Annual cycle of water quality and macroinvertebrate composition in Algerian wetlands: A case study of lake Réghaïa (Algeria)

The Réghaïa wetland is a site of great ecological relevance and is included in the list of Ramsar wetlands of international importance. However, this wetland has always been subject to several risks, such as pollution, that threaten its terrestrial and aquatic biota. The water quality of the lake is classified as class 4 (highly polluted) according to Algerian standards. However, until now, there has been no study analysing the macroinvertebrate fauna of this important site. Therefore, in order to characterize the state of this wetland of international importance, which is highly affected by intense physical and chemical pollution of agricultural and anthropogenic origin, we studied its water quality (physical and chemical parameters) and its biological communities for one year to consider possible seasonal trends. According to our results, seasonal changes in the concentrations of physical and chemical elements were found, summer being the season with the highest level of nutrients and other pollutants concentration in the water. Although we observed these different environmental conditions throughout the year, we did not find evident differences in the communities of macroinvertebrates that showed small changes in composition and structure throughout the year.