauna species of Iraq, in general and these are considered to be the least wellknown of the vertebrate groups, therefore an investigation on the occurrence of skinks in some provincesin central and southern Iraq was carried out from September 2013 to September 2015. Totally 46 adultspecimens (15 male and 31 females) were collected from different localities in central and southern ofIraq. Statistical analysis were conducted on 19 metric and meristic characters were measured inTrachylepis septemtaeniata. The results of ANOVA test and Mann-Whitney U test showed that thereare a significant differences (P<0.05) in four metric characters between males and females: SVL:60.64±3.89 mm, 69±1.86 mm; HLL: 24.52±1.66 mm, 28.07±0.8 mm; FLL: 15.87±0.87 mm, 18.43±0.58 mm and HL: 11.77±0.53 mm, 13.45±0.41 mm.

An open cultivation experiment performed on Coptodon. zillii fingerlings in mean of weight 21.39 ± 0.66 to recognize theeffect of direct transmission from the control salinity 15psu which nearby to the sample station salinity in Shatt AlbasrahCannel to different salinity levels (1.5, 7.5, 15, 30 psu) on Growth Rate GR, Relative Growth Rate RGR, Specific GrowthRate SGR; Satiation level; evacuation time and apparent digestibility coefficient at the end period of 56 days. The salinity7.5 psu had the highest GR, RGR and SGR. This salinity is considered to be the best salinity of lowering energy cost.However, the other salinities (1.5, 7.5, 15psu) had no statistical differences in GR, RGR and SGR which meant fishes cangrow efficiently at these salinities. Satiation level decreased with salinity increase. The present study recorded an increase ofevacuation time for C. zillii fingerlings with salinity increase accompanied with decrease in total apparent digestibilitycoefficient TADC% and nutrient apparent digestibility coefficient NADC% for protein, fat and carbohydrate. C. zilliifingerlings had a general replace with specific one protein and fat NADC at salt concentrations (1.5, 7.5, 15 psu). Resultsshowed that the salinity 7.5 psu is the best salinity for growth performance in fingerlings of C. zillii.

In this study including estimating the concentration values of some heavy metal (Ironand cadmium) as well as measuring some of the Biochemical factors in the bloodsmokers groups liver enzyme.Alanine aminotransferase (ALT),Asparatate aminotransferase (AST) , and alkaline phosphtase ALP) and Malondialdehyde antioxidant (MDA) and the peoples study groups contains (150) presence ,divided into three groups , and the persons smokers divided into two groups each group consist of (50)of smokers according to the time smoking period , age and no. of cigarette per day , the first groupfrom( 1-10years) and the second groups more (than 10 years), the age was between (25-55years ), thenumber cigarettes smokers per day 40 cigarettes , and the third group of 50 healthy negative smokers.Estimated amount of cadmium and Iron elements have been found to be higher level concentration inblood smokers groups compared with negative-smokers groups) and also were measured somebiochemical factor in blood of smokers groups , we found to be higher levels ( liver enzymes ,ALT,AST. and ALP ) and antioxidant MDA) were compared with blood of the healthy peoples groupsnegative smokers ( control groups) . The results indicated that there were significant differences (p< 0.001) in the levels of heavy metalscadmium and Iron and biochemical factor in blood of the smokers groups because exposure to highconcentrations of pollutants of cigarette smokers , compared with negative -smokers groups (control). Keywords : cadmium, Iron , smokers , negative-smoker, biochemical factor , MDA.