Diversity, spatiotemporal distribution, abundance, species composition and habitat preferences of Ostracoda in Akbük and Akdeniz coastal mesosaline lagoons (Muğla, the South Aegean Region, Turkey)

Abstract

I n t e r n a t i o n a l J o u r n a l o f O c e a n o g r a p h y a n d H y d r o b i o l o g y AbstractAkdeniz and Akbük lagoons are part of a shallow coastal ecosystem of great aesthetic and ecological importance, located in Muğla Province in the southern Aegean region of Turkey. In the present study, four expeditions to collect ostracods from these lagoons were conducted in May, July, October, and November of 2008. Benthic samples were obtained monthly and several environmental factors were recorded simultaneously in situ. The ecological preferences of the ostracods were monitored, and qualitative and quantitative samples were collected from three sites in Akdeniz lagoon and two sites in Akbük lagoon. Three ostracod taxa (Cyprideis torosa, Loxoconcha elliptica and Cytherois fischeri) were identified from the Akdeniz lagoon sampling sites and one species (Cyprideis torosa) from the Akbük lagoon sampling sites. We present and analyze the dominance and distribution of ostracod assemblages and their relationships to environmental factors: temperature, dissolved oxygen, percentage oxygen saturation, pH, redox potential, salinity, and electrical conductivity) using classification and ordination techniques. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) is used to characterize the relationship between ostracods and the environmental variables. Approximately 82% of the correlation between the community composition and environmental variables was explained by the first axis of the CCA ordination for the Akdeniz lagoon. The study revealed that the distribution and population density of ostracod species depends on the physicochemical properties of the environment. The reason for this is that Cyprideis torosa and Loxoconcha elliptica are euryhaline species.

How fish populations in Lake Bafa (Western Anatolia) respond to ecological shifts

“…Human activities surrounding Lake Bafa, including agricultural runoff, urbanization and the construction of water management infrastructure, have collectively contributed to significant shifts in the lake's fish community. These cumulative impacts, compounded by the introduction of non‐native species and fluctuating climate conditions, have led to noticeable changes in species composition and abundance, affecting the lake's biodiversity and the ecological balance critical to local communities (Altınsaçlı, 2014). Lake Bafa's fish community has shown a dynamic composition over time, reflecting changes in climate conditions, human disturbances (i.e.…”