Estimation of zooplankton density with artificial neural networks (a new statistical approach) method, Elazığ-Türkiye

Abstract This study was carried out to predict the zooplankton density in the Cip reservoir (Elazığ) with an artificial neural network, using some water quality parameters. The plankton samples were collected monthly from Cip Reservoir in 2021- 2022, using a standard plankton net from three stations. Water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, electrical conductivity, secchi disk, alkalinity, total nitrogen and total phosphorus were measured. The actual values of zooplankton density and results obtained from the artificial neural networks were compared. Mean absolute percent error (MAPE) values were calculated with actual values and ANNs values. ANNs values were determined to be close to the real data. MAPE percentage value at the first station was determined as 1.143 for Rotifer, 0.118 for Cladocera, and 0.141 for Copepoda. The MAPE percentage value at the second station was determined as 0.941 for Rotifer, 0.377 for Cladocera, and 0.185 for Copepoda. The MAPE percentage value at the third station was determined as 0.342 for Rotifer, 0.557 for Cladocera, and 0.301 for Copepoda. In the present study, it has been seen that artificial neural networks with a learning feature are successful in predicting zooplankton densities in an aquatic environment. It can be concluded from the study that ANNs are a powerful tool for understanding their relationships with the environment