Fluctuating asymmetry in grass goby Zosterisessor ophiocephalus Pallas, 1811 inhabiting polluted and unpolluted area in Tunisia

Lotfi Mabrouk; Taher Guarred; Asma Hamza; Imed Messaoudi; Ahmed Noureddine Hellal

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.06.015

Fluctuating asymmetry in grass goby Zosterisessor ophiocephalus Pallas, 1811 inhabiting polluted and unpolluted area in Tunisia

Mar Pollut Bull. 2014 Aug 15;85(1):248-51. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.06.015. Epub 2014 Jun 30.

Authors

Lotfi Mabrouk¹, Taher Guarred², Asma Hamza³, Imed Messaoudi², Ahmed Noureddine Hellal⁴

Affiliations

¹ Faculté des Sciences de Sfax, Route de la Soukra km 4, BP no. 802, 3038 Sfax, Tunisia; Institut National des Sciences et Technologies de la Mer, centre de Sfax, BP 1035, CP 3018 Sfax, Tunisia. Electronic address: lotfi2328@yahoo.fr.
² Institut supérieur des Biotechnologie de Monastir, Avenue Taher Hadded, B.P. 74, Monastir, Tunisia.
³ Institut National des Sciences et Technologies de la Mer, centre de Sfax, BP 1035, CP 3018 Sfax, Tunisia.
⁴ Faculté de Pharmacie de Monastir, Rue Ibn Sina, Monastir, Tunisia.

PMID: 24993729
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.06.015

Abstract

Fluctuating asymmetry, a random deviation of bilateral traits, is assessed on grass goby Zosterisessor ophiocephalus Pallas, 1811 living in one disturbed site and in one unpolluted site Gulf of Gabes (Tunisia). Statistical analysis showed that assessed asymmetries are fluctuating. FA of orbital diameter, sub-orbital distance, pectoral fin and post-orbital length are higher in polluted site compared to control. Chemical pollution seems to be responsible for this high FA.

Keywords: Chemical pollution; Fluctuating asymmetry; Zosterisessor ophiocephalus.

MeSH terms

Analysis of Variance
Animals
Body Size
Ecosystem
Environmental Pollution*
Geography
Metals, Heavy
Models, Statistical
Perciformes / anatomy & histology*
Tunisia

Substances

Metals, Heavy