Hirudinea (Annelida) species and their ecological preferences in some running waters and lakes

Abstract

The Hirudinea species were collected from various running waters and lakes in Turkey. The sampling sites were located on Yeşilırmak River, streams in Yedigöller National Park, Büyük Menderes River, Lake Beyşehir, Lake Işıklı, Karamuk Marsh and Karadut Spring of Acıgöl Lake. Recorded species were evaluated with physicochemical variables such as temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, nitrite nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen, ammonium nitrogen, orthophosphate phosphorus and substratum structure. In this study, eight Hirudinea species were determined. These are Helobdella stagnalis, Erpobdella octoculata, Erpobdella testacea, Erpobdella vilnensis, Dina stschegolewi, Hirudo verbana, Limnatis nilotica, Haemopis sanguisuga. The relationships between leech species and water quality variables were assessed with canonical correspondence analysis. The results show that leech species which are found in the present study are able to live in different saprobic levels in streams and trophic levels in lakes, but they usually prefer polluted environments. Knowledge of ecological characteristics of leech species must be improved to use them in water quality assessment much more effectively.

Taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional diversity of leeches (Hirudinea) and their suitability in biological assessment of environmental quality

“…Leeches are used as a group included in macrobenthos, which is the basic element of monitoring in freshwater habitats, as is required by WFD (Directive 2000/60/EC). Observations that particular taxa of Hirudinea have an indicative value in the biological assessment of environmental quality are common in the literature (Grosser et al, 2001;Koperski, 2005;Kubová et al, 2013;Kazanci et al, 2015). Abundance, percentage and diversity of Hirudinea, treated as ones of moderately tolerant taxa are taken into account in practical bioassessment protocols (Armitage et al, 1983).…”

Chorological and Ecological Differentiation of the Commonest Leech Species from the Suborder Erpobdelliformes (Arhynchobdellida, Hirudinea) on the Balkan Peninsula

“…These rivers are under anthropogenic pressures, and are often exposed to water quality degradation [53,54]. Tolerance to mesosaprobic conditions is known in the case of E. vilnensis [48,55,56]. It can be concluded that in these cases, the combination of the faster-flowing and higher saprobic state has favored E. vilnensis in competition with other species.…”

Leeches (Clitellata: Hirudinida) of an upland stream: taxonomic composition in relation to habitat conditions

“…It occurs in large numbers in the mesosaprobic zone of running waters (Kazanci et al 2014) and its contribution in the assemblage of Hirudinida is correlated with the degree of pollution (Koperski 2005 © Fa c u l t y o f O ce a n o gr a p hy a n d G e o gr a p hy, U n i ve r s i t y o f G d a ń s k , Po l a n d. A l l r i g h t s re s e r ve d.…”