Monitoring and Identification of Planktonic Genera/Species and Determination of the Physicochemical Factors Favoring the Growth of These Species in Cape 7 (Aftissat) Zone, South of Morocco

The study, conducted in cape 7 (Aftissat) zone, south of Morocco, located 232 km south of Laayoune
city and 62 km south of Boujdour city, aims to the identify the planktonic genera/species and
determination of the physicochemical factors favoring the growth of these species. The study was
carried out on 427 samples, distributed, therefore, as follows, 57.2% (n = 245) of the samples during
the year 2016 and 42.5% (n = 182) in the year 2017. In addition, 32.8% and 27.6% of the samples
were taken, respectively, in winter and autumn, 24.4% of the samples in summer and 15.2% of all
samples taken in the spring. Identified total of 30 phytoplankton species were identified, of which 70%
(n = 21) are diatoms, 26.67% are dinoflagellates and one species is silicoflagellates. Moreover, the
most abundant species in the diatoms are Navicula sp. (69), Licmophora (47), Nitzschia sp. (35),
Pseudo nitzschia spp. (31) and in the class Dinoflagellates, Scrippsiella spp. (24), Protoperidinium
spp. (11). Some toxic species have also been identified, but with very low frequencies, below the
norm. The cape d’Afissat has a very important role in the economic life of the region, so we must
increase efforts to preserve it and if it is possible to improve the quality of water.