Distribution of rotifers of high mountain lakes in the Eastern Black Sea Range of Turkey

Authors: DİDEM ÖZDEMİR MİS, MUSTAFA RUŞEN USTAOĞLU

Abstract: Six expeditions were conducted in 2005-2007 on the rotifer fauna of 59 high mountain lakes of the Eastern Black Sea Range. All of the lakes are located at altitudes between 2530 and 3370 m except Uzungöl (1100 m). A total of 63 rotifer taxa were identified. All of the taxa that were identified are new records for their localities except Notholca squamula and Cephalodella gibba. Dissotrocha macrostyla, Hexarthra jenkinae, Lecane clara, Lecane kluchor, and Lecane latissima are new records for the Turkish inland water fauna. The trophic classification based on the orthophosphate includes 22 lakes as ultraoligotrophic and 37 lakes as oligotrophic; by Secchi depth, 20 lakes are ultraoligotrophic, 12 lakes oligotrophic, and 27 lakes mesotrophic. Rotifer species richness showed a decrease with altitude (20 species in Lake Uzungöl with an altitude of 1100 m and 4 species in Lake Deniz with an altitude of 3370 m). We propose that 80% of the rotifer taxa were indicators of oligotrophic conditions and the remaining 20% were indicators of mesotrophic conditions.

Keywords: Zooplankton, biodiversity, eutrophication, Kaçkar Mountain, glacial lakes

Full Text: PDF