Correlation between Concentrations of Some Heavy Metals in Sediments and Macrobenthic Populations in the South Eastern Ports of the Caspian Sea (Turkman and Fereidunkenar ports)

Investigating the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of resources is one of the key pillars of sustainable development and sound management practices in various fields of environment, fisheries and agriculture. The impact of pollutants on organisms varies according to their type and volume of input. These effects at the highest levels cause the destruction of the fauna and flora of the area and in small amounts eliminate the resistant species. In recent years large-scale invertebrates inhabit sediments reflecting the effects of environmental contamination as a change in their diversity or density, which is why more attention has been paid to biological monitoring studies. In each half-line, sediment samples were taken from the surface layer at 3 different depths of 5, 10, 15 m. Sediment samples were analyzed by ICP-OES (Varian Vista -MPX model) according to ASTM D5258-92, 2013. Shannon Wiener Index, Species Richness Index and Margalef Index were used to assess the Diversity, Dominance and Richness of Macrobentic in the study area. On average, the lowest Shannon Wiener Index of Fereidonkenar Port in spring (0.63), in Summer (0.25), in Autumn (0.54), in Winter (0.37). The lowest Margalev Index of Fereidonkenar Port in Spring (0.45), in Summer (0.25), in Autumn (0.46), in Winter (0.28) was achieved. In the present study, were significantly  higher (p<0.05) compared to Shannon and Margalph Index. Also, the result  shown were different temporal and spatial variations in the structure of Benthic Communities and  stress and contamination were moderate.