Ecological assessment of Hormozgan creeks (Khamir, Tiyab and Jagin) using AMBI biotic index

This study aimed to assess the ecological status of Khamir, Tiyab and Jagin creeks and the impact of human activities on the studied ecosystems using AMBI biological indicator. During the study period, 165 macro-benthos taxa belong to seven phyla including Annelids (65 taxa), Mollusca (65 taxa), Arthropods (28 taxa), Echinoderms (3 taxa), Hydrozoans (2 taxa), Nemertea (1 taxon) and Nematoda (1 taxon) were identified. For the total abundance, Polychaeta showed the richest taxonomic feature with 62 species, contributed 37.57% of the total abundance. The average values of AMBI in the four seasons ranged from 1.12±0.09 (spring) to 5.08±0.15 (autumn). The highest values occurred at station 6 (spring, 4.12±0.81; summer, 5.01±0.56; autumn, 5.08±0.15; winter, 4.42±0.38), and the lowest values occurred at stations 7 (spring, 1.12±0.09; summer, 1.24±0.07), and 1 (autumn, 1.25±0.07; winter, 1.33±0.24). Results from ecological status of studied creeks using AMBI index throughout the year showed that Khamir creek classified as "slightly polluted" to "moderately polluted", Tiyab creek classified as "slightly polluted" to "heavily polluted" and Jagin creek classified as "slightly polluted". The findings of this study revealed that the AMBI index is suitable for separation of areas with less impacted by human activities from areas affected by these activities and could be used as a robust management tool for monitoring programs.