![Geographical positions of sampling stations in Türkiye Eastern Black Sea Basin is between 40 o 15'-41 o 34' north latitudes and 36 o 43'-41 o 35' east longitudes in the northeast of Türkiye. This basin, which extends to the east of the Black Sea in the north, the Kaçkar Mountains in the east, the Yamanlı, Soğanlı, Kemer, and Iğdır Mountains in the south, and the Çarşamba Plain in the west, constitutes 2.92% of Türkiye with an area of 2,284,439 ha. Almost all of the streams flow vertically into the sea in narrow and deep valleys. The highest peak of the mountains extending parallel to the coast is 3,937 m high on the Kaçkar Mountains [6]. The Western Black Sea Basin is located between 40 o 34' 42"-4 1o 27' 52" north latitudes and 30 o 52' 33"-35 o 12' 12" east longitudes. The Western Black Sea Basin is bounded by the Sakarya Basin in the southwest, the Kızılırmak Basin in the southeast, and the Black Sea in the north. The Western Black Sea Basin, which covers approximately 3.7% of Türkiye's surface area, has a precipitation area of 28,855 km 2 [7]. The circumference of the Kızılırmak Basin, which has a precipitation area of 82 221 km 2 , which is approximately 10.49% of Türkiye's surface area, is 3 546 km and the length of the basin is 293 km [8].](https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Deniz-Mercan-4/publication/364075227/figure/fig1/AS:11431281110423554@1672509977366/Geographical-positions-of-sampling-stations-in-Tuerkiye-Eastern-Black-Sea-Basin-is-between_Q320.jpg)
Content uploaded by Deniz Mercan
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Deniz Mercan on Sep 13, 2023
Content may be subject to copyright.
www.biodicon.com Biological Diversity and Conservation
ISSN 1308-8084 Online ISSN 1308-5301 Print
Research article/Araştırma makalesi
DOI: 10.46309/biodicon.2022.1169861
15/3 (2022) 339-347
Preliminary research on macrozoobenthic fauna and Gastropoda species in some fresh waters of The Black Sea
Region, Türkiye
Mehmet Zeki YILDIRIM1, Deniz MERCAN2, Naime ARSLAN
*
2
ORCID: 0000-0003-0281-2232; 0000-0002-5526-8501; 0000-0002-9193-2510
1Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University, Bucak School of Health, 15300 Burdur, Türkiye
2Eskişehir Osmangazi University, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Biology, 26480 Eskişehir, Türkiye
Abstract
Commonly found in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, Gastropoda members are the class with the highest
number of species within the Mollusca. Freshwater Gastropods which are generally listed in primary consumer play a
crucial part in aquatic environments by feeding numerous fish species and vertebrate species. In Türkiye, the Black Sea
Region is also a privileged geography in terms of its topography and historical development history of aquatic systems,
rich in rivers and lakes. In this research, field studies were conducted from 20 different stations in the Black Sea region
between 2017-2018. Benthic macroinvertebrate samples were collected from lakes and rivers with an Ekman grab
sampler and hand net. Samples were washed in situ and fixed with 70% ethyl alcohol. Totally 10442 benthic
macroinvertebrate individuals belong to 21 taxa were determined in the study. In the region, Oligochaeta was the
dominant taxa with 56.80% dominancy value and followed by Chironomidae and Gastropoda with 18.26 and 8.24,
respectively. As third dominant taxa, Gastropoda members were consist of 870 individuals belong to 11 taxa. It was
determined that Gyraulus elenae and Radix labiata from Gastropoda were widely distributed in the region. These
species have broad tolerance to pollution. In the study, it was determined that both densities of species and population
were increased in the regions of the rivers that are far from the settlement areas or that have not been intervened and in
the littoral parts of the lakes. In general, a decrease was observed not only in the Gastropoda members but also in the
expected population density of the macrozoobenthos members in the parts of the streams that are under anthropogenic
pressure.
Key words: Gastropoda, Black Sea Region, Mollusca, taxonomy
---------- ----------
Karadeniz Bölgesi’nin bazı tatlı sularında makrozoobentik fauna ve Gastropoda türleri üzerine ön araştırmalar,
Türkiye
Özet Karasal ve sucul ekosistemlerde yaygın olarak bulunan Gastropoda üyeleri, Mollusca içinde en fazla türe sahip
sınıftır. Genellikle birincil tüketici listesinde yer alan tatlı su Gastropodları, çok sayıda balık türü ve omurgalı türünün
besinini oluşturduğundan sucul sistemlerde önemli bir rol oynamaktadır. Türkiye'de de Karadeniz Bölgesi, topoğrafyası
ve su sistemlerinin tarihsel gelişim tarihi açısından, akarsular ve göller açısından zengin, ayrıcalıklı bir coğrafyadır. Bu
araştırmada 2017-2018 yılları arasında Karadeniz Bölgesi’ndeki göl ve nehirleri içeren 20 istasyondan zoobentik
örneklemeler ekman kepçesi ve el kepçesi ile yapılmıştır. Çalışmada 21 taksona ait toplam 10442 bentik
makroomurgasız birey toplanmışır. Araştırma alanında Oligochaeta üyeleri baskın (%56,80 dominansi) grup olup, bunu
sırasıyla %18,26 ve % 8,24 dominansi değerleri ile Chironomidae ve Gastropoda grupları izlemektedir. Üçüncü baskın
grup olan Gastropoda üyelerinin 11 taksona ait 870 birey içerdiği tesspit eilmiştir. Gastropoda'dan Gyraulus elenae ve
Radix labiata'nın bölgede yaygın olarak yayılış gösterdiği belirlenmiştir. Bu türler kirliliğe karşı geniş toleransa
sahiptir. Çalışmada, akarsuların yerleşim yerlerinden uzak veya müdahale edilmemiş bölgelerinde ve göllerin kıyı
*
Corresponding author / Haberleşmeden sorumlu yazar: Tel.: +90 0222 2393750; Fax.: +90 222 2393578; E-mail: oligo2009@gmail.com
© Copyright 2022 by Biological Diversity and Conservation Received: 01.09.2022; Published: 15.12.2022 BioDiCon. 1025-010922
Preliminary research on macrozoobenthic fauna and Gastropoda species in some fresh waters of The Black Sea Region, Türkiye
Mehmet Zeki YILDIRIM, Deniz MERCAN, Naime ARSLAN
340 Biological Diversity and Conservation – 15 / 3 (2022)
kesimlerinde hem tür hem de popülasyon yoğunluğunun arttığı tespit edilmiştir. Genel olarak sadece Gastropoda
üyelerinde değil, akarsuların antropojenik baskı altında olan kısımlarında makrozoobentoz üyelerinin populasyon
yoğunluğunda da bir azalma gözlenmiştir.
Anahtar kelimeler: Gastropoda, Karadeniz Bölgesi, Mollusca, taksonomi
1. Introduction
Almost every ecosystem, from little ephemeral pools to vast lakes and small springs to large rivers, can be
home to aquatic invertebrates. Among the more extreme habitats are hot springs, sewage treatment facility lagoons, oil
pools, and extremely salty seas. Aquatic invertebrates live in a range of habitats within a body of water. Aquatic
invertebrates are incredibly diverse in their representations of the world. Aquatic invertebrates are numerous and
diverse, but they are frequently unnoticed and few people are even aware of their existence, much less their
significance. The enormous diversity of aquatic invertebrates limits our current understanding of their life histories,
ecology, and geographic spread. Because different species have differing tolerances to various pollutants, aquatic
invertebrates are also used to evaluate the health of streams, lakes, and wetlands. Invertebrates, for instance, are
frequently the first species to perish or disappear if a water body gets polluted since they are typically intolerant of
pollution. This indicates that a body of water that doesn't have these taxa but does have more tolerant species is
probably polluted. These investigations, however, necessitate precise identification of the invertebrates that were
gathered in samples [1].
With around 118,000 species, molluscs are possibly the most diverse category of metazoans after arthropods.
Gastropoda and Bivalvia, the two largest molluscan classes, have repeatedly and successfully colonized continental
("fresh") seas. Almost all aquatic ecosystems, including rivers, lakes, streams, swamps, subterranean aquifers, springs,
temporary ponds, drainage ditches, and other transitory and seasonal waterways, are home to freshwater gastropods.
The majority are submerged dwellers, and many are adapted to specific environments, including soft sediment, aquatic
flora, boulders, stones, and wood. Some are able to survive for extended periods of time without water (such as some
Ampullariidae), while others can spend a lot of time aestivating in the soil during dry seasons. There are very few
groups that can be found in highly salinized inland settings like the Caspian Sea or salt lakes in Central Asia, Africa,
and Australia (most notably some of the rissooidean families) [2].
Freshwater gastropods play a crucial part in aquatic environments by feeding numerous fish species and
vertebrate species. They include species that are widely distributed in rivers and lakes and are used as indicators in
aquatic systems monitoring studies. Due to its position between two continents, Türkiye, one of the zoogeographically
distinct locations of the Western Palaearctic, has a more diverse mollusc fauna than the nearby regions of Europe [3].
Species of prosobranchs can survive in a range of ecological settings. Prosobranchs are used in ecological studies
because of their capacity for biomonitoring [4].
It is clear from studies on freshwater molluscs in Türkiye that the first checklist, which identified 72 taxa,
was conducted in 1999 in freshwater and brackish water. One of the checklists that was released in 2006 listed 28 taxa
and just the freshwater pulmonate species. In the same year, a second prosobranchia checklist was published, and 80
taxa were found. Since 2006, no research on this topic has been conducted. The existence of 204 taxa (164 species
belonging to the Gastropoda and 40 species belonging to the Bivalvia) and all freshwater-related investigations were
reported by Gürlek et al. [5]. According to Mollusca checklist conducted by Gürlek et al., we can see that the studies
have a particular interest in the Central Anatolia, Mediterranean, and Aegean seas. Eastern Anatolia and the Eastern
Black Sea regions are the least explored geographical areas based on the number of species discovered and the average
scientific study (Figure 1).
Present study aims to investigate the macrozoobentic community composition and distribution of the
Gastropoda in the Black Sea Region. It also aims to fill the gap in species diversity of Gastropoda in the region. To
determine the community of macrozoobenthic invertebrate and the species composition of Gastropoda, 20 different
stations were sampled as İkizdere Stream (Rize), Uzungöl (Trabzon), Uzungöl 2 (Trabzon), Uzungöl 3 (Trabzon),
Kavaklıdere (Gümüşhane), Doğankent River (Giresun), Kumru River (Ordu), Bolaman River (Ordu), Ordu River
(Ordu), Cernek Lake (Samsun), Akgöl (Samsun), Sarıkum Lake (Sinop), Erfelek Waterfall (Sinop), Yenice River
(Zonguldak); Efteni Lake (Düzce), Efteni Lake 2 (Düzce), Efteni Lake 3 (Düzce), Melen River (Düzce), Nazlı Lake
(Bolu), Lake Abant (Bolu).
Preliminary research on macrozoobenthic fauna and Gastropoda species in some fresh waters of The Black Sea Region, Türkiye
Mehmet Zeki YILDIRIM, Deniz MERCAN, Naime ARSLAN
Biological Diversity and Conservation – 15 / 3 (2022) 341
Figure 1. Distribution and density of malacological studies in Türkiye according to the eight regions (The color is
darkening from the least studied region to the most studied region). From [5]
2. Material and method
2.1. Study Area
Benthic macroinvertebrate samples were collected from 20 stations in the Black Sea region (Figure 2). Black
Sea Region include four basins of 25 freshwater basins of Türkiye as Eastern Black Sea Basin, Kızılırmak Basin,
Yeşilırmak Basin and Western Black Sea Basin. Our sampling sites cover three of them: Basins of Eastern Black Sea,
Kızılırmak, and Western Black Sea (Table 1).
Figure 2. Geographical positions of sampling stations in Türkiye
Eastern Black Sea Basin is between 40o 15'- 41o 34' north latitudes and 36o 43'- 41o 35' east longitudes in the
northeast of Türkiye. This basin, which extends to the east of the Black Sea in the north, the Kaçkar Mountains in the
east, the Yamanlı, Soğanlı, Kemer, and Iğdır Mountains in the south, and the Çarşamba Plain in the west, constitutes
2.92% of Türkiye with an area of 2,284,439 ha. Almost all of the streams flow vertically into the sea in narrow and deep
valleys. The highest peak of the mountains extending parallel to the coast is 3,937 m high on the Kaçkar Mountains [6].
The Western Black Sea Basin is located between 40o 34' 42"- 41o 27' 52" north latitudes and 30o 52' 33"- 35o
12' 12" east longitudes. The Western Black Sea Basin is bounded by the Sakarya Basin in the southwest, the Kızılırmak
Basin in the southeast, and the Black Sea in the north. The Western Black Sea Basin, which covers approximately 3.7%
of Türkiye's surface area, has a precipitation area of 28,855 km2 [7].
The circumference of the Kızılırmak Basin, which has a precipitation area of 82 221 km2, which is
approximately 10.49% of Türkiye's surface area, is 3 546 km and the length of the basin is 293 km [8].
Preliminary research on macrozoobenthic fauna and Gastropoda species in some fresh waters of The Black Sea Region, Türkiye
Mehmet Zeki YILDIRIM, Deniz MERCAN, Naime ARSLAN
342 Biological Diversity and Conservation – 15 / 3 (2022)
Table 1. Location and freshwater basin of sampling stations
Station
Province
Geographic coordinates (X-Y)
Freshwater Basin
İkizdere Stream
Rize
40.41448974; 40.93328857
Eastern Black Sea
Lake Uzungöl
Trabzon
40.29608154; 40.61932373
Eastern Black Sea
Kavaklıdere
Gümüşhane
39.23229980; 40.12048339
Eastern Black Sea
Doğankent River
Giresun
38.88867187; 40.87249755
Eastern Black Sea
Kumru River
Ordu
37.26489257; 40.88610839
Eastern Black Sea
Bolaman River
Ordu
37.44671630; 40.82928466
Eastern Black Sea
Ordu River
Ordu
37.91088867; 40.97009277
Eastern Black Sea
Cernek Lake
Samsun
36.02392578; 41.66168212
Kızılırmak
Akgöl
Samsun
36.91888427; 41.28631591
Kızılırmak
Lake Sarıkum
Sinop
34.91949462; 42.01647949
Western Black Sea
Erfelek Waterfall
Sinop
34.77832031; 41.85089111
Western Black Sea
Yenice River
Zonguldak
32.07867431; 41.38269042
Western Black Sea
Lake Efteni
Düzce
31.04907226; 40.76751708
Western Black Sea
Melen River
Düzce
30.98028564; 40.96392822
Western Black Sea
Lake Nazlı
Bolu
31.74768066; 40.94152832
Western Black Sea
Lake Abant
Bolu
31.28131103; 40.60668945
Western Black Sea
2.2. Sampling and laboratory studies
Benthic macroinvertebrate samples were collected from lakes and streams with an Ekman grab sampler and
hand net. Samples were washed in situ using a series of sieves with decreasing mesh sizes of 2 mm, 1 mm, and 0.5 mm.
The material was preserved in 70% ethyl alcohol, taken to the laboratory, and sorted under a stereomicroscope. After
the samples had been sorted, gastropods were prepared for identification. Zhadin [9], Bilgin [10], Glöer [11] and Glöer
and Meier-Brook [12] were used for species identification of Gastropoda samples. All macroinvertebrate samples were
stored in the ESOGU Hydrobiology Laboratory.
3. Results
In the present study, total of 10442 individuals belong to 21 invertebrate taxa were recorded (only Gastropoda
samples were identified to the species level) from the stations (Table 2). Distributions of benthic macroinvertebrates of
sampling stations were shown in Figure 2. And also, a total of 11 species from Gastropoda were determined. Three
species as Melanopsis praemorsa, Potamopyrgus antipodarum and Borysthenia naticina of them are new records for
the Black Sea Region.
According to our results, Oligochaeta was the dominant taxon with 56.80% dominancy value and followed by
Chironomidae and Gastropoda with 18.26 and 8.24, respectively. Apart from these dominant groups, Bivalvia
comprised of 5.69 % and Ephemeroptera 5.13%, while the other taxonomic groups (Hirudinea, Coleoptera, Elmidae,
Hemiptera, Odonata, Diptera, Ceratopogonidae, Simuliidae, Chaoboridae, Trichoptera, Plecoptera, Collembola,
Isopoda, Asellidae, Gammaridae and Palaemonidae) together reached about 5.88% (Table 2).
As third dominant taxa, Gastropoda members were consist of 870 individuals belong to 11 taxa. Among the
identified Gastropoda species, it can be classified as six species which are Viviparus mamillatus, Hydrobia ventrosa,
Melanopsis praemorsa, Potamopyrgus antipodarum, Theodoxus fluviatilis and Borysthenia naticina belong to
Prosobranchia and five species which are Radix sp., Radix labiata, Physella acuta, Gyraulus elenae and Planorbis
planorbis belong to Pulmonate. Theodoxus fluviatilis was the dominant species in the region among the Gastropoda
members with 36.44% dominancy value. It was followed by Potamopyrgus antipodarum and Radix labiata with
15.40% and 13.10%, respectively. Also, species of G. elenae detected in eight stations and Radix labiata detected in
seven stations were widely distributed in the region (Table 2).
Preliminary research on macrozoobenthic fauna and Gastropoda species in some fresh waters of The Black Sea Region, Türkiye
Mehmet Zeki YILDIRIM, Deniz MERCAN, Naime ARSLAN
Biological Diversity and Conservation – 15 / 3 (2022) 343
Table 2. Dominancy values of benthic macroinvertebrates identified at different sampling stations in Black Sea Region, Türkiye. Gastropoda species recorded for the first
time in the lake are marked by an asterisk (*)(St 1: İkizdere Stream; St 2: Uzungöl; St 3: Uzungöl; St 4: Uzungöl (littoral); St 5: Kavaklıdere; St 6: Doğankent River; St 7:
Kumru River; St 8: Bolaman River; St 9: Ordu River; St 10: Cernek Lake; St 11: Akgöl; St 12: Sarıkum Lake; St 13: Erfelek Waterfall; St 14: Yenice River; St 15: Efteni
Lake (littoral); St 16: Efteni Lake; St 17: Efteni Lake 2; St 18: Melen River; St 19: Nazlı Lake; St 20: Lake Abant)
Taxa/Sampling stations
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Total
dominancy
value (as
%)
Gastropoda (as total)
0.52
13.28
0.66
0.66
18.82
2.43
24.44
0.58
4.55
64.18
15.66
73.45
0.75
5.56
20.69
50.00
10.00
10.71
0.10
2.59
8.24
Viviparus mamillatus (Küster, 1852)
-
1.34
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
2.59
Radix labiata (Rossmassler, 1835)
-
5.88
0.66
0.66
-
2.43
-
-
-
-
7.23
-
-
2.78
-
-
-
-
0.10
-
*Radix sp.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.75
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Physella acuta (Draparnaud, 1805)
0.52
2.52
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
4.82
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
*Gyraulus elenae
Vinarski, Glöer&Palatov, 2013
-
3.53
-
-
11.29
-
-
-
4.55
-
3.61
-
-
2.78
-
5
1
10.71
-
-
*Hydrobia ventrosa Montagu, 1803
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.58
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Melanopsis praemorsa (Linnaeus, 1758)
-
-
-
-
7.53
-
24.44
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
*Potamopyrgus antipodarum (Gray, 1843)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
21.82
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Theodoxus fluviatilis (Linnaeus, 1758)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
51.63
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
*Borysthenia naticina (Menke, 1845)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
12.07
-
-
-
-
-
Planorbis planorbis (Linnaeus, 1758)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
64.18
-
-
-
-
8.62
-
-
-
-
-
Bivalvia
-
-
-
22.90
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
5.69
Oligochaeta
23.56
56.13
84.28
62.10
56.45
97.11
10.93
38.48
4.55
-
30.12
0.16
1.49
-
66.38
16.67
7
71.43
12.86
60.06
56.80
Hirudinae
0.52
-
-
0.04
-
-
0.32
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.15
0.04
Ephemeroptera
8.90
8.91
-
-
7.26
0.07
32.48
47.52
63.64
-
19.28
-
55.22
2.78
0.86
-
1
10.71
0.62
4.27
5.13
Coleoptera
-
1.85
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.49
0.60
0.16
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.91
0.19
Elmidae
-
-
-
-
1.61
-
0.32
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.07
Hemiptera
-
3.53
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
3.01
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.21
3.96
0.52
Odonata
-
1.01
-
-
1.08
-
2.25
0.29
-
2.99
12.05
0.33
0.75
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.37
0.50
Diptera
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.21
-
0.02
Chironomidae
62.83
15.29
15.06
14.30
13.98
0.39
6.11
2.04
2.27
31.34
19.28
7.65
20.15
-
11.21
33.33
1
7.14
71.19
22.87
18.26
Ceratopogonidae
0.52
-
-
-
0.27
-
-
0.29
-
-
-
-
1.49
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.05
Simuliidae
-
-
-
-
0.27
-
0.64
2.33
-
-
-
-
-
66.67
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.34
Chaoboridae
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.86
-
-
-
-
-
0.01
Trichoptera
3.14
-
-
-
0.27
-
20.58
2.92
15.91
-
-
-
4.48
25.00
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.99
Plecoptera
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.93
0.58
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.08
Collembola
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.16
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.01
Isopoda
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
14.81
3.20
1.58
Asellidae
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
2.27
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.01
Gammaridae
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
4.96
6.82
-
-
18.08
15.67
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.46
Palaemonidae
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.61
0.04
Preliminary research on macrozoobenthic fauna and Gastropoda species in some fresh waters of The Black Sea Region, Türkiye
Mehmet Zeki YILDIRIM, Deniz MERCAN, Naime ARSLAN
344 Biological Diversity and Conservation – 15 / 3 (2022)
Figure 3. Distributions of benthic macroinvertebrates in the Black Sea Region
Among our sampling stations, İkizdere Stream, Uzungöl, Kavaklıdere, Doğankent River, Kumru River,
Bolaman River and Ordu River are located in Eastern Black Sea Basin. In the basin, Oligochaeta was the dominant
taxon with 68.84% dominancy value and followed by Chironomidae and Bivalvia with 13.03% and 7.78%,
respectively. As fourth dominant taxon, Gastropoda had 3.73% dominancy value. All identified Gastropoda species,
Viviparus mamillatus, Radix labiata, Physella acuta, Gyraulus elenae, Hydrobid sp. and Melanopsis praemorsa, are
new records for the basin. In Lake Uzungöl, we were sampled three stations. According to results, the dominant taxon
in the lake was Oligochaeta with 69.13% dominancy value. It was followed by Chironomidae and Bivalvia with 14.71%
and 12.26%, respectively. Among Gastropoda species, V. mamillatus, R. labiata, P. acuta and G. elenae were identified
in the lake. These species are new record for Lake Uzungöl.
Lake Cernek and Akgöl are located in Kızılırmak Basin. Gastropoda was dominant taxa with 29.61%
dominancy value in the basin. It was followed by Chironomidae and Oligochaeta with 22.75% and 21.46%,
respectively. Two gastropod species were determined in the basin as G. elenae and Planorbis planorbis. These species
are new records for the lakes.
Stations of Sarıkum Lake, Erfelek Waterfall, Yenice River, Efteni Lake, Melen River, Nazlı Lake and Lake
Abant are located in Western Black Sea Basin. In the basin, Chironomidae was the dominant taxa with 36.31%
dominancy value. Oligocaheta and Gastropoda were the second and third dominant taxa with 24.36% and 19.63%
dominancy value, respectively. Viviparus mamillatus, Radix labiata, Gyraulus elenae, Potamopyrgus antipodarum,
Theodoxus fluviatilis, Radix sp., Borysthenia naticina and Planorbis planorbis were identified among Gastropoda
species in the basin. Theodoxus fluviatilis was the dominant gastropod species in the area. G. elenae, P. antipodarum,
Radix sp. and B. naticina are new records for the Western Black Sea Basin. Also, Melanopsis praemorsa and are new
record for the Black Sea Region.
4. Conclusions and discussion
The present study contributes to the knowledge on the macrozoobenthic fauna and Gastropoda species of the
Black Sea region. Results of this study shown that macrozoobenthic fauna of Black Sea Region was dominated by three
group invertebrates, Oligochaeta, Chironomidae and Gastropoda. These are typical taxa of many freshwater systems
and they have been known as tolerant organisms to pollution.
As a result of the study, total of 11 species from Gastropoda were determined and three species as
Melanopsis praemorsa, Potamopyrgus antipodarum and Borysthenia naticina of them are new records for the Black
Sea Region. These three gastropods’ species are member of Prosobranchia whose can be able to tolerate a wide range of
abiotic conditions from coastal estuaries to freshwater ecosystems [4, 13]. In addition, one of them, Potamopyrgus
antipodarum, known as global invaders and it is originated from The New Zealand. The most common aquatic
invertebrate in the world, Potamopyrgus antipodarum, is found throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia
with the exception of Africa and Antarctica [14]. For nations in a globalized society, biological invasions cause several
ecological and economic issues [15]. There are various aspects to this species' expansion strategies. Ship ballast water,
aquatic plants, fish, and birds are used to carry them [16]. In Türkiye, it was firstly recorded in 1980 [10]. Then, reports
of it came from different places from regions of Aegean, West Mediterranean and Marmara to West Anatolia
(Gaziantep) and Black Sea (Kızılırmak) [17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28]. With this study, P. antipodarum
was detected from only one sampling site, Lake Sarıkum, with high population density (21.82%) after Theodoxus
Preliminary research on macrozoobenthic fauna and Gastropoda species in some fresh waters of The Black Sea Region, Türkiye
Mehmet Zeki YILDIRIM, Deniz MERCAN, Naime ARSLAN
Biological Diversity and Conservation – 15 / 3 (2022) 345
fluviatilis (51.63%). Because of connected to the Black Sea, Lake Sarıkum is typically a lagoon lake and eutrophic lake
with a brackish characteristic and salinity ranging from 1‰ to 5‰ [29]. Although, benthic macroinvertebrate
community structure of Lake Sarıkum was investigated by different researchers. P. antipodarum was not detected
before in the lake. Six species of gastropoda, Theodoxus fluviatilis, Planorbis planorbis, Hydrobia ventrosa, Valvata
sp., Bittium reticulatum and Rissoa splendida, had been recorded previously from Lake Sarıkum [30, 31]. When
compare the results, we can conclude that variations in species composition, richness and diversity are probably the
result of changes in the lake’s natural conditions. Recently, [28] were reported that P. antipodarum was the second
dominant species in the Delice River (Kızılırmak River Basin) with 31.43% after Physella acuta (46.88%), and
Theodoxus fluviatilis and Pseudamnicola natolica are associated taxa with P. antipodarum. As we indicated before P.
antipodarum can be found in a wide variety of aquatic habitats including lakes, streams, and estuaries. It is reported that
the invasion success of P. antipodarum is based on different characteristics of the species, such as parthenogenetic
reproduction high population growth rates, escape from natural enemies, behavioural traits, and tolerance to a wide
variety of physical and chemical conditions [32]. According to the previous literatures, presence of P. antipodarum
which was not detected in Sarıkum Lake before, might be considered as invasive for the lake due to its second dominant
population in the area. This species may have spread naturally to this lagoon lake by crawling, floating, drifting on
vegetation, dispersing via animal vectors, or dispersing on land.
Borysthenia naticina, who has Ponto-Baltic distribution in lakes [11], was detected from only one sampling
site, Lake Efteni (Western Black Sea) as dominant gastropoda species (12.07%) with Planaorbis planorbis. Although
distribution of B. naticina is primarily confined to eastern Central Europe, Eastern Europe and Türkiye, this species
reported as a rare and zoogeographically restricted in Germany and endangered in some other European countries [33].
It is reported that B. naticina’ distribution in Türkiye includes the Mediterranean [17]. Although typical habitats of B.
naticina is given as large and medium-sized lowland rivers [33], different researchers have recorded the presence of B.
naticina previously from the lake (Lakes, Sapanca, Karataş, Eğirdir, Kovada) rather than river (Istranca Stream and
Yuvarlakçay) in Türkiye [5]. It is known that especially Prosobranchia species, except B. naticina, living in the lake
generally prefer lentic and lotic systems isolated from pollutant effects, in poorly vegetation, and with low trophic levels
[34]. Lake Efteni, where the species detected area, is a small and shallow lake. Erturk et al. were indicated that the lake
is under severe environmental threat in terms of receiving land-based sources of pollutants especially of diffuse
character and it is currently in transition from mesotrophic to eutrophic state [35]. B. naticina, is known to be
euryoecious species, previous data dealing with an ecological characteristics of the B. naticina has been supported by
our findings from Lake Efteni, whose has mesotrophic to eutrophic state.
The third new record gastropod species for the Black Sea Region, Melanopsis praemorsa, is common species
inhabiting relatively clear river system in the Mediterranean region. In the present study it was determined in two
streams (Kavaklıdere and Kumru rivers) at Eastern Black Sea region.
According to previously Gastropoda species studies, Viviparus mamillatus, Viviparus ater, Radix
auricularia, Radix labiata, Stagnicola palustris, Lymnaea stagnalis, Radix auricularia, Radix labiata, Stagnicola
palustris, Physa fontinalis, Gyraulus albus and Planorbis planorbis were reported before in Lake Abant [5]. In this
study, we were determined only Viviparus mamillatus species in the area.
As a result of the study a total of 11 species from Gastropoda were determined. Among the gastropods the
most common species is Gyraulus elenae (8 stations), Radix labiata (7 stations). Planorbis planorbis had the highest
abundance (64.18%) followed by Theodoxus fluviatilis (51.63%) and Potamopyrgus antipodarum (21.82%). And also,
three species as Melanopsis praemorsa, Potamopyrgus antipodarum and Borysthenia naticina are new records for the
Black Sea Region. When the results were compared, it can be concluded that variations in species composition, richness
and diversity were probably the result of changes in the lake’s natural conditions. The significant loads of organic
nutrients (such as phosphorus and nitrogen) were the most important and critical factor influencing trophic changes and
species composition in an aquatic ecosystem.
References:
[1] Bouchard, R. W. Jr. (2004). Guide to aquatic invertebrates of the Upper Midwest. Saint Paul, MN: Water
Resources Center, University of Minnesota, 208 p.
[2] Strong, E. E., Gargominy, O., Ponder, W. F., & Bouchet, P. (2008). Global diversity of gastropods (Gastropoda;
Mollusca) in freshwater. Hydrobiologia, 595, 149-166.
[3] Demirsoy, A. (1996). Genel ve Türkiye zoocoğrafyası ”hayvan coğrafyası”. Meteksan A.Ş. Ankara, 630 s.
[4] Gérard, C., Blanc, A., & Costil, K. (2003). Potamopyrgus antipodarum (Mollusca: Hydrobiidae) in continental
aquatic gastropod communities: impact of salinity and trematode parasitism. Hydrobiologia, 493, 167-172.
[5] Gürlek, M. E., Koşal Şahin, S., Dökümcü, N., & Yıldırım, M. Z. (2019). Checklist of the Freshwater Mollusca of
Turkey (Mollusca: Gastropoda, Bivalvia). Fresenius Environmental Bulletin, 28(4), 2992-3013.
Preliminary research on macrozoobenthic fauna and Gastropoda species in some fresh waters of The Black Sea Region, Türkiye
Mehmet Zeki YILDIRIM, Deniz MERCAN, Naime ARSLAN
346 Biological Diversity and Conservation – 15 / 3 (2022)
[6] T.C. Tarım ve Orman Bakanlığı Su Yönetimi Genel Müdürlüğü. (2020). Çoruh ve Doğu Karadeniz Havzaları
Taşkın Yönetim Planının Hazırlanması Projesi Doğu Karadeniz Havzası Taşkın Yönetim Planı Taslak Stratejik
Çevresel Değerlendirme Raporu.
[7] T.C. Tarım ve Orman Bakanlığı Su Yönetimi Genel Müdürlüğü. (2019). Batı Karadeniz Havzası Taşkın
Yönetim Planı.
[8] T.C. Tarım ve Orman Bakanlığı Su Yönetimi Genel Müdürlüğü. (2019). Kızılırmak Havzası Taşkın Yönetim
Planı.
[9] Zhadin, V. I. (1965). Mollusks of Fresh and Brackish Waters of the USSR. Academy of Sciences of the USSR,
368 pp.
[10] Bilgin, F. H. (1980). Batı Anadolu'nun bazı önemli tatlı sularından toplanan mollusca türlerinin sistematiği ve
dağılışı. Diyarbakır Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Dergisi, 8(2), 1-64.
[11] Glöer, P. (2002). Die Süsswassergastropoden Nord und Mitteleuropas, Bestimmungsschlüssel, Lebensweise,
Verbreitung, Hakkenheim, Germany. Conch-Books.
[12] Glöer, P., & Meier-Brook, C. (1998). Süsswassermollusken, Ein Bestimmungschlüssel für die Bundesrepublik
Deutschland. DJN, Hamburg, 136 pp.
[13] Arslan, N., Ulukütük, S., & Mercan, D. (2018). Assessment of water quality in three sub-basins of Susurluk
River (Northwest Anatolia) according to invertebrates and biotic indices. Biological Diversity and Conservation,
11(3), 1-8.
[14] Ponder, W. F. (1988). Potamopyrgus antipodarum-a molluscan colonizer of Europe and Australia. Journal of
Molluscan Studies, 54, 271-285.
[15] Alonso, A., & Castro-Díez, P. (2012). Tolerance to air exposure of the New Zealand mudsnail Potamopyrgus
antipodarum (Hydrobiidae, Mollusca) as a prerequisite to survival in overland translocations. NeoBiota, 14, 67-
74.
[16] Alonso, A., & Castro-Díez, P. (2008). What explains the invading success of the aquatic mud snail
Potamopyrgus antipodarum (Hydrobiidae, Mollusca)? Hydrobiologia, 614(1), 107-116.
[17] Yıldırım, M. Z. (1999). The Prosobranchia (Gastropoda: Mollusca) Species of Turkey and Their Zoogeographic
Distribution 1. Fresh and Brackish Water. Turkish Journal of Zoology, 23(3), 877-900.
[18] Ustaoğlu, M. R., Balık, S., & Özbek, M. (2001a). Gediz Deltası ve Sazlıgöl (Menemen-İzmir)’ün tatlısu mollusk
faunası. Paper presented at the XI. Ulusal Su Ürünleri Symposium, Hatay, Turkey.
[19] Ustaoğlu, M. R., Balık, S., & Özbek, M. (2001b, September). The Mollusc fauna of Lake Işıklı (Çivril-Denizli).
Ege University Journal of Fisheries & Aquatic Sciences, 18(1-2), 135-139.
[20] Ustaoğlu, M. R., Balık, S., & Özbek, M. (2003). The mollusca fauna of Yuvarlakçay (Köyceğiz, Muğla). Ege
University Journal of Fisheries & Aquatic Sciences, 20(3-4), 433-438.
[21] Demir, M. (2003). Shells of Mollusca collected from the seas of Turkey. Turkish Journal of Zoology, 27, 101-
140.
[22] Özbek, M., Gökoğlu, M., Ustaoğlu, M. R., & Sarı, H. M. (2004, October). Kırkgöz (Antalya)’ün tatlısu Mollusca
faunası. Paper presented at the Ulusal Su Günleri, İzmir, Turkey.
[23] Yıldırım, M. Z., Koca Bahadır, S., & Kebapçı, Ü. (2006). Supplement to the Prosobranchia (Mollusca:
Gastropoda) Fauna of Freshwater and Brackish Waters of Turkey. Turkish Journal of Zoology, 30, 197-207.
[24] Kalyoncu, H., Barlas, M., Yıldırım, M. Z., & Yorulmaz, B. (2008). Gastropods of two important streams of
Gökova bay (Muğla, Turkey) and their relationships with water quality. International Journal of Science &
Technology, 3(1), 27-36.
[25] Kılıçarslan, I., & Özbek, M. (2010). Contributions to the knowledge on the distribution of freshwater Mollusca
species of Turkey. Review of Hydrobiology, 3(2), 127-144.
[26] Kebapçı, Ü., & Yıldırım, M. Z. (2010). Freshwater snails fauna of lakes region (Göller Bölgesi), Turkey. Muzeul
Olteniei Craiova. Oltenia. Studii şi comunicari. Ştiintele Naturii, 26(2), 75-83.
[27] Gürlek, M. E. (2015). Present distribution and a new locality record of the invasive freshwater mud snail
Potamopyrgus antipodarum (Gray, 1843) (Gastropoda: Tateidae) in Turkey. Ecologica Montenegrina, 2(3), 191-
193.
[28] Odabaşı, S., Arslan, N., Özdilek, Ş. Y., & Odabaşı, D. A. (2019). An Invasion Report of The New Zealand Mud
Snail, Potamopyrgus antipodarum (Gray, 1843) in Turkish Freshwaters: Delice River and Kocabaş Stream.
Journal of Limnnology and Freshwater Research, 5(3), 213-219.
Preliminary research on macrozoobenthic fauna and Gastropoda species in some fresh waters of The Black Sea Region, Türkiye
Mehmet Zeki YILDIRIM, Deniz MERCAN, Naime ARSLAN
Biological Diversity and Conservation – 15 / 3 (2022) 347
[29] Yılmaz, C. (2005). Sarıkum Gölü (Sinop) Ekosistemi. Paper presented at the O.M.Ü. Fen Edeb. Fak. Türkiye
Kuvanter Sempozyumu 219-223s.
[30] Akbulut, M., Öztürk, M., & Öztürk, M. (2002). Sarıkum Gölü ve kaynak sularının bentik makroomurgasız
faunası. Turkish Journal of Maritime and Marine Sciences, 8, 103-119.
[31] Yardım, Ö., Şendoğan, E., Bat, L., Sezgin, M., & Çulha, M. (2008). Sarıkum Gölü (Sinop) makrobentik
Mollusca ve Crustacea faunası. Ege University Journal of Fisheries & Aquatic Sciences, 25(4), 301-309.
[32] Geist, J. A., Mancuso, J. L., Morin, M. M., Bommarito, K. P., Bovee, E. N., Wendell, D., … Tiegs, S. D. (2022).
The New Zealand mud snail (Potamopyrgus antipodarum): autecology and management of a global invader.
Biological Invasions, 24, 905-938.
[33] Zettler, M. L. (2012). A remarkable record of a very rare freshwater snail Borysthenia naticina (Menke, 1845) in
North-East Germany compared with three Lithuanian records. Folia Malacology, 20, 105-110.
[34] Hart, C. W., & Samuel L. H. F. (1974). Pollution Ecology of Freshwater Invertebrates. Academic Press, New
York.
[35] Erturk, A., Sivri, N., Şeker, D. Z., Gurel, M., Ozman, A. N., Tanik, A., & Ozturk, I. (2014). Analysis of the
distribution of phytoplankton and enteric bacteria in Efteni Lake, Turkey. African Journal of Microbiology
Research, 8(21), 2144-2154.
