Assessment of Water Quality and Its Impact on the Distribution of Chara sp. Algae in Central and Northern Iraq

The physical and chemical factors of river water influence the distribution, spread, behaviour and adaptation of aquatic organisms. Thus, the current study was conducted in a number of central and southern regions of Iraq for the purpose of determining the physical and chemical environmental variables in which algae Chara sp. can be present. Some physical and chemical characteristics of water quality of different sites in central and southern Iraq were studied from October 2023 to April 2024 for villages and rural areas in Salah Al-Deen, Babylon, Kut, Diyala, Anbar and Mosul governorates, in addition to the city of Baghdad within the Tigris River and some natural and artificial water bodies and from 16 sites to find the relationship between the studied factors of water temperature, pH, transparency, electrical conductivity, dissolved oxygen, nitrates, phosphates, calcium, magnesium, water depth and the presence of Chara algae. The results of the current study showed that the algae was present in seven sites and that the water in which the algae was present was with temperature, pH, light transmission close and low depth, low electrical conductivity, low levels of nitrate, phosphate, calcium, magnesium and high dissolved oxygen, which indicates that the algae prefers to live in such conditions and has the ability to remove some elements from the water and the northern or near areas are a preferred place for the presence of these algae. Chara sp. algae prefer clean, low-nutrient, shallow waters with high light transmission, away from organic pollution and phosphates and nitrates, and shallow depths.