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Lilia Ait Mohamed Amer

  • Biodiversity Journal, 9 (3): 205-212

    Lilia Ait Mohamed Amer, Imene Benali, Saliha Dermeche & Mohamed Bouderbala
    Seasonal variations of the biometric indices of Patella rustica Linnaeus, 1758 (Gastropoda Patellidae) from contrasted sites of the western Algerian coast
    https://doi.org/10.31396/Biodiv.Jour.2018.9.3.205.212

    ABSTRACT
    The objective of this study is the evaluation of the resistance of the bioindicative species Patella rustica Linnaeus, 1758 (Gastropoda Patellidae) existing in the contrasted sites of the Algerian occidental seaboard through a follow-up of the seasonal variations of biometric indices. It is based on the analysis of biometric parameters of 600 individuals of this Gastropod mollusk from five sites: Madagh (MD), Bouzedjar Harbor (BH), Ain El Turck (AT), Oran Harbor (OH), and Kristel (KR). The seasonal sampling has been carried out and measurements on the height of the shell (H), its length (L), and its total weight (TW) are taken for all the populations of P. rustica. The correlation of the different measurements (length-height, length-total weight, height-total weight), with the help of the power curve and following STUDENT “ t ” test, DUNCAN, and the ACP, reveals the development of its shell first in height, followed in second position by the length, and this for the five sites under study. Weight would thus be the parameter under analysis that evolves the least quickly as compared to the other two biometric parameters involving a generally significant difference between the five sites under study. These results confirm that the growth of this mollusk varies depending on the seasons and relies on many biotic and abiotic factors that also condition the development of the shell and the growth of limpet. This approach represents a good means for environmental evaluation that could be used in biomonitoring programs to indicate the impact of pollution in the short and long term.