Approaches to Pollution in Lake Ecosystems, the Library of Life: An Example From Uzungöl (Trabzon, Türkiye)

Abstract

Lakes are vital ecosystems serving as reservoirs of biodiversity and are key indicators of environmental changes. This study examined the macroinvertebrate community structure and environmental parameters of Lake Uzungöl, a Special Environmental Protection Area in Türkiye, over a 10-year period (2012–2022). During the study period, 44 taxa from the families Chironomidae, Oligochaeta and Gastropoda were determined at the sample sites. At two stations over a 10-year period, the species with the highest population density were as follows: Prodiamesa olivacea from the family Chironomidae made up 18.99% of the zoobenthic fauna, followed by Ophidonais serpentina from the family Oligochaeta (12.25%) and Limnodrilus udekemianus, also from the family Oligochaeta (9.34%). Sampling from two stations revealed shifts in the zoobenthic communities, with dominant taxa transitioning from Chironomidae to Oligochaeta, reflecting increasing pollution levels. Analysis of the lake's environmental characteristics revealed a discernible decrease in dissolved oxygen (DO) levels and an increase in water temperature, pH, conductivity and biological oxygen demand (BOD). Key water quality indicators, such as DO, nitrate nitrogen and BOD, demonstrated significant deteriorations, aligning with anthropogenic pressures like tourism and unplanned construction. Utilizing macroinvertebrates as bioindicators, the findings highlighted the ecological impact of environmental changes and underscored the urgency of sustainable conservation measures. Principal component and canonical correspondence analyses further elucidated the relationships between the macroinvertebrate taxa and environmental variables. This research contributes to our understanding of lake ecosystem dynamics and offers insights for future management and protection strategies for Lake Uzungöl.