Evaluation of the ecological quality of uludağ glacial lakes with macroinvertebrate diversity and multimetric indices in line with WFD

Within the scope of assessing the ecological quality of Uludağ glacial lakes in accordance with the Water Framework Directive, zoobenthic samples were collected from Buzlu, Karagöl, and Kilimli lakes between October 2023 and August 2024. In addition, several environmental parameters (pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, and ORP) were measured in situ. A total of 35 taxa were identified from the zoobenthos of the three glacial lakes. The zoobenthic community structures of the lakes were generally dominated by individuals belonging to Gastropoda, Oligochaeta, Chironomidae, and Coleoptera. Specifically, in Kilimli Lake, the dominant groups were Chironomidae (51.91%), Oligochaeta (34.86%), and Gastropoda (9.23%); in Karagöl, Chironomidae (86.86%) and Coleoptera (11.68%); and in Buzlu Lake, Oligochaeta (61.16%) and Chironomidae (37.46%). The dominant taxa in Kilimli Lake were Aulodrilus pluriseta (Clitellata) (45.59%), Tanytarsus sp. (33.26%), and Chironomus dorsalis (28.52%). In Karagöl, the dominant taxa were Procladius (Holotanypus) sp. (62.69%), Macropelopia nebulosa (52.25%) (Chironomidae), and Boreonectes griseostriatus (Coleoptera) (14.39%). In Buzlu Lake, the dominant taxa were Aulodrilus pluriseta (Clitellata) (76.64%), Procladius (Holotanypus) sp. (53.98%), and Micropsectra junci (Chironomidae) (10.4%).