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Abstract

Algae are among the key organisms of aquatic ecosystems. While there have been a large number of important algological studies on different river basins in Turkey, the use of algae in biomonitoring is a new approach. Epiphytic and epilithic algae in the Melen River were studied between May 2003 and April 2004. A total of 148 taxa, with 101 belonging to Bacillariophyta, 18 to Chlorophyta, 9 to Charophyta, 13 to Cyanobacteria, 5 to Euglenophyta, and 2 to Miozoa, were identified in this study. Members of Bacillariophyta were the dominant taxa at all sites, with oligohalobious-indifferents and alkaliphiles being the most common. Among the non-diatom taxa, there were more species with oligohalobious-indifferent and indifferent properties. The river water was alkaline and temperate, with low salinity characters. Bio-indications (autecology) of the river were studied. From the results, organic pollution indicators of Watanabe"s classification (46 species, 31.1%) constituted three groups (saproxen, eurysaprobe and saprophile). Based on the classification (according to Watanabe"s system) and RPI (River Polluted Index), the ecological conditions of Melen River were assessed as low, with a moderate level of organic pollution, and lightly to moderately polluted, respectively.

Structural Characteristics of Periphytic Algal Community and Its Relationship with Environmental Factors in the Taiyuan Region of the Fenhe River

“…A low d index in summer means low community stability, and the problem of algae community structure has gradually become prominent [30]. The reason why algal species richness is low during the wet season may be the effect of associated water properties, such as water flow rate and salinity, which are detrimental to ecological habitats and thus have an impact on the algal community structure [31]. In some studies, there are also differences in the water quality of rivers indicated by the three biodiversity indices.…”