The Comparative Gut Content Analysis of Some Chironomidae Larvae Living in the Freshwaters at Northern Thrace Region of Turkey

Öz

The roles of larval chironomids in the food chain of both the lotic and the lentic ecosystems are very important. On the one hand, chironomid larvae feeding on algae, diatoms, rotting organic matter, plant, and animal residues also play an important role in these systems as a source of food for other carnivores and omnivorous organisms. In this study, the gut contents of Cryptochironomus defectus (Kieffer, 1913), Cladotanytarsus mancus (Walker, 1856), Polypedilum scalaenum (Schrank, 1803), Tanypus kraatzi (Kieffer, 1912) collected from the freshwater ecosystems located in the northern parts of the Thrace region of Turkey were analyzed to compare their feeding habits. As a result of the analysis, it was determined that while plant fragments were dominant in C. defectus species in the gut content (44.3%), algae were dominant for C. mancus (44.7%), P. scalaenum (63.5%), T. kraatzi (65%). According to the results of the Shannon-Wiener (H') index species, diversity of the P. scalaenum was found to be the highest among the larvae (H'= 1.345). Also, according to the Bray-Curtis similarity index, the most similar types of gut contents were P. scalaenum and C. defectus (38%). This low rate indicated that the species have different food preferences.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Chironomidae
• gut content
• food chain
• Turkish Thrace

Türkiye'nin Kuzey Trakya Bölgesi'ndeki Tatlı Sularda Yaşayan Bazı Chironomidae Larvalarının Karşılaştırmalı Mide İçerik Analizi

Öz

Gerek lotik gerekse lentik ekosistemlerin besin zincirinde larval chironomidlerin rolü oldukça büyüktür. Ayrıca, algler, diyatomlar, çürüyen organik madde, bitki ve hayvan kalıntıları ile beslenen chironomid larvaları, bu sistemlerde diğer karnivor ve omnivor organizmalar için bir besin kaynağı olarak da önemli bir rol oynamaktadır. Bu çalışmada, Trakya Bölgesi’nin kuzey bölgelerinde bulunan tatlı su ekosistemlerinden toplanan Cryptochironomus defectus (Kieffer, 1913), Cladotanytarsus mancus (Walker, 1856), Polypedilum scalaenum (Schrank, 1803), Tanypus kraatzi (Kieffer, 1912) türlerinin mide içerikleri, bu türlerin beslenme alışkanlıklarını karşılaştırmak için analiz edildi. Analiz sonucunda C. defectus’un mide içeriğinde (%44,3) bitki parçalarının baskın olduğu, C. mancus (%44,7), P. scalaenum (%63,5), T kraatzi (%65) için alglerin baskın olduğu belirlendi. Shannon-Wiener (H ') indeksi sonuçlarına göre, P. scalaenum’un mide içeriğinin çeşitliliğinin larvalar arasında en yüksek olduğu bulundu (H' = 1,345). Ayrıca, Bray-Curtis benzerlik endeksine göre, mide içeriği en benzer P. scalaenum ve C. defectus olduğu saptandı (%38). Bu düşük oran, türlerin farklı besin tercihlerine sahip olduğunu gösterdi.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Chironomidae
• mide içeriği
• besin zinciri
• Türkiye Trakya'sı

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