Effects of mucilage on zooplankton groups at Dardanelles strait

This study was conducted at two station selected in Güzelyalı and Abide in the shoreline of Dardanelles Strait. Monthly samplings were performed between October 2008 and August 2009. In this study, the effects of mucilage which is an environmental problem, on the groups of zooplankton, was investigated. To investigate this effect, physico-chemical water quality parameters such as temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen (DO), suspended solids and nutrients as well as biological parameters such as chlorophyll-a and zooplankton dynamics were used. Additionally, to determine the reason of mucilage, atmospheric data were collected. Temperature, salinity, DO, suspended solids, PO4-P, TP, Si various in Güzelyalı station between 25,10- 10,40°C, ? 35,80-30,80, 10,40-7,40 mg L-1 , 113,00-18 mg L-1 , 3,987-0,025 µm, 7,677-1,171 µm, 11,630-2,250 µm, while these values changed in Abide station between 24,70-10,10°C, ? 32,46-29,00, 9,60-7,75 mg L-1 , 90,00- 6 mg L-1 , 1,932-0,025 µm, 10,253- 0,874 µm, 10,580-1,750 µm, respectively. The zooplankton groups identified in this study were as follows; Copepoda, Cladocera, Appendicularia, Chaetognatha, Gastrapoda, Bivalvia, Polychaeta, Echinodermata, Siphonophora, Harpacticoida, Nematoda, Anthomedusa, Scyphoza and Poecilostomatoida. According to the distribution of the zooplankton species; 15 species in Güzelyalı and 16 species in Abide were determined. Generally, mucilage which has been the reason of sudden changes in climatic conditions, hasn?t been observed on the surface during the study period. Where as, musilage was observed in various depths affecting the zooplankton groups negatively.