Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
AQUATIC SCIENCES and ENGINEERING, cilt.40, sa.4, ss.213-242, 2025 (ESCI)
The Sea of Marmara is a unique habitat that is influenced by the currents of the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea. The region is inhabited by more than 25 million people and the sea is under industrial and agricultural pressure. This study is the first comprehensive survey of benthic diatoms along the Sea of Marmara. In thirty stations located in urban, industrial, and agricultural areas diatoms were sampled in 2019 and 2020. A total of 452 species belonging to 130 genera were found on the shores of the Sea of Marmara. 11 species belonged to the Coscinodiscophyceae, 33 to the Mediophyceae and 408 to the Bacillariophyceae respectively. Navicula (52 taxa) was represented with the most species followed by Nitzschia (39 taxa). Furthermore, 7 genera and 54 species were recorded for the first time in the Turkish diatom flora. In addition, rare taxa such as Gedaniella panicellus Chunlian Li, S.X. Yu & Witkowski, Extubocellulus spinifer (Hargreaves & Guillard) Hasle, Stosch & Syvertsen, Olifantiella mascarenica Riaux-Gobin & Compère were detected. The results showed that many freshwater and brackish water species were present and several species were observed which might be novel for the area. Our results revealed the diatom flora of the Sea of Marmara for the first time and the data obtained could be used as a starting point and complementary for further taxonomic and ecological studies.