Papers by mohammad belal hossain
American-Eurasian Journal of Toxicological Sciences, 2014
Present study was conducted to evaluate proximate composition and heavy metal concentration of Am... more Present study was conducted to evaluate proximate composition and heavy metal concentration of Amblypharyngodon mola and Channa punctatus collected from pond water and open water in Mymensingh, Bangladesh. Fresh fish were collected from nearby pond of Bangladesh Agricultural University and the Brahmaputra River during February, 2014. Moisture content of the studied fishes was most abundant composition. Protein, lipid and moisture content were higher in pond water fishes than open water fishes. Protein and ash content was higher in C. punctatus but lipid and moisture content was higher in A. mola. Level of proximate composition of A. mola and C. punctatus was as Moisture> Protein>Lipid>Ash. Arsenic (As) and Copper (Cu) concentration in A. mola and C. punctatus were within the permissible limits. Cadmium (Cd) concentration was exceeded the permissible limit in both fishes collected from pond water and open water. Arsenic concentration was not detected in C. punctatus . The st...
Present study was conducted to determine biochemical composition of fresh Thai pangus (Pangasiano... more Present study was conducted to determine biochemical composition of fresh Thai pangus (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) cultured at Mymensingh district in Bangladesh. Total percentage of proximate composition of the ten fishes was 98.00±0.68%. Average moisture, protein, lipid, ash, TVB-N, TMA-N and pH of the fishes were 79.21±1.43%, 13.17±0.91%, 4.00±0.45%, 1.60±0.24%, 5.61±0.19 mg/100g, 1.52±0.14 mg/100g and 6.41±0.10, respectively. The trend of proximate composition of Thai pangus was Moisture> Protein>Lipid>Ash. The study indicates that Thai pangus contains low protein and medium fatty fish. The study also indicates that biochemical composition of the fish vary a little bit within the same species.
The Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Research, 2013
Presence of nitrofuran and chloramphenicol in farmed prawn and shrimp is a major concern in the e... more Presence of nitrofuran and chloramphenicol in farmed prawn and shrimp is a major concern in the export sector of Bangladesh. Rejections of consignments by the foreign buyers have been recurrent for the last couple of years due to detection of these banned antibiotics. The increasingly complex requirements for food safety assurance and traceability set by major export markets represent a threat to the trade of this significant sector. In this study, the status and trends of the presence of nitrofuran and chloramphenicol in freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii (De Man) and marine shrimp Penaeus monodon (Fabricius) and in their feeds in the Southwest coastal region of Bangladesh were investigated. The prawn/shrimp farmers, feed manufacturers and feed sellers were interviewed with well structured pre-tested Questionnaires. Antibiotic residues present in the animal muscles, feeds and feed ingredients were detected using LC-MS-MS by the Fish Inspection and Quality Control Wing of the Department of Fisheries. The study reveals that farmers did not deliberately use those banned antibiotics, but these chemicals were detected in many M. rosenbergii and P. monodon samples in 2008, 2009 and 2010, in both fresh muscles, pre-export and post-export consignments. The percentage of contamination with this banned antibiotics in M. rosenbergii
Journal of Scientific Research, 2010
Beel Mail is a 100 ha seasonal floodplain beel where community based fish culture was introduced... more Beel Mail is a 100 ha seasonal floodplain beel where community based fish culture was introduced during rainy season with 73 community members by department of fisheries with the funding support of WorldFish Center in year 2006. Socio-economic impact of this management was compared with control beel Chandpur. Beel Chandpur is 200 ha seasonal floodplain beel where also 16 landowner part time fishermen introduced fish culture during flooding. Beel Mail was stocked with 34.93 kg ha-1 fish fingerlings and beel Chandpur was stocked with 9.68 kg ha-1. Fish was harvested after about 6 months culture period and it was noticed that the gross production was about 4.7 times higher in the project site than the control site. Farmers obtained TK 7481.23 ha-1 as net return based on production cost in beel Mail and TK 3261.90 ha-1 as net return based on production cost in beel Chandpur. Average fish consumption increased by 20.49% in project site. In addition, future stocking and saving fund for...
Middle East Journal of Scientific Research, 2013
The coastal region of Bangladesh covers about 20% of total land area and over 30% of the cultivab... more The coastal region of Bangladesh covers about 20% of total land area and over 30% of the cultivable lands of the country. It includes highly diverse ecosystems e.g. the world's largest single tract of mangroves (the Sundarbans), beaches, coral reefs, dunes and wetlands. With its dynamic natural environments, provides a range of goods and services to the peoples of Bangladesh. It is agreed and documented that being a deltaic coastal country, Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change in the world. Climaterelated change in coastal zones embodies potential additional stress on systems that are already under intense and growing pressure. The country has already been facing several climate change effects such as increasing cyclones, flood frequency probabilities, erosion, inundation, rising water tables, salt water intrusion and biological effects. Coastal environments particularly at risk include mangroves, tidal deltas and low-lying coastal plains, sandy beaches, coastal wetlands, estuaries and coral reefs. These bio-geophysical possessions will have consequent effects on ecosystems and eventually affect socioeconomic systems in the coastal zone. The Sundarbans, most important ecosystem of the country will be totally lost with one meter rise in sea level. There are two options to minimize the impacts named mitigation and adaptation. It is needed to be considered both mitigation and adaptation options for Bangladesh, even though the country has very limited scope for mitigation. This is why mitigation involves global efforts to execute and adaptation is more local. As a result, effective adaptation policies and mitigation measures ought to be developed and implemented to minimize climate related impacts on Bangladesh.
Science of The Total Environment, 2013
Flourishing private economy caused increasing heavy metal damages. • Leafy and rootstock vegetabl... more Flourishing private economy caused increasing heavy metal damages. • Leafy and rootstock vegetables posed higher hazards. • Cr has the biggest non-carcinogenesis effect while Cd generates the greatest cancer risk. • Negative impacts on humans and the environment may cause additional costs not included in sales expenditures.
Sustainability
Bangladesh, one of the top fish producers in the world, has rapidly been expanding its annual fis... more Bangladesh, one of the top fish producers in the world, has rapidly been expanding its annual fish production. However, the COVID-19 pandemic and related preventative measures have had a substantial impact on the nation’s fishing sector. In this study, a survey was performed in the Brahmanbaria subdistrict of Bangladesh to assess the impact of COVID-19 and the subsequent efforts made by the Department of Fisheries (DoF), Bangladesh, to mitigate the negative impact on the culture and capture fisheries. The socioeconomic profile of fishery stakeholders for the years 2019, 2020, and 2021 was used to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic situation on fish farming, fish hatcheries, fish nurseries, the fish feed industry, and the dry fish industry. Data analysis showed that the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on the income of fishery stakeholders and their livelihoods. The income of fish farmers decreased by 47.49% in 2020 as compared to the base year of 2019 but increased by...
Sustainability
Pollution from shipping, industrial, and municipal wastewater discharges is a major source of hea... more Pollution from shipping, industrial, and municipal wastewater discharges is a major source of heavy-metal contamination at seaports located near estuaries or along the coast. In this study, for the first time, nine metal(loid)s (Pb, Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Zn, Ni, Fe, and As) were analyzed from the surface sediment of two major seaports on the Bay of Bengal coast to evaluate the degree of pollution and ecological risk. The average concentrations of metal(loid)s followed the decreasing order of Fe (53,800 ± 4002 mg/kg) > Mn (590 ± 116.8 mg/kg) > Zn (67.59 ± 13.5 mg/kg) > Ni (62.8 ± 22.5 mg/kg) > Cr (36.59 ± 7.22 mg/kg) > Cu (32.63 ± 6.78 mg/kg) > Pb (16.78 ± 3.93 mg/kg) > As (6.33 ± 1.9 mg/kg) > Cd (0.71 ± 0.16 mg/kg). Both sites had much greater Fe concentrations (compared to other metals) than the levels that had been previously recorded at nearby localities. Furthermore, elements such as Fe and Ni surpassed the recommended NOAA and EPA limits for maximum samples fr...
Biology
Algae are the naturally produced food for fish in any aquatic ecosystem and an indicator of a pro... more Algae are the naturally produced food for fish in any aquatic ecosystem and an indicator of a productive pond. However, excess abundance of harmful algae can have detrimental effects on fish health. In this study, the algal communities of 30 coastal homestead fish ponds were investigated to identify the diversity, assemblage and controlling environmental variables of harmful algae from a tropical coastal area. The findings showed that 81 of the 89 genera of identified algae were harmful, with the majority of them being in the classes of Cyanophyceae (50.81%), Chlorophyceae (23.75%), Bacillariophyceae (9.5%), and Euglenophyceae (8.47%). Microcystis spp. alone contributed 28.24% to the total abundance of harmful algae. Significant differences (p < 0.05) in algal abundance were found among the ponds with the highest abundance (470 ± 141.74 × 103 cells L−1) at pond (S25) near agricultural fields and the lowest abundance (109.33 ± 46.91 × 103 cells L−1) at pond (S14) which was lacking...
Agriculture
Major carps, native freshwater fish in South Asian nations, are economically valuable fish specie... more Major carps, native freshwater fish in South Asian nations, are economically valuable fish species with high market demand. Coastal rural people can cultivate them in their own seasonal, largely underutilized, small homestead ponds with low input and understanding. However, the major problems with fish production in this region are the lack of quality carp seed and appropriate culture techniques. Therefore, this research was carried out on growth performance, survival rate, yield, feed conversion ratio (FCR), and profit of carp polyculture systems stocking with hatchery-produced and wild sourced fish seed in homestead ponds located in a coastal area along the Bay of Bengal. Three different treatments (T1–T3), each treatment with three replications, were designed for culturing carps, Gibelion catla, Labeo rohita, Labeo calbasu, and Cirrhinus mrigala using two local hatcheries seeds (T1 and T2), and wild seeds from the Halda River (T3). For all treatments, the stocked fish were mainta...
Journal of King Saud University - Science
This investigation measured the extent of heavy metal concentrations (Cr, Pb, Fe, Zn and Ni) in n... more This investigation measured the extent of heavy metal concentrations (Cr, Pb, Fe, Zn and Ni) in nine finfish and shellfish species from a tropical estuary to determine the degree of pollution and evaluate the human health risk from the exposure to heavy metals through consumption of fish. The hierarchy of mean concentrations (mg/kg) of the heavy metals were: Zn (398.47) > Fe (83.015) > Cr (0.906) > Ni (0.233) > Pb (0.128). The metal concentrations in the edible tissues were ranked in the following sequence: A. bato > C. cirrhosus > A. grammepomus > M. dobsoni > P. paradiseus > O. pama > M. rosenbergii > N. smithi > S. phasa. The results demonstrated that the concentration of Cr and Zn was considerably higher than the guideline values of FAO. Estimated daily intake (EDI), hazard quotient (HQ), hazard index (HI), and cancer risk (CR) values were within the acceptable threshold for both adults and children. However, the EDIs of local consumers in the research area for both adults and children were lower than the recommended daily amount (RDA), following the order of Zn > Fe > Cr > Ni > Pb. The HQs of the elements followed the order of Zn > Cr > Fe > Pb > Ni. The investigated HI was not exceeding the recommended limit.
Toxics, 2022
The lower Meghna River, the easternmost part of the Ganges Delta, faces severe anthropogenic pert... more The lower Meghna River, the easternmost part of the Ganges Delta, faces severe anthropogenic perturbations as it receives a huge discharge and industrial effluents. To measure the metal concentrations and human health hazards, edible tissues of 15 commercially important fish species were collected from the local fish markets and the lower Meghna River, Bangladesh. Trace and heavy metals such as Pb, Cr, Cu, Zn, Mn, Fe, Hg, Ni, Ca, Co, Se, Rb, Sr, and As were detected using the Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) method. The hierarchy of mean metal concentrations obtained was: Fe (162.198 mg/kg) > Zn (113.326 mg/kg) > Ca (87.828 mg/kg) > Sr (75.139 mg/kg) > Cu (36.438 mg/kg) > Se (9.087 mg/kg) > Cr (7.336 mg/kg) > Mn (6.637 mg/kg) > Co (3.474 mg/kg) > Rb (1.912 mg/kg) > Hg (1.657 mg/kg) > Ni (1.467 mg/kg) > Pb (0.521 mg/kg) > As (BDL). Based on the metal concentration obtained, the carnivorous species contained more metals than omnivores...
Aquaculture Research, 2020
Homestead ponds may offer an ideal opportunity in contribution to household income, fish consumpt... more Homestead ponds may offer an ideal opportunity in contribution to household income, fish consumption through fish culture. Phytoplankton plays a key indicator in pond productivity. However, the phytoplankton communities in the homestead ponds are nearly undetermined in Bangladesh. This study summarizes the phytoplankton diversity, assemblage and ecological parameters of the homestead ponds in central coastal belt, Bangladesh, based on two seasons. The results revealed that significant differences (p < .05) were found in pH, DO, conductivity, TDS, nitrates, phosphates and sulphates except temperature in monsoon, and transparency in both seasons. A total of 34 phytoplankton genera representatives of five major groups were recorded such as Euglenophyceae (41.5%), Chlorophyceae (30.5%), Cyanophyceae (13%), Dinophyceae (10%) and Bacillariophyceae (5%). A significant difference (p < .05) in phytoplankton abundance was found in both seasons with the highest mean of 186.13 ± 129.34 × 10 4 cells L −1 in monsoon and the lowest mean of 144.40 ± 107.26 × 10 4 cells L −1 during winter. The diversity (H'), evenness (J'), richness (d) and dominance (D) ranged from 1.62 to 2.47, 0.52 to 0.97, 0.37 to 1.15 and 0.10 to 0.28 respectively. Based on SIMPER, the most dominant (>10%) genera for dissimilation within stations and seasons were Euglena spp., Phacus spp., Chlorella spp., Strombomonas spp. and Peridinium spp. ANOSIM results stated that 12 genera of phytoplankton were significant contributors based on average dissimilarity. Pearson's correlation coefficient and canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) revealed that phytoplankton abundance, diversity and community were mainly governed by transparency, dissolved oxygen and nitrates.
Frontiers in Marine Science, 2021
The world has already experienced the severe adverse effects of COVID-19 at every level. When it ... more The world has already experienced the severe adverse effects of COVID-19 at every level. When it became understood that the COVID-19 infection is spread in the community via respiratory transmission from humans, then the widespread use of plastic-made personal protective equipments (PPEs) like face masks and hand gloves tremendously increased throughout the world. Although it has reduced the spreading of virus, however, careless disposal or mismanagement of these single use PPEs has created another major concern for the environment, as plastics are a known source of environmental contamination. On one hand, they are infected with SARS-CoV-2, while on the other, they act as a carrier or vector or pathway for other pathogens or diseases, and hence can increase the degree of continuing the pandemic. Besides, there might be a chance that plastics or microplastics may be responsible for introducing new pathogenic viruses or bacteria to humankind. As such, it is clear that more research n...
The structural properties and permeability of polycrystalline Ni0.6Mg0.4Fe2O4 ferrite are studied... more The structural properties and permeability of polycrystalline Ni0.6Mg0.4Fe2O4 ferrite are studied with the addition of Li2CO3 at 0%, 2%, 4%, and 6%. The samples were synthesized by the conventional ceramic method at 1300C sintering temperature for 6 hours. X-ray diffraction method is applied to understand the crystal structure of the following ferrite and it is confirmed that the samples have absolute single phase cubic spinel structure. The lattice constant of the ferrite varies with the increasing of Li2CO3 content. The microstructure analysis of the samples is carried out by SEM micrographs. From SEM images it is observed that the ferrite is in regular in shape and the grains are well connected with each other. The average grain sizes of the sample increased with increasing Li2CO3 content. Crystalline size of the sample follows the same manner of grain size of the samples. The Curie temperature is measured by using inductance analyzer. Curie temperature increased at 2% addition ...
Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 2020
Intake of fish contaminated with non-essential hazardous trace elements poses a significant risk ... more Intake of fish contaminated with non-essential hazardous trace elements poses a significant risk to human health. In this study, trace elements (As, Pb, Cd, Cu, Ni, and Zn) were measured in edible tissues of seven commercially important fish and shellfish species (Otolithoides pama, Pseudapocryptes elongatus, Macrobrachium rosenbergii, Liza parse, Notropis atherinoides, Apocryptes bato, and Rhinomugil corsula) from a natural carp breeding basin, Halda river, Bangladesh. The elements were detected by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), and the hierarchy of elemental levels (mg/kg) was Zn (61.56) > Pb (30.45) > Ni (26.81) > Cu (21.09) > As (1.49) > Cd (0.24). Among the analyzed elements, Pb, Ni, and Zn for some fish species exceeded the permissible dietary limit, suggested by national and international agencies. In addition, results of bioaccumulation factor (BAF) indicated that most of the studied species were bioaccumulative in nature (BAFs > 1000), and the mean BAF of elements were found in the following order: Zn (3156.74) > Ni (1629.30) > Cu (1566.77) > As (997.14) > Pb (259.98) > Cd (216.52). However, the species, L. parse being omnivorous represented the highest BAF (stored higher concentrations of metals) as compared to other species. The growth pattern of all the species was negatively allometric, and the health condition of the species varied from poor to good state revealed from the estimated Fulton's condition factor (FC). For the evaluation of health hazards, estimated weekly (EWI), target hazard quotient (THQ), and carcinogenic risk (CR) were calculated for both adults and children. Results of EWI showed As, Pb, and Ni surpassed provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI)recommended guidelines. The non-carcinogenic health effect (TTHQ) might not appear for both types of consumers (as TTHQ < 1), and CRs of all consumers were also in acceptable range (10 −6 to 10 −4). However, the probabilistic distribution through Monte Carlo simulation revealed that children were more vulnerable to non-carcinogenic (67.3%) and carcinogenic risk effect (47.3%) for Pb. Meanwhile, adults obtained the probability of 0.7% and 36% for THQ and CR effect, respectively, interpreting less vulnerable.
American Journal of Plant Sciences, 2021
Wilt complex disease of eggplant is a severe problem in Bangladesh as well as in the world. The p... more Wilt complex disease of eggplant is a severe problem in Bangladesh as well as in the world. The pathogenic variability and their survival nature make the disease complex. The pathogen includes a fungus (Fusarium oxysporum), a bacterium (Ralstonia solanacearum) and a nematode (Meloidogyne spp.) that attack the plant individually or combinedly. The present investigation aimed to evaluate the integrated effects of different chemicals, poultry manure and Trichoderma harzianum to manage the disease. Carbendazim (Autostin 50WP), Streptomycin sulphate 9% and Tetracycline hydrochloride 1% (Krosin 10SP) and Carbofuran (Furadan 3G) were used as a fungicide, bactericide and nematicide, respectively which were integrated with poultry manure and Trichoderma harzianum resulting in sixteen treatments. The treatment efficacy varied significantly in comparison to control in respect of wilt incidence, yield and yield contributing characters. No wilt incidence was observed where Trichoderma harzianum was applied individually or in combination with Furadan 3G, Krosin 10SP, Autostin 50WP and poultry manure. The highest yield increase (300%) over control was noted in the treatment where Krosin 10SP, Furadan 3G, Trichoderma harzianum and Poultry manure were applied combinedly. The same treatment showed the best performance over control by 32%, 29%, 60%, 53% in case of the number of branches, number of leaves, number of fruits and fruit length, respectively. This treatment (Krosin 10SP + Furadan 3G + Trichoderma sp. + Poultry manure) also provided the highest Benefit Cost Ration (5.68
Vertical distribution and contamination assessment of heavy metals in sediment cores of ship breaking area of Bangladesh
Environmental Geochemistry and Health, 2021
Vertical heavy metal profiling reflects the history of the deposition of metals and helps to unde... more Vertical heavy metal profiling reflects the history of the deposition of metals and helps to understand the characteristics of accumulation in various layers of the sediment. Nevertheless, no previous studies in Bangladesh had focused on the vertical distribution of heavy metals in core sediments. In this study, vertical distribution, contamination level and potential ecological risks of six heavy metals (Zn, Cu, Pb, Cr, Ni, Mn) from the core sediment of ship breaking were assessed and compared with the non-ship breaking area of Bangladesh. The concentration (µg/g) of heavy metals in the 0–10 cm (surface), 10–20 cm (middle) and 20–30 cm (bottom) of sediment cores was as follows, respectively: Zn (35.54–100.68, 37.27–258.02, 42.78–66.45); Cu (16.38–75.25, 30.64–92.02, 34.99–52.98); Pb (4.84–132.08, BDL–204.48, BDL–23.51); Cr (14.57–42.13, 25.31–42.71, 15.26–36.34); Ni (4.02–42.23, 4.94–43.70, 4.40–43.13); Mn (198.74–764.16, 257.77–980.50, 255.62–856.44). The heavy metal content of core sediment from the shipbreaking region was substantially higher than that of non-shipbreaking area. Except for Ni, heavy metal content was highest in the middle layer, followed by the upper and lower layers of the sediment core. Contamination exponents such as enrichment factor, contamination factor and geo-accumulation index (Igeo) revealed contamination by Zn, Cu and Pb while potential ecological risk factor (Eri\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$E_{r}^{i}$$\end{document}) and risk index suggested low ecological risk by studied heavy metals except for Pb. Correlation matrix, cluster analysis and principal component analysis indicated that all studied heavy metals could have similar anthropogenic origins.
Contamination levels and ecological risk of heavy metals in sediments from the tidal river Halda, Bangladesh
Arabian Journal of Geosciences, 2021
The study assessed the contamination level of seven heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Cr, Ni, Zn, As, and Cu)... more The study assessed the contamination level of seven heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Cr, Ni, Zn, As, and Cu) along with their potential ecological risks in sediments from the Halda river which is the largest natural carp breeding ground in South Asia. The concentration levels (mg/kg) of seven heavy metals from ten sampling sites were organized in the following descending order: Zn (71.89) > Cr (31.86) > Cu (31.85) > Ni (26.67) > Pb (20.46) > As (2.69) > Cd (0.05). Among the metals, Zn, Cr, Ni, and Cu exceeded some standard limits. Sediment quality guidelines (SQGs) suggested that the concentration of Pb, Cu, and Ni could occasionally cause an adverse effect on the ecosystem. However, the geo-accumulation index (Igeo), contamination factor (CF), and pollution load index (PLI) for heavy metals suggested that the contamination level was low. Moreover, the risk index (RI) and potential ecological risk index (Eri\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$ {E}_r^i $$\end{document}) confirmed the low ecological risk (as RI < 100 and Eri\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$ {E}_r^i $$\end{document} < 30) from heavy metals for the river ecosystem except for the Pb and Cu. High CF and Eri\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$ {E}_r^i $$\end{document} values for Pb in one site (S4) are deemed as combining elements of multiple metallic portions used in industrialization. The univariate and multivariate statistical analyses such as correlation matrix, principal component analysis, and cluster analysis of the metals for different sites signified that the metals were originated from similar anthropogenic activities like untreated industrial effluents and wastage disposal to the river system.
Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity, 2020
To articulate the ecological processes or anthropogenic impacts, it is necessary to explore vario... more To articulate the ecological processes or anthropogenic impacts, it is necessary to explore various distributional patterns of benthic communities. The study was conducted to investigate the variability of macrobenthos between a ship braking and non-ship-breaking area along the Sitakunda coast, Chittagong, Bangladesh. This is the first comprehensive study that addresses the effects of ship-breaking activities on the variability of benthic communities in the study area. Macrobenthos were sampled from two different regions namely Bhatiary (ship-breaking area) and Banshbaria (non-ship-breaking area/reference area) in two different time periods (April and July) for comparative analyses. During the study period, Polychaeta was the most dominant group comprising 60% of the total macrobenthos all over the study area. Macrobenthos abundance and diversity demonstrated strong spatial variability. The mean abundance varied from 3799.75±3452.28 ind./m 2 to 4107.25±2743.6 ind./m 2 from the ship-breaking to non-ship-breaking area. Similar to macrobenthos abundance, the diversity index (H′) (varied between 2.45 and 1.85), species richness (D) (varied between 1.99 and 1.04), and the number of taxa (varied between 17.25 and 9.25) were higher in the non-ship-breaking area compared to the ship-breaking area. Multivariate analyses, nMDS, and CCA plot showed a distinct grouping for different location. Besides, the diversity indices of the Polychaeta community, and the presence or absence of several pollution indicator taxa revealed that Bhatiary (the ship-breaking area) was confronting deleterious effects of ship-breaking activities.
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Papers by mohammad belal hossain