Dunaliella salina (Chlorophyceae), Phormidium versicolor (Cyanophyceae), and Cylindrotheca closterium (Bacillariophyceae) were isolated from three ponds in the solar saltern of Sfax (Tunisia). Growth, pigment contents, and photosynthetic and antioxidant enzyme activities were measured under controlled conditions of three light levels (300, 500, and 1000 µmol photons m⁻² s⁻¹) and three NaCl concentrations (40, 80, and 140 g L⁻¹). The highest salinity reduced the growth of D. salina and P. versicolor NCC466 and strongly inhibited that of C. closterium. According to ΦPSII values, the photosynthetic apparatus of P. versicolor was stimulated by increasing salinity, whereas that of D. salina and C. closterium was decreased by irradiance rise. The production of carotenoids in D. salina and P. versicolor was stimulated when salinity and irradiance increased, whereas it decreased in the diatom. Catalase (CAT), Superoxide dismutase (SOD), and Ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activities were only detected when the three species were cultivated under E1000. The antioxidant activity of carotenoids could compensate for the low antioxidant enzyme activity measured in D. salina. Salinity and irradiation levels interact with the physiology of three species that have mechanisms of more or less effective stress resistance, hence different resistance to environmental stresses according to the species. Under these stress-controlled conditions, P. versicolor and C. closterium strains could provide promising sources of extremolyte for several purposes.

Phytoplankton and Copepoda were investigated in the industrialized Gabès coast (Mediterranean Sea, Tunisia) to understand consequences of the Eutrophication Grade on the community composition. In the past 40 years, intensive agrochemical activities have developed in Gabès, discharging wastewater along the coast. In parallel, Gabès City has experienced a rapid demographic expansion (population: 131,000) that further increased sewage discharged into the sea. The present study was carried out in the Gulf of Gabès in March 2014. The abiotic analysis of seawater showed high concentrations of nutrients and eutrophication in all the studied fifteen stations. A growing eutrophic gradient was revealed from Zarrat to Gannouche. During this study, 42 phytoplankton taxa and 24 Copepoda taxa were identified. Bacillariophyta were the most abundant group, ranging from 67.7% to 89.2% of total phytoplankton specimens. Chaetoceros costatus, Euglena acusformis, and Thalassiosira sp. showed a positive correlation with Eutrophication Index (profited of nutrient availability). Therefore, the Shannon–Weaver diversity index of phytoplankton and Copepoda showed negative correlations with Eutrophication Index. The relatively high H′ values for phytoplankton suggest that the eutrophicated waters of Gulf of Gabès are not a hostile environment for them. Among Copepoda, Oithona similis, and Euterpina acutifrons seem to be insensible species to eutrophication.

Zooplankton play a crucial role in aquatic food chains and contain many species, which could be bioindicators of water quality and ecosystem health. The ecological impacts of eutrophication on zooplankton composition in freshwater lakes have recently gained wide interest. Geographic location and water-body size influence zooplankton diversity in freshwaters; meanwhile, less is known about the composition and dynamic of the zooplankton community and their relationship with the trophic status in artificial water in semi-arid areas. The present study aimed to assess the physical–chemical parameters and to document the seasonal distribution of zooplankton species and their relationship with environmental factors and trophic state in the artificial freshwater lake JUST, in a semi-arid area. The high concentrations of nutrients and the trophic level index (TLI) classified the lake as eutrophic–hypertrophic. The zooplankton in the JUST lake were composed of twenty-six species, with eleven Rotifera, ten Copepoda, and five Cladocera. Copepoda was numerically the most abundant taxon, accounting for 64% of the total zooplankton abundance, in both seasons. However, the second most abundant taxon in summer was Rotifera (28.26%) while in winter it was Cladocera (25.88%). The community structure seemed to be influenced, most likely, by trophic state, phytoplankton abundance, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, and nutrient loading. The zooplankton were largely dominated by bioindicator species of high trophic levels. Zooplankton could be used as a tool to monitor the trophic state of the lake. For sustainable development, the introduction of phytoplanktivorous, aquaculture species, such as carp and koi, will strengthen the top-down control of the phytoplankton concentration, leading to a reduced trophic state.