Marine algae as biomonitors for heavy metals pollution at the Red Sea Coast : a review

Abstract EN

The waters of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden are famous for their natural beauty and outstanding biological diversity.

This area has gained global importance providing habitats to a significant number of unique species of marine biota.

The region is rich in natural resources such as fishery and tourism industry, However, human activities such as; urbanization, coastal development, industries including power and desalination plants and refineries are threatening the marine and coastal ecosystems of the area.

The potential ecological effects of rising levels of heavy metals concentrations in the Red Sea environment are of great concern due to their highly bioaccumulative nature and higher toxicity.

In this review, the results of recent studies on heavy metal accumulation in marine algae have been presented,Metal speciation in biota,and some factors affecting their bioavailability are reviewed ,as well as more information on the use of different species of marine algae as cosmopolitan bioindicators for heavy metal pollution in aquatic environment at the Red sea coast are gathered.