A study on determining of macroinvertebrate biodiversity in water wells with stygobiont species findings

Abstract

Although the  groundwater ecosystems are diversely populated habitats, it is believed that a lot of species wait for description in these special environments. But, increasing pollution in the world also affects groundwater ecosystems. Macroinvertebrates living as a subterranaean form in groundwaters play an important role in the purification of these habitats and provide usable water quality and they can be extinct before their description. Water wells which are man-made holes to get water from underground are very important environment for a lot of living things. They are made by the digging or drilling of groundwater in underground aquifers and sometimes stygobiont species occurs and can live in these habitats. The wells can create proper environments for living things. In this study, we investigated macroinvertebrate fauna of the  wells which are used for drinking/using in a  province at Turkish Thrace. For this aim, a total of 80 water wells were sampled during the years 2009–2010. Thus, it was aimed to determine the biodiversity on the macroinvertebrate fauna of these special habitats. As a  result, macroinvertebrates belonging to Annelida (Oligochaeta, Hirudinae), Arthropoda (Isopoda, Amphipoda, Diptera), and Mollusca (Gastropoda, Bivalvia) were reported as the first records in the wells of the studied area. Also, an eyeless stygobiont Amphipod species, Niphargus valachicus, was also found at two different water wells.