Epiphytic algae adherent to aquatic plants are an essential link in the composition of the food chain of any ecosystem. Epiphytic algae act as primary producers of the food chain in the aquatic ecosystem and as natural food for herbivorous zooplankton and fish. This study aimed to detect the presence of algae colonies through remote sensing and to analyze factors that affect the growth of algae through field survey and visual interpretation of satellite images in Lake Um El-Naaj. Samples were collected from six locations on Lake Um El-Naaj from November 2018 to June 2019. The algae samples were collected from submerged parts of emerging aquatic plants (aquatic macrophytes Phragmites australis) and stored in plastic bags with little ambient water and solutions for preservation in the field and the laboratory. Water samples were collected to study the nutritional factors that influence the growth of algae, including the concentration of Phosphate, Nitrate, and Silica (silicon dioxide). The results showed that the values of total phosphorus increased by 1.0, 0.9, and 0.8 mg/L, in January, in places 2, 5, and 6, respectively. The highest nitrate value was 11.2 mg/L in December at site 5, while the lowest concentration values were in November (2.2 mg/L at site 6 and 3.7 mg/L at site 4). Besides, the lowest silicate concentration was 0.4 mg/L in November at site 2, while the highest was 2.4 mg/L in June 2019 at site 6. Based on the findings, it is possible to conclude that, during the winter, the water level increased due to the rain. For this reason, nutrient concentrations were low during the last period. Also, with the use of maps and remote sensing techniques, it is possible to determine the expected values around the station's location as future predictive readings that compensate for the difficulty of reaching these areas.
Factors affecting the structure and maintenance of phytoplankton functional groups in a nutrient rich lowland river