**6. Status of algal studies**

The use of algal species as environmental indicators goes back to the beginning of the eighteen century, whereas studies along this line are still proceeding. It is found that some algae in general have the ability to tolerate various levels of pollutants in nature. Undoubtedly, this property is behind using algal species to test for detecting eutrophication or any change in the aquatic ecosystem [45]. However, such phenomena nowadays are quite well developed and become evident from the appearance of an algal community in any ecosystem.

Collections and surveys of Handel-Mazzeti [32] from Mesopotamia and Kurdistan along the Tigris and Euphrates may be regarded as the first attempt at algal study in the area [37]. In fact, phycological studies in Iraq have got much more attention in comparison to other lower plants. However, investigations on algae as a whole and phytoplankton, in particular, have been the concern of many research and postgraduate projects for the last 50 years. In parallel with the establishment of various universities and institutes in other parts of Iraq apart from Baghdad as well as a scientific research center in Baghdad, also postgraduate (MSc. Ph.D.) projects were behind the development of algal studies in Iraq as a whole particularly in Kurdistan and Basrah in the south [41, 63]. All these investigations and projects had extended to cover various lotic and lentic water bodies including springs, impoundments, southern marshes Shatal-Arab beside the twin rivers (Tigris & Euphrates) and their tributaries [39, 40].

Round. [45] referred to the important role of aquatic plants and algae in particular in the community structure of any aquatic ecosystem. He showed that in general, algal species do influence habitat complexity and biodiversity and do affect other organisms.

Nowadays, studies on the potential impact of native and non-native plant species in any area have been well progressed, such studies on habitat complexity, particularly in an aquatic ecosystem in various parts of the world, have been well reviewed and demonstrated recently [3], whereas to the best of our knowledge, no such studies had been found yet in Iraq.

More than 2600 algal taxa [41] have been recorded so far from Iraq up to 2013. Hundreds of scientific papers have been published in various local and international journals concerning the lower plants particularly algae [39]. Diatoms are found to be the most dominant group.

Among all algal taxa making up about 44% of the total, whereas green algae contributed to about 30%, which makes it the second dominant group within algal flora in Iraqi inland waters. The most common taxa are illustrated in **Figure 4** and **Figure 5** and a number of master's degrees and tens of Ph.D. thesis have been performed [39, 40], on algae in general and phytoplankton in particular over the most aquatic ecosystem in Iraq since 1974 on the word. But, in fact, almost none of which had referred to their role on biodiversity or climatic impact on the ecosystem, the case, so far, remains vague and unclean in the region as a whole.

However, the existing gap of knowledge with respect to the lower plant role (fern, mosses, and algae) on environmental impact (climatic and non-climatic) is undoubtedly needed to be filled particularly when water policies and dams in Mesopotamia

#### **Figure 4.**

*Illustration of common non-diatom flora in Iraq. (1) Nostoc linckia. (2) Lyngbya aestuarii. (3) Lepidolaena taylorii. (4) Oscillatoria curviceps. (5) Oscillatoria limosa. (6) Oscillatoria tenius. (7) Aphanocapsa rivularis.. (8) Merismopedia glauca. (9) Chlamydomonas polypyreoideum. (10) Pandorina morum. (11) Stigeoclonium lubricum. (12) Oedogonium cardiacum (13) . Oedogonium plurisporum (14) Pedistrum boryanum. (15) P. duplex. (16) Sphaerozosma sp. (17) Dictyosphaerium ehrenbergia (18) Cladophora glomerata (19) Cosmarium (20) Synura uvella. (21) Scenedsmus opoliensis. Lla (22) Ceratium hirundine (23) Bulbochaete sp. (24) Chara sp. all photos are taken by the author (B.K. Maulood) personally.*

*A Case Study to Evaluate the Environmental Impact of Aquatic Lower Plants in Mesopotamia… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.108974*

**Figure 5.**

*Most common diatoms from Iraqi inland water (1–2) Nitzschia sp., (3–4) Caloneis sp, (5)- Tabularia sp. (6)- Diatoma sp, (7–8) Cymbella sp,(9) Stephanodiscus sp (10) Rhoicosphenia sp., (11–12) Gomphonema sp. (13–14) Navicula sp. (15) Cyclotella sp. All photos are taken by the author (B.K. Maulood).*

Basin seem to be interacting. Various water projects in Turkey and Iran have been performed that will threaten the life in the area. Water shortage, dryness, and climate impacts are almost certainly expected in near future.

All these are behind the expected severe environmental degradation in the region. In fact, the country had faced and still is facing negative climatic and non-climatic impacts with respect to poor water quality, quantity, soil salinity, air, and pollution [20, 22, 26, 28]. Therefore, much more action and detailed studies are an urgent request in Mesopotamia in general and particularly in Iraq and Kurdistan.
