Ecology and spatiotemporal patterns of Ostracoda (Crustacea) from Lake Golcuk (Bolu, Turkey)

Abstract

Monthly samples collected for two years from Lake Golcuk showed that the lake has relatively low species richness in ostracods. UPGMA clustering analysis separated seven ostracod species into three groups based on their ecology and spatiotemporal requirements: Cypridopsis vidua, and Psychrodromus sp. are in the first group; Potamocypris variegata, and Candona neglecta are in the second group; Limnocythere inopinata, Ilyocypris biplicata, Candona candida, and a hemipteran species, Micronecta pusilla, are in the third group. Canonical correspondence analysis showed that months positioned in the upper left have mostly warmer water temperature with high pH levels, whereas months located at the right but opposite site have cooler temperature with relatively low pH and both higher dissolved oxygen and redox potential values. There was a strong negative correlation between pH and redox potential (-0.92), and water temperature and redox potential (-0.62), and dissolved oxygen and temperature (-0.59). The first two axes of the canonical correspondence analysis explained 36.5 % of the variance in the species abundance data. Accordingly, conductivity and temperature were the most significant (P < 0.05) variables correlated with ostracod species spatiotemporal pattern. Results also suggest that species with similar ecological requirements have similar phenology.