A study on the vegetative survival of some blue-green algae in the soil of  Baghdad city, Iraq

Algae, photosynthetic organisms, thrive in water or wet substrates and can be found in various habitats, including arid ground, moist soil, tree trunks, and architectural structures. In the present study, the algae that live in the garden soil of the Department of Biology, College of Education for Pure Sciences (Ibn Al-Haitham), University of Baghdad was collected and tested their ability to survive in natural environments, physical and physiological pressure of water, darkness with limited light, and surviving after UV light exposure. The results obtained in this study indicated that the algae Lyngbya major could live on soil in a wide range of temperatures and humidity. However, during winter, the survival rate dropped to 43-64%, while in summer, the survival rate dropped more. Throughout the rainy season, the viability of species (Leptolyngbya halophile, and Chroococcidiopsis cubana) exceeded whenever the soil moisture level was increased. The chance of surviving C. aponinum was raised in spring but reduced in winter, with reducing the soil moisture. Nevertheless, Myxosarcina burmensis exhibited exclusive survival throughout the rainy and spring months. L.major showed comparable survival rates during both immersed and air-exposed environments over 15 days. However, their survival rates decreased when submerged for extended periods compared to exposure to air on a moist soil surface. C.aponinum exhibited superior and prolonged survival when immersed in a liquid media as opposed to being exposed to air on a damp earth surface. This the first study to identify the ability of algae that live in Baghdad garden soil.