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Hirudinea (Annelida) species and their ecological preferences in some running waters and lakes

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Abstract

The Hirudinea species were collected from various running waters and lakes in Turkey. The sampling sites were located on Yeşilırmak River, streams in Yedigöller National Park, Büyük Menderes River, Lake Beyşehir, Lake Işıklı, Karamuk Marsh and Karadut Spring of Acıgöl Lake. Recorded species were evaluated with physicochemical variables such as temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, nitrite nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen, ammonium nitrogen, orthophosphate phosphorus and substratum structure. In this study, eight Hirudinea species were determined. These are Helobdella stagnalis, Erpobdella octoculata, Erpobdella testacea, Erpobdella vilnensis, Dina stschegolewi, Hirudo verbana, Limnatis nilotica, Haemopis sanguisuga. The relationships between leech species and water quality variables were assessed with canonical correspondence analysis. The results show that leech species which are found in the present study are able to live in different saprobic levels in streams and trophic levels in lakes, but they usually prefer polluted environments. Knowledge of ecological characteristics of leech species must be improved to use them in water quality assessment much more effectively.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by Hacettepe University Scientific Research and Development Office (Project title: Constitution of biotic index for long-term biomonitoring of water quality for Yeşilırmak River by using benthic macroinvertebrates) and Turkish Environmental Ministry (Project Title: Research on Ecology and Biology of Wetlands of Turkey of International Importance: Köyceğiz, Beyşehir, Eğirdir, Akşehir, Eber, Çorak, Kovada, Yarışlı, Bafa, Salda, Karataş, Çavuşçu Lakes, Küçük and Büyük Menderes Deltas, Güllük, Karamuk Marshes).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biomonitoring Laboratory, Hydrobiology Section, Biology Department, Science Faculty, Hacettepe University, Beytepe, Ankara, Turkey

    N. Kazancı, P. Ekingen & G. Türkmen

  2. Hydrobiology Section, Biology Department, Abant İzzet Baysal University, Gölköy, Bolu, Turkey

    M. Dügel

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  1. N. Kazancı
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  2. P. Ekingen
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  4. G. Türkmen
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Correspondence to N. Kazancı.

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Kazancı, N., Ekingen, P., Dügel, M. et al. Hirudinea (Annelida) species and their ecological preferences in some running waters and lakes. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 12, 1087–1096 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-014-0574-3

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