Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Fish assemblage and diversity in lakes of western and central Turkey: role of geo-climatic and other environmental variables

  • Primary Research Paper
  • Published:
Hydrobiologia Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

We conducted a fish survey in 40 lakes in western and central Turkey. Fifty species (one to eleven per lake) were recorded, including eighteen endemic and seven alien species. We investigated which local geo-climatic and other environmental variables shaped the fish assemblages. Altitude and temperature turned out to be the most important factors for total species richness as well as richness of omnivorous and zooplanktivorous species and the Shannon–Wiener diversity index, with more species and higher diversity occurring in the warmer lowland lakes. Altitude may affect the fish assemblage directly through dispersal limitation or indirectly by creating a gradient in temperature with which it was strongly correlated. Cyprinidae was the most species-rich and widespread family. Atherinidae, Gobiidae, and Mugilidae (families of marine origin) were mainly found in the lowland regions, while Salmonidae exclusively appeared in the high-altitude lakes. The presence of widely distributed translocated native and alien species revealed a large human impact on the fish assemblages, potentially threatening the rich endemic fish fauna in lakes in this region.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abell, R., M. L. Thieme, C. Revenga, M. Bryer, M. Kottelat, N. Bogutskaya, B. Coad, N. Mandrak, S. C. Balderas, W. Bussing, L. J. S. Melanie, P. Skelton, G. R. Allen, P. Unmack, A. Naseka, R. Ng, N. Sindorf, J. Robertson, E. Armijo, J. V. Higgins, T. J. Heibel, E. Wikramanayake, D. Olson, H. L. López, R. E. Reis, J. G. Lundberg, M. H. Sabaj Pérez & P. Petry, 2008. Freshwater ecoregions of the world: a new map of biogeographic units for freshwater biodiversity conservation. BioScience 58: 403.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Amarasinghe, U. S. & R. L. Welcomme, 2002. An analysis of fish species richness in natural lakes. Environmental Biology of Fishes 65: 327–339.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aydin, H., Ö. Gaygusuz, A. S. Tarkan, N. Top, Ö. Emiroğlu & Ç. Gürsoy Gaygusuz, 2011. Invasion of freshwater bodies in the Marmara region (northwestern Turkey) by nonnative gibel carp, Carassius gibelio (Bloch, 1782). Turkish Journal of Zoology 35: 829–836.

    Google Scholar 

  • Balik, S., 1995. Freshwater fish in Anatolia, Turkey. Biological Conservation 72: 213–223.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barbour, C. D. & J. H. Brown, 1974. Fish species diversity in lakes. The American Naturalist 108: 473–489.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barton, K., 2015. MuMIn: multi-model inference. R package version 1.13.4. http://cran.r-project.org/package=MuMIn.

  • Bogutskaya, N. G., F. Küçük & M. A. Atalay, 2007. A description of three new species of the genus Pseudophoxinus from Turkey (Teleostei: Cyprinidae: Leuciscinae). Zoosystematica Rossica 15: 335–341.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brucet, S., S. Pédron, T. Mehner, T. L. Lauridsen, C. Argillier, I. J. Winfield, P. Volta, M. Emmrich, T. Hesthagen, K. Holmgren, L. Benejam, F. Kelly, T. Krause, A. Palm, M. Rask & E. Jeppesen, 2013. Fish diversity in European lakes: geographical factors dominate over anthropogenic pressures. Freshwater Biology 58: 1779–1793.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burnham, K. P. & D. R. Anderson, 2002. Model Selection and Multimodel Inference: A Practical Information-Theoretic Approach. Springer, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Çakıroğlu, Aİ., Ü. Nihan Tavşanoğlu, E. E. Levi, T. A. Davidson, T. Bucak, A. Özen, G. K. Akyıldız, E. Jeppesen & M. Beklioğlu, 2014. Relatedness between contemporary and subfossil cladoceran assemblages in Turkish lakes. Journal of Paleolimnology 52: 367–383.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Canfield, D. E., J. V. Shireman, D. E. Colle, W. T. Hailer, C. E. Watkins & M. J. Maceina, 1984. Prediction of chlorophyll a concentrations in Florida lakes: importance of aquatic macrophytes. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 41: 497–507.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Carl, H. & P. R. Møller (eds.), 2012. Atlas Over Danske Ferskvandsfisk (in Danish, Atlas of Danish Freshwater Fish). Natural History Museum of Denmark, Copenhagen.

    Google Scholar 

  • CEN, 2005. Water quality — sampling of fish with multi-mesh gill nets. European Committee for Standardization. Ref. No. EN 14757:2005.

  • Crivelli, A. J., 1995. Are fish introductions a threat to endemic freshwater fishes in the northern Mediterranean region? Biological Conservation 72: 311–319.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cussac, V. E., D. A. Fernández, S. E. Gómez & H. L. López, 2009. Fishes of southern South America: a story driven by temperature. Fish Physiology and Biochemistry 35: 29–42.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Drakou, E. G., D. C. Bobori, A. S. Kallimanis, A. D. Mazaris, S. P. Sgardelis & J. D. Pantis, 2009. Freshwater fish community structured more by dispersal limitation than by environmental heterogeneity. Ecology of Freshwater Fish 18: 369–379.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ekmekçi, F. G. & G. Ş. Kirankaya, 2006. Distribution of an invasive fish species, Pseudorasbora parva (Temminck & Schlegel, 1846) in Turkey. Turkish Journal of Zoology 30: 329–334.

    Google Scholar 

  • Erk’akan, f, F. G. Atalay-Ekmekçi & T. T. Nalbant, 1999. A review of the genus Cobitis in Turkey (Pisces: Ostariophysi: Cobitidae). Hydrobiologia 403: 13–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fischer, J. R., R. M. Krogman & M. C. Quist, 2013. Influences of native and non-native benthivorous fishes on aquatic ecosystem degradation. Hydrobiologia 711: 187–199.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Freyhof, J. & M. Özuluğ, 2009a. Pseudophoxinus fahrettini, a new species of spring minnow from Central Anatolia (Teleostei: Cyprinidae). Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters 20: 325–332.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freyhof, J. & M. Özuluğ, 2009b. Pseudophoxinus evliyae, a new species of spring minnow from Western Anatolia with remarks on the distribution of P. ninae and the systematic position of P. fahirae (Teleostei: Cyprinidae). Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters 20: 309–318.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freyhof, J. & M. Özuluğ, 2010. Pseudophoxinus hittitorum, a new species of spring minnow from Central Anatolia (Teleostei: Cyprinidae). Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters 21: 239–245.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fricke, R., M. Bilecenoğlu & H. M. Sarı, 2007. Annotated checklist of fish and lamprey species (Gnathostomata and Petromyzontomorphi) of Turkey, including red list of threatened and declining species. Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde Serie A (Biologie) 706: 1–169.

    Google Scholar 

  • Froese, R., & D. Pauly (eds), 2013. FishBase.World Wide Web electronic publication, version (10/2013). www.fishbase.org.

  • González-Bergonzoni, I., M. Meerhoff, T. A. Davidson, F. Teixeira-de Mello, A. Baattrup-Pedersen & E. Jeppesen, 2012. Meta-analysis shows a consistent and strong latitudinal pattern in fish omnivory across ecosystems. Ecosystems 15: 492–503.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gozlan, R. E., J. R. Britton, I. Cowx & G. H. Copp, 2010. Current knowledge on non-native freshwater fish introductions. Journal of Fish Biology 76: 751–786.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Griffiths, D., 2006. Pattern and process in the ecological biogeography of European freshwater fish. Journal of Animal Ecology 75: 734–751.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Harlioğlu, A. G., 2011. Present status of fisheries in Turkey. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries 21: 667–680.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heinzl, H. & M. Mittlböck, 2003. Pseudo R-squared measures for Poisson regression models with over- or underdispersion. Computational Statistics and Data Analysis 44: 253–271.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hesthagen, T. & O. T. Sandlund, 2004. Fish distribution in a mountain area in south-eastern Norway: human introductions overrule natural immigration. Hydrobiologia 521: 49–59.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hillebrand, H., 2004. On the generality of the latitudinal diversity gradient. The American Naturalist 163: 192–211.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Innal, D., 2012. Alien fish species in reservoir systems in Turkey: a review. Management of Biological Invasions 3: 115–119.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Innal, D. & F. Erk’akan, 2006. Effects of exotic and translocated fish species in the inland waters of Turkey. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries 16: 39–50.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Iyigun, C., M. Türkeş, İ. Batmaz, C. Yozgatligil, V. Purutçuoğlu, E. K. Koç & M. Z. Öztürk, 2013. Clustering current climate regions of Turkey by using a multivariate statistical method. Theoretical and Applied Climatology 114: 95–106.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jeppesen, E., J. P. Jensen, M. Søndergaard & T. L. Lauridsen, 2000. Trophic structure, species richness and biodiversity in Danish lakes: changes along a phosphorus gradient. Freshwater Biology 45: 201–218.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kohlmann, K., P. Kersten & M. Flajšhans, 2005. Microsatellite-based genetic variability and differentiation of domesticated, wild and feral common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) populations. Aquaculture 247: 253–266.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kosswig, C., 1955. Zoogeography of the near east. Systematic Zoology 4: 49–73.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kottek, M., J. Grieser, C. Beck, B. Rudolf & F. Rubel, 2006. World Map of the Köppen–Geiger climate classification updated. Meteorologische Zeitschrift 15: 259–263.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kuru, M., 2004. Recent systematic status of inland water fishes of Turkey (in Turkish, with English abstract). Gazi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi Gazi Üniversitesi Gazi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, Cilt 24, Sayı (3) 24: 1–21.

  • Küçük, F., 2006. Türkiye’deki bazı endemik içsu balıklarının Dünya Doğayı Koruma Birliği (IUCN) Ölçütlerine göre değerlendirilmesi 1. Ulusal Balıklandırma ve Rezervuar Yönetimi Sempozyumu Bildiriler Kitabı: 151–160.

  • Küçük, F., 2012. Extinct endemic fishes of Turkey: Alburnus akili (Gövce) and Pseudophoxinus handlirschi (Kavinne) (Pisces: Cyprinidae). Turkish Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 12: 345–347.

    Google Scholar 

  • Küçük, F., H. M. Sari, O. Demir & İ. Gülle, 2009. Review of the ichthyofaunal changes in Lake Eğirdir between 1915 and 2007. Turkish Journal of Zoology 33: 277–286.

    Google Scholar 

  • Levi, E. E., Aİ. Çakıroğlu, T. Bucak, B. V. Odgaard, T. A. Davidson, E. Jeppesen & M. Beklioğlu, 2014. Similarity between contemporary vegetation and plant remains in the surface sediment in Mediterranean lakes. Freshwater Biology 59: 724–736.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • MacArthur, R. H. & E. O. Wilson, 1967. The Theory of Island Biogeography. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ.

    Google Scholar 

  • Magnuson, J. J., L. B. Crowder & P. A. Medvick, 1979. Temperature as an ecological resource. American Zoologist 19: 331–343.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matsuzaki, S.-I. S., N. Usio, N. Takamura & I. Washitani, 2009. Contrasting impacts of invasive engineers on freshwater ecosystems: an experiment and meta-analysis. Oecologia 158: 673–686.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McCullagh, P. & J. A. Nelder, 1989. Generalized Linear Models. Chapman and Hall/CRC, London.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Meerhoff, M., J. M. Clemente, F. Teixeira-de Mello, C. Iglesias, A. R. Pedersen & E. Jeppesen, 2007. Can warm climate-related structure of littoral predator assemblies weaken the clear water state in shallow lakes? Global Change Biology 13: 1888–1897.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Memiş, D. & K. Kohlmann, 2006. Genetic characterization of wild common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) from Turkey. Aquaculture 258: 257–262.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Menezes, R. F., F. Borchsenius, J.-C. Svenning, M. Søndergaard, T. L. Lauridsen, F. Landkildehus & E. Jeppesen, 2013. Variation in fish community structure, richness, and diversity in 56 Danish lakes with contrasting depth, size, and trophic state: does the method matter? Hydrobiologia 710: 47–59.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller, S. A. & T. A. Crowl, 2006. Effects of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) on macrophytes and invertebrate communities in a shallow lake. Freshwater Biology 51: 85–94.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oikonomou, A., F. Leprieur & I. D. Leonardos, 2014. Biogeography of freshwater fishes of the Balkan Peninsula. Hydrobiologia 738: 205–225.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oksanen, J., F. G. Blanchet, R. Kindt, P. Legendre, P. R. Minchin, R. B. O’Hara, G. L. Simpson, P. Solymos, M. Henry, H. Stevens, & H. Wagner, 2013. Vegan: community ecology package. R package version 2.0-8.

  • Özcan, G., 2008. Threatened fishes of the world: Chondrostoma meandrense Elvira, 1987 (Cyprinidae). Environmental Biology of Fishes 83: 297–298.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Özuluğ, M. & J. Freyhof, 2011. Revision of the genus Squalius in Western and Central Anatolia, with description of four new species (Teleostei: Cyprinidae). Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters 22: 107–148.

    Google Scholar 

  • Persson, L. & P. Eklöv, 1995. Refuges affecting interactions between piscivorous perch and juvenile perch and roach. Ecology 76: 70–81.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • R Core Team, 2015. R: a language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing. Vienna, URL. http://www.R-project.org.

  • Reyjol, Y., B. Hugueny, D. Pont, P. G. Bianco, U. Beier, N. Caiola, F. Casals, I. Cowx, T. Ferreira, G. Haidvogl, R. Noble, A. de Sostoa, T. Vigneron & T. Virbickas, 2007. Patterns in species richness and endemism of European freshwater fish. Global Ecology and Biogeography 16: 65–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ribeiro, F. & P. M. Leunda, 2012. Non-native fish impacts on Mediterranean freshwater ecosystems: current knowledge and research needs. Fisheries Management and Ecology 19: 142–156.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Savini, D., A. Occhipinti-Ambrogi, A. Marchini, E. Tricarico, F. Gherardi, S. Olenin & S. Gollasch, 2010. The top 27 animal alien species introduced into Europe for aquaculture and related activities. Applied Ichthyology 26: 1–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Şekercioğlu, Ç. H., S. Anderson, E. Akçay, R. Bilgin, Ö. E. Can, G. Semiz, Ç. Tavşanoğlu, M. B. Yokeş, A. Soyumert, K. İpekdal, İ. K. Sağlam, M. Yücel & H. Nüzhet Dalfes, 2011. Turkey’s globally important biodiversity in crisis. Biological Conservation 144: 2752–2769.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tarkan, A. S., S. M. Marr & F. G. Ekmekç, 2015. Non-native and translocated freshwater fish species in Turkey. FiSHMED Fishes in Mediterranean Environments 2015(003): 28p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Teixeira-de Mello, F., M. Meerhoff, Z. Pekcan-Hekim & E. Jeppesen, 2009. Substantial differences in littoral fish community structure and dynamics in subtropical and temperate shallow lakes. Freshwater Biology 54: 1202–1215.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Turan, D., M. Kottelat & S. Engin, 2009. Two new species of trouts, resident and migratory, sympatric in streams of northern Anatolia (Salmoniformes: Salmonidae). Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters 20: 333–364.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ünver, B. & F. Erk’akan, 2011. Diet composition of chub, Squalius cephalus (Teleostei: Cyprinidae), in Lake Tödürge, Sivas, Turkey. Journal of Applied Ichthyology 27: 1350–1355.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Volta, P., A. Oggioni, R. Bettinetti & E. Jeppesen, 2011. Assessing lake typologies and indicator fish species for Italian natural lakes using past fish richness and assemblages. Hydrobiologia 671: 227–240.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wildekamp, R. H., F. Küçük, M. Ünlüsayın & W. van Neer, 1999. Species and subspecies of the genus Aphanius Nardo 1897 (Pisces: Cyprinodontidae) in Turkey. Turkish Journal of Zoology 23: 23–44.

    Google Scholar 

  • Winemiller, K. O., 1990. Spatial and temporal variation in tropical fish trophic networks. Ecological Monographs 60: 331–367.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yalçın-Özdilek, Ş., Ş. G. Kırankaya & F. G. Ekmekçi, 2013. Feeding ecology of the topmouth gudgeon Pseudorasbora parva (Temminck and Schlegel, 1846) in the Gelingüllü Reservoir, Turkey. Turkish Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 13: 87–94.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhao, S., J. Fang, C. Peng, Z. Tang & S. Piao, 2006. Patterns of fish species richness in China’s lakes. Global Ecology and Biogeography 15: 386–394.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This study was supported by TÜBİTAK- ÇAYDAG (Projects Numbers: 105Y332 and 110Y125), the Middle East Technical University (METU)-BAP program of Turkey (BAP.07.02.2007-2012), FP-7 REFRESH (Adaptive strategies to Mitigate the Impacts of Climate Change on European Freshwater Ecosystems, Contract No.: 244121), and the MARS project (Managing Aquatic ecosystems and water Resources under multiple Stress) funded under the 7th EU Framework Programme, Theme 6 (Environment including Climate Change), Contract No.: 603378 (http://www.mars-project.eu). TB was supported by TÜBİTAK program 2216—Research Fellowship Program for Foreign Citizens (Ref: B.14.2.TBT.0.06.01.03-216.01-24962). EEL, GB, UNT, and AİÇ were also supported by TÜBİTAK (Project Nos.: 105Y332 and 110Y125). SB’s contribution was supported by the TÜBITAK 2221—Visiting Scientist Fellowship Program and by the Marie Curie Intra European Fellowship no. 330249 (CLIMBING). EJ was further supported by CIRCE, CRES, and CLEAR. We are pleased to thank Gülşah Saç, Çiğdem Kaptan, Gürçay Kıvanç Akyıldız, and Ümmühan Aslan for assistance in the field and Anne Mette Poulsen for valuable editing of the manuscript. We also thank three anonymous reviewers for most valuable comments that helped shaping this paper.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Limnology Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University, Üniversiteler Mahallesi, Dumlupınar Bulvarı, No: 1, Çankaya, 06800, Ankara, Turkey

    Thomas Boll, Eti E. Levi, Gizem Bezirci, Ülkü Nihan Tavşanoğlu, Ayşe İdil Çakıroğlu & Meryem Beklioğlu

  2. Department of Biology, Science Faculty, Istanbul University, Vezneciler, 34134, Istanbul, Turkey

    Müfit Özuluğ

  3. Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Letters, Pamukkale University, Kinikli, 20070, Denizli, Turkey

    Seval Özcan

  4. Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Vejlsøvej 25, 8600, Silkeborg, Denmark

    Sandra Brucet & Erik Jeppesen

  5. Aquatic Ecology Group, BETA Technology Centre, ICREA and University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia, Vic, Catalonia, Spain

    Sandra Brucet

  6. Arctic Research Centre (ARC), Aarhus University, Building 1110, C. F. Møllers Alle 8, 8000, Aarhus, Denmark

    Erik Jeppesen

  7. Sino-Danish Centre for Education and Research (SDC), Beijing, China

    Erik Jeppesen

  8. Kemal Kurdaş Ecological Research and Training Stations, Lake Eymir, Middle East Technical University, Oran Mahallesi, Çankaya, 06400, Ankara, Turkey

    Meryem Beklioğlu

Authors
  1. Thomas Boll
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Eti E. Levi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Gizem Bezirci
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Müfit Özuluğ
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Ülkü Nihan Tavşanoğlu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Ayşe İdil Çakıroğlu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Seval Özcan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Sandra Brucet
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Erik Jeppesen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Meryem Beklioğlu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Thomas Boll or Meryem Beklioğlu.

Additional information

Handling editor: Odd Terje Sandlund

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Boll, T., Levi, E.E., Bezirci, G. et al. Fish assemblage and diversity in lakes of western and central Turkey: role of geo-climatic and other environmental variables. Hydrobiologia 771, 31–44 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-015-2608-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-015-2608-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation