SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL DISTRIBUTION OF PHYTOPLANKTON IN LAKE GALA (Edirne/TURKEY)

This study was performed from March 2004 to February 2005 in 4 stations in Gala Lake, a shallow lake located inside Gala Lake National Park in Meriç Delta. Water samples were taken from the lake in order to determine the phytoplankton present in the lake and to perform physicochemical analysis. A total of 112 taxa from 5 divisio were identified during the study period. Chlorophyta was the most diversed group in the lake with 47 taxa and diatoms were found to have the highest cell counts with a mean value of 670011 cell L-1. The general pattern of seasonal succession in phytoplankton of the lake was represented with Chlorophyta in June and with Cyanophyta in September and Diatoms were the dominant group of the lake in all other months. A spatial heterogeneity was observed in the lake where a slight Microsystis spp. increase occurred in early autumn months. Comparison with former phytoplankton data showed distinct differences in terms of the qualitative and quantitative composition of the phytoplankton community of Lake Gala, which indicates lake deterioration