Determination of ecological characteristics of mussel population in Keban dam lake Pertek hunting area by underwater diving technique

Determination of Ecological Characteristics of Mussel Populations in Keban Dam Lake Pertek Hunting Area by Underwater Diving Technique In underwater diving observation studies, it has been observed that the smallest sized mussels are in clusters on the objects they can hold on at 5-10 cm depths on the shore. It has been determined that the mussels increase in size as they go from the coast to the depths. It has been observed that mussels do not stand in direct sunlight in places with suitable attachment points, and they indirectly benefit by sticking to the sides of rocky places. Although it has been determined that large mussels are generally 30 mm in size, a large number of mussel shells larger than 40 mm have also been found. However, none of them were found alive, and their dead and empty shells were found in clusters. It was determined that mussels spread according to the water floor. It has been observed that they prefer rocky areas where they can easily cling rather than bare bottom mud. It has been determined that they live in clusters on bare sandy floors, clinging to cans, bottles, plastic scraps, ropes, fishing nets and even boat floors. It was determined that the ground structures that were observed and suitable for the mussels to live in were completely covered with mussels, and the most live mussel clusters were at depths between 0-8 m. On the other hand, in regions where the water is clearer and daylight can reach deeper, live mussel clusters were found abundantly at 15 m depths, and the depth of living mussels remained around 18 m. It has been observed that the siphons of mussels are constantly filtering the water openly. It was observed that in most of the study area, the mussels were covered with excess sediment, and the mussels carried out the process of filtering the water by extending the siphons more than normal in this case. It has been determined that crayfish, which are used as substrate by mussels, and Unionids, which are mobile mussels, are found in clusters on them. It was determined that the average length of the mussels was 21.025±3.02 mm, the average width was 10.33±1.49 mm, the average shell weight was 9.45±4.29 g, and the average meat weight was 1.99±1.55 mg. R² = 0.749 linear and strong correlation was found between the length and weight of the mussels. When we look at the "b" values, it was determined that it showed negative allometric growth. In this study, it was aimed to investigate the difference in antioxidant levels of mussels taken from areas close to the coast where there is clearer and less sedimentation, and those taken from areas where there is more sediment and even where the mussels are covered with sediment. higher than the mussels covered with sediment. Higher SOD and CAT mean that oxidative stress is low in mussels in regions with less sediment, but high MDA also requires consideration of the reasons affecting this situation in this sediment.