A new species of Pseudorientalia (Gastropoda: Hydrobiidae) from midwestern Trkiye with notes on Pseudorientalia natolica (Kster, 1853).

The members of the genus Pseudorientalia Radoman, 1983 are small hydrobiid species with characteristic features of the penis and female genitalia. The type locality of the genus is the southern Marmara region, northwestern Trkiye. In this study, sampling was carried out in the upper Sakarya River Basin, western-middle Anatolia to obtain hydrobiid specimens, which yielded a new Pseudorientalia. The shell, penis, and female genitalia of the new species are described. The measurement of some shell characters is compared with the other representatives of the genus from Trkiye, northern Greece, and some Aegean islands: Samos, Chios and Lesvos. In addition, notes on Pseudorientalia natolica are also given from examination of the type specimens.

Assessment of the potentially toxic element contamination in water of Sehriban Stream (Black Sea Region, Turkey) by using statistical and ecological indicators.

In the present study, the spatial-temporal variations of iron, lead, copper, cadmium, mercury, nickel, and zinc accumulations in the water of Sehriban Stream (northern Turkey) were investigated. Water Quality Index (WQI), Heavy Metal Evaluation Index (HEI), Pearson Correlation Index (PCI), and Factor Analysis (FA) were used in analyzing the water quality. Sampling was performed in 12 stations on monthly basis between February 2019 and January 2020 (a hydrological year). The data showed that the Sehriban Stream had significantly high water quality characteristics and the investigated toxicants were not found as dangerous for health. Although there was a slight decrease in the water quality from upstream to downstream, the stream was found to have 1st class water quality in general. As a result of WQI and HEI, although it was determined that the water quality decreased slightly in autumn, the stream was found to be "A Grade - Excellent (<50)" and "Low Contamination (<10)," respectively. As a result of PCI, strong positive correlations were found between almost all the toxicants investigated here (p < 0.01). As a result of FA, 2 factors ("Agriculture - Forestry" and "Rock Structure") explained 86% of the total variance.

A new species of Enchytraeus (Enchytraeidae, Oligochaeta) from the profundal of Lake Van, the world's largest soda Lake (Turkey, East Anatolia).

Enchytraeus polatdemiri sp. nov. (Enchytaeidae, Oligochaeta) was discovered in the framework of a sampling campaign of the benthic invertebrate fauna of the hyperalkaline Lake Van in Eastern Anatolia, Turkey, the third-largest closed lake and the largest soda lake on Earth. It was the only oligochaete species found in all samples. DNA sequencing included a fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene, and a fragment of the nuclear histone 3 (H3) gene. For comparison, specimens from laboratory cultures of E. albidus Henle, 1837, a widespread and morphologically similar species, were sequenced as well. The new species differs from E. albidus in comparatively small body size, 2 or 3 chaetae per bundle, saddle-shaped clitellum, absence of a copulatory field between the male pores and vasa deferentia usually not extending beyond the clitellum. The individual gene trees of COI and H3, as well as the combined phylogenetic analysis of both trees, recovered Enchytraeus polatdemiri sp. nov. as a monophyletic group within the genus Enchytraeus, closely related to E. albidus, but with an average p-distance for COI of 14.5 %. E. polatdemiri sp. nov. may have evolved from a local population of Enchytraeus albidus, a species well-adapted to changing salinity conditions, or from a common ancestor into an extremophile species that dwells and reproduces in the profundal of a strongly alkaline soda lake.

Heavy metal accumulations in water, sediment, and some cyprinid species in Porsuk Stream (Turkey).

Porsuk Stream is one of Turkey's most important river systems and also one of the most important branches of the Sakarya River. It provides drinking and utility water for two Turkish cities (Kütahya and Eskisehir) with a total population of one million. In this study, water, sediment, and some tissues (liver, gill, and muscle) of five cyprinid fish species were collected seasonally (2010-2011) from eight stations on the Porsuk Stream, and the zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and arsenic (As) levels of collected samples were determined. The data observed were evaluated with national and international quality criteria. Based on the data observed, it was determined that the Porsuk Stream is affected by significant inorganic pollution from the Kütahya and Eskisehir Provinces. It was also determined that the Porsuk Dam Lake has an important cleaning capacity and that the water and sediment quality of the Porsuk Stream improves after the output of the dam lake.

Invisible face of boron pollution in fluvial ecosystem: the level in the tissues of sentinel and nectonic organisms.

Turkey is the largest producer of borate products in the world. Among four largest boron mines in Turkey two of them are located in basins of Orhaneli and Emet Streams. In this study, boron levels in abiotic (water-sediment) and some biotic elements (sentinel organisms; Asellus aquaticus, Gammarus pulex, Chironomus tentans, Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri and nektonic organism; Squalius cii) of Orhaneli and Emet Streams were investigated and their ranks among the food chain were demonstrated. Since Orhaneli and Emet Streams confluence to form Mustafakemalpasa Brook which feeds Uluabat Lake which is one of the most important Ramsar fields of the world, Boron levels in those two streams have importance in terms of both continuances of aquatic systems. Present study results have shown that boron levels in water of both streams are much higher (vary between 8.64 and 16.73 mg L(-1)) than not only Turkish Standard but also limits determined by WHO, US EPA, and NAS. Boron levels determined in sediments of two streams vary between 18.05 and 36.7 mg kg(-1). The highest boron level in the biotic elements was determined in liver of Squalius cii (34.64 mg kg(-1)), it is followed by Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri (2.84 mg kg(-1)), Chironomus tentans (2.11 mg kg(-1)), and Gammarus pulex (1.98 mg kg(-1)).

Early antioxidative defence responses in the aquatic worms (Limnodrilus sp.) in Porsuk Creek in Eskisehir (Turkey).

Certain oligochaeta specimens have been universally applied as bioindicators to reflect the organic and inorganic pollution in rivers and play a major role in the decomposition of pollutants. The aim of this study was to investigate the water quality in Porsuk Creek in Eskisehir (Turkey) through the specimens from two different species that belong to Limnodrilus genus, using their biomonitoring compatibilities for the accumulated trace element concentrations and to describe the applicability of antioxidative systems as biomarkers of pollution in Tubificinae. Therefore, some parameters that serve as biomarkers for antioxidative defence, total protein, glutathione (GSH) contents and glutathione S-transferase (GST) activities, were determined in Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri and Limnodrilus udekemianus. The study was completed with the chemical analysis of the trace elements from these specimens and also from the water samples. As a conclusion, the observed elevation in GSH levels and GST activities reflect the contribution of oxidative stress in toxicity mechanisms due to the accumulation of trace elements, and the study also suggests a general induction of detoxification metabolisms in the presence of several pollutants in benthic sediment-dwelling worms. According to the average value, the trace element levels for two species are as follows: Fe > Al > Zn > Mn > Pb > Cu > Ni > B > Cd = Cr = Hg. As Porsuk Creek is used for many purposes, such as irrigation, drinking water and fish production, discharges of all types of wastes should be under stringent control to avoid the unwanted health effects to its habitants and to humans.

Oligochaeta (Annelida) of the profundal of Lake Hazar (Turkey), with description of Potamothrix alatus hazaricus n. ssp..

Lake Hazar is an alkaline oligotrophic lake of tectonic origin, located in the Eastern Anatolia region in Turkey, 1248 a a.s.l. Its surface area is 80 km2, the average depth 93 m and maximum depth 205 m. The lake and its surroundings an under protection as a region of historical value. During the present study (2007-2012), samples were taken from 15 stations located at a depth of 2-200 m. Oligochaeta comprised 69% of the total invertebrate abundance. The profundal olgochaete fauna was found to consist of only three tubificid taxa, all of the subfamily Tubificinae. Potamothrix alatus hazaricus Timm & Arslan, n. ssp. was dominating anywhere down to maximum depths while Psammoryctides barbatus (Grube) and Ilyodrilus(?) sp. occurred seldom. All three are new records for Lake Hazar. Potamothrix alatus hazaricus shares the "winged" body shape in its genital region with the nominal, brackish-water subspecies P. a. alatus Finogenova, 1972, and the lateral position of the spermathecal pores and the shape of the ventral chaetae with the freshwater subspecies P. a. paravanicus Poddubnaja & Pataridze, 1989 known from Transcaucasian lakes. The mitochondrial COI barcoding gene suggests long separation between the two taxa, but the nuclear ITS region shows no variation. The generic position of Ilyodrilus (?) sp. remains obscure since its internal genitalia could not be studied.

Metal contents in water, sediment, and Oligochaeta-Chironomidae of Lake Uluabat, a Ramsar site of Turkey.

Samples of lake water and sediment, and sediment and two dominant zoobenthic taxa (Oligochaeta: Potamothrix hammoniensis and Chironomidae: Chironomus [Camptochironomus] tentans larvae), were collected from 12 stations in Lake Uluabat and examined from the metal level point of view (cadmium, chromium, lead, copper, nickel, and zinc). Our results showed that the occurrence of metals in water, sediment, and the two zoobenthic taxa are relatively high. The opinion that supports the results of Lake Uluabat shows that certain species of oligochaetes and chironomids accumulate examined metals several times over compared to their surroundings. Therefore, it is concluded that the oligochaetes and the chironomids are suitable candidates to be used in biomonitoring surveys of Lake Uluabat.

Boron concentration in water, sediment and different organisms around large borate deposits of Turkey.

Boron is an essential nutrient for plants and an essential element for many organisms, but can be toxic to aquatic and terrestrial organisms above certain concentrations. The aim of this research was to determine boron concentrations in water, sediment and biotic samples (Gammaridae spp.-Crustacea, Helix sp.-Gastropoda, Donax sp.-Bivalvia, Helobdella sp.-Hirudinae, Ephemeroptera nymph, Chrinomidae larvae, Tipulidae larvae-Insecta, Rana sp.-Amphibia, Natrix sp.-Serpentes, fish sample Leiscus cephalus (Linnaeus, 1758) and leaves of Salix sp.-Salicacea from Seydi Stream (Kirka-Eskisehir). Our results have shown that boron concentrations of the Seydi Stream water is higher than the Turkish Environmental Guidelines standard (>1 mg L(-1)) and in Europe (mean values typically below 0.6 mg L(-1)).

Application of multivariate statistical techniques in the assessment of surface water quality in Uluabat Lake, Turkey.

The application of different multivariate statistical approaches for the interpretation of a complex data matrix obtained during the period 2004-2005 from Uluabat Lake surface water is presented in this study. The dataset consists of the analytical results of a 1 year-survey conducted in 12 sampling stations in the Lake. Twelve parameters (T, pH, DO, PO(-3)(4), NH(4)-N, NO(2)-N, NO(3)-N, SO(3-)(4), BOD, COD, TC, FC) were monitored in the sampling sites on a monthly basis (except December 2004, January and February 2005, a total of 1,296 observations). The dataset was treated using cluster analysis, principle component analysis and factor analysis on principle components. Cluster analysis revealed two different groups of similarities between the sampling sites, reflecting different physicochemical properties and pollution levels in the studied water system. Three latent factors were identified as responsible for the data structure, explaining 77.35% of total variance in the dataset. The first factor called the microbiological factor explained 32.34% of the total variance. The second factor named the organic-nutrient factors explained 25.46% and the third factor called physicochemical factors explained 19.54% of the variances, respectively.