Recent Trends of Non-indigenous Species of Marine Zoobenthos and Macroalgae in the Syrian marine environment (Latakia Coast)

Abstract

A Horizon Scanning (HS) was conducted to investigate the Non-indigenous Species belonging to the phytobenthic and zoobenthic communities and count the number of alien species in each group of Macrophytes, Mollusca, Crustacea, Echinodermata, Polychaeta, and Ascidiacea. as well as studying the case of these alien species in the Syrian marine environment and their potential impacts. 20 sampling cruises were carried out during the three years 2019, 2020 and 2021, in the study sites north and south of Latakia, which included free diving in some areas to a depth of 10 m. The results showed an increase in the number and abundance of non- indigenous species in the study areas, This (this) increase plays its role in influencing the structure and functions of the ecosystem. It also showed a high percentage of non-native species of benthic fauna, reaching 15.73% of the total number of documented species on the Syrian coast. The study also shows an increase in the percentage of alien species of Macrophytes, reaching 18.49%.