Abstract
Within the scope of the European Union Water Framework Directive, diatom assemblages as biological quality components were used to evaluate the ecological status of 12 surface waters in the Araban-Yavuzeli catchment between October 2013 and October 2014. A total of 75 diatom species were identified during the study period. Amphora ovalis, Denticula elegans, Gomphonema parvulum,Gomphonema truncatum, and Navicula cryptocephala were commonly observed. The relationship between diatom assemblages and environmental factors was assessed by canonical correspondence analysis and weighted average regression. Dissolved oxygen, tem-perature, nitrate, biological oxygen demand, lead, and copper played significant roles in the distribution and composition of diatom assemblages (P < 0.05). The ecological status of the stations in Araban and Yavuzeli was characterized using the trophic index-Turkey (TIT), trophic index (TI), and eutrophication and/or pollution index-diatom (EPI-D) indices. According to the TIT, Ardıl Creek1 had very good ecological conditions and was characterized by the occurrence of pollution-sensitive diatom taxa (e.g., Cymbella affinis, En-cyonema silesiacum, Navicula radiosa), indicated by multivariate analyses. The significant positive correlation of the TIT (P < 0.01, r = 0.789) with logPO4 indicated that TIT may be used as an appropriate diatom metric to assess the ecological status of surface waters in the Araban-Yavuzeli catchment.
Highlights
IntroductionLotic ecosystems (e.g., rivers, streams, and creeks) are fundamental components of regional and global biogeochemical cycles
Lotic ecosystems are fundamental components of regional and global biogeochemical cycles
The overall hypothesis was that direct use of foreign diatom index scores obtained from different ecoregions could lead to a wrong interpretation of water quality. Considering this hypothesis, the aim of this research was to be the first attempt of using diatom indices developed from different ecoregions for assessing the limnoecological status of various sampling stations of the Araban-Yavuzeli catchment (Turkey)
Summary
Lotic ecosystems (e.g., rivers, streams, and creeks) are fundamental components of regional and global biogeochemical cycles. They are sources of drinking water, irrigation supplies, fisheries, wastewater removal systems, and other uses (Feld et al, 2018). These environments are characterized by complex interactions among chemical, physical, hydromorphological, and biological processes. Metals, and other undesired compounds into surface waters has become one of the main environmental problems threatening the world (Feld et al, 2018). Along with being a primary producer in the food web, algae are one of the potentially important biotic users or accumulators of pollutants (e.g., excess nutrients in stream ecosystems) (Hering et al, 2016)
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