The distribution of centric diatoms in different rivercatchments in the Anatolian Peninsula, Turkey

Abstract

The diatoms are one of the most important groups of organisms for biomonitoring studies. In Turkey, most previous applications of diatoms to water quality monitoring have focused on the pennate diatoms, with almost no attention given to the centric forms. The paper presents the centric diatoms in some river catchments in Central Anatolia (Konya closed catchment and Kızılırmak) and Western Anatolia (Marmara, Sakarya, Susurluk, Akarçay, Küçük Menderes, and Meriç-Ergene in the Marmara and Aegean regions). The survey of these catchments is based on samples collected between 2009 and 2013 from 33 different locations, including some springs from Türkmen Mountain and Domaniç forest, as well as small streams and big rivers of the Anatolian Peninsula. Altogether 30 taxa were found, of which 14 are new records for the freshwater diatom flora of Turkey.