Date

2002

Author

Ergev, Mehmet Betil

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In order to determine macrobenthic infaunal species living in the northern Cilician basin between Kumkuyu and Erdemli within four seasons of year 2000, 3 replicates from 21 stations were sampled in three transects from 10 to 200 m with Van Veen Grab (0.1 m2 sampling area). A total of 395 species of which 80 species were encountered in four seasons were found belonging to eleven phyla; Cnidaria (5), Platyhelminthes (1), Nemertea (2), Annelida (203), Spincula (10), Arthropoda (108), Mollusca (47), Phoronida (1), Echinodermata (16), Hemichordata (1) and Vertebrata (1). Mean abundance was 489.75 ind m"2 and mean biomass was 10.14 g m"2. Moreover, 6 line stations were sampled with a dredge that had a width of 60 cm and a net meshed in 0.5 cm square sampling size, from depths of 5 to 150 meters for identifying epifaunal species in the same region and 122 species were determined. Based on phylum distribution of the species whose 4 species were observed throughout the year was as follows: Cnidaria (3), Nemertea (1), Annelida (36), Spincula (1), Arthropoda (34), Mollusca (24), Echinodermata (6), and Vertebrata (17). Mean abundance and biomass were 9.2 ind m and 3.1 g m", respectively. Throughout the year the most frequent and abundant species of the study were Onchnesoma steenstrupi (Spincula; Spinculida) and Heteromastus filiformisIV (Polychaeta; Capitellidae), respectively. A gastropod, Strombus persicus (Mollusca), constituted nearly half of the total biomass (39%). The most frequent species according to the depths were as follow: Ampelisca brevicornis (Amphipoda; Ampeliscidae) at 1 0 m, Prionospio saccifera (Polychaeta; Spionidae) at 25 m, Apseudes latreillei (Crustacea; Tanaidacea), G rouxi, P. saccifera, Poecilochaetus fauchaldi (Polychaeta; Poecilochaetidae), Monticellina heterochatea (Polychaeta; Cirratulidae) and Notomastus aberans (Polychaeta; Capitellidae) at 50 m, Amphiura chiajei (Echinodermata; Ophiuroidea) and 0. steenstrupi at 75 m, O. steenstrupi, G rouxi and Chaetozone sp. (Polychaeta; Cirratulidae) at 100 m, Nucula nitida (Mollusca; Bivalvia), Levinsenia gracilis (Polychaeta; Paranoidae), O. steenstrupi and M. heterochatea at 150 m and M heterochatea at 200 m. The most abundant species according to the depths were as follow, H.filiformis at 10 and 25 m, A. latreillei, P. saccifera and P. fauchaldi at 50 m, O. steenstrupi at 75 m, O. steenstrupi and G. rouxi at 100 m, M heterochatea and L. gracilis at 150 m and M. heterochatea at 200 m. The highest species biomass obtained according to depth were as follow: S. persicus at 10 m, Goneplax rhomboides (Crustacea; Decapoda) at 25 m, E. cor datum at 50 m, A. chiajei at 75 m, Astarte sp. (Mollusca; Bivalvia) at 100 m, Glossobalanus minitus (Hemichordata; Enteropneusta) at 150 m and Nucula nitida (Mollusca; Bivalvia) at 200 m. In November both epi and infauna number of species and biomass values reached the maximum values with 70, 1.18 g m'2 and 212, 11.37 g m"2, respectively. Abundance of epifauna reached its highest value in November with 7 ind m"2 and abundance of infauna showed its maxima in August with 648.43 ind m"2. With regard to depth the highest number of species, abundance and biomass values were observed at 100 m with 198 species, at 50 m with 767.73 ind/m2 and at 10 m with 22.72 g/m, respectively. Number of species, abundance and biomass showed their minimum values at 200 m with 70, 191.94 ind m"2 and 1.66 g m"2, respectively.Throughout the study a significant difference was not observed between transects according to the dendograms over abundance and biomass. However, a grouping among stations depending on depths was determined. These groups were 10-25, 50- 100 and 150-200 meters. Multi Dimensional Scaling (MDS) results of present study showed strong correlation occurred between abundance or biomass and depth. Correlation between environmental parameters and distribution of abundance or biomass increased from February to November. The most important parameters were total organic carbon content and grain-size of the sediment or physical parameters of the sea. According to the Abundance Biomass Curve (ABC) plots (by using sum of the replicates in each station) totally 6 stations within 79 stations were found as moderately polluted. Of these 6 stations, 3 stations were observed at Erdemli transect (50 m in February, 10 and 50 m in August), 2 stations at Kumkuyu transect (75 m in February, 100 m in August) and one at Limonlu transect 100 m in May. Also some organic pollution indicator species such as Heteromastus filiformis, Levinsenia gracilis (Polychaeta) and Corbula gibba (Bivalvia) were found sometimes in huge numbers throughout the study area.

Subject Keywords

Mediterranean, Macrobenthic fauna, Sediments

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/12678

Collections

Graduate School of Marine Sciences, Thesis