Research Information System
Russian Journal of Marine Biology, vol.49, no.3, pp.215-228, 2023 (SCI-Expanded)
Abstract: In the present study, the effects of environmental variables on the community of molluscans found in a protected lagoon system (Çardak Lagoon, Dardanelles) polluted by domestic waste were investigated. Samplings were performed from sandy and silty bottoms of the study area between the depths of 1 and 1.8 m in October 2018, February, April, and June 2019. A total of 14954 specimens and 59 molluscan species (2 Polyplacophora, 30 bivalves, and 27 gastropods) were found, with two exotic species, Arcuatula senhousia and Ruditape sphilippinarum. Highest gastropod abundance was observed in autumn 2018, while the highest bivalves abundance was in spring 2019. Considering environmental variables, gravel content had highest correlation with Shannon-Weaver and Turkish Biotic Index values. In addition, anionic detergent derived from domestic pollution affected diversity. Environmental variables of anthropogenic origin were found to modify the community structure at high level. Dissolved oxygen, oxygen reduction potential, nitrite + nitrate, and chemical oxygen demand concentrations in water, and sand content in sediment were important variables affecting the distribution of molluscan species in the study area.