Epiphytic and epipsammic diatom communities of Gölbaşı Lake (Adıyaman-Turkey)

Abstract

The present study examined certain physical and chemical parameters in epiphytic and epipsammic diatoms identified on Potamogeton perfoliatus and Chara sp. collected from an area of one square kilometers in Golbasi Lake located within the borders of Adiyaman city from March to October 2014.Over the course of the study, 14 taxa belonging to epiphytic diatoms and 24 taxa of epipsammic diatoms were identified. Among the epiphytic diatoms, Amphora ovalis, Diatoma vulgaris and Ulnaria ulna were the most significant ones in terms of abundance and individual occurrences, while among the epipsammic diatoms the most remarkable ones were Navicula salinarum, Navicula radiosa, Nitzschia linearis and Cyclotella comta with regard to abundance and individual occurrences. According to Sorensen Index the highest similarity (78%) was found between diatoms on Potamageton perfoliatus and Chara sp. The similarity between epiphytic and epipsammic diatoms was only as high as 26% and 30%. Accordingly, the macrophyte preference of diatoms as a substratum was to a large extent similar. Diatoms displayed the highest level of development in late spring and summer, when there is more light and temperatures are higher. Keywords: Epiphitic diatoms, Epipsammic diatoms, Sorensen Similarity Index, Golbasi Lake, East Anatolia, Turkey