Distribution, diversity and some ecological characteristics of benthic amphipods in the Kapidağ Peninsula (Marmara Sea, Turkey)

The aim of this study was to determine the environmental factors affecting the fauna and the distribution of benthic amphipod species occurring on the Kapıdağ Peninsula, which is located in the south of the Marmara Sea. A total of 31 amphipod species were identified during the course of this study. In both seasons, Jassa marmorata (Holmes, 1905) and Protohyale schmidtii (Heller, 1866) were the most abundant species. During the study, temperature varied between 11.0 and 17.8°C, while salinity varied between 12.5 and 18.7 PSU; values of dissolved oxygen and pH ranged from 7.2 to 11.4 mg l-1 and 7.2 to 8.5 respectively at the coastal sites where hard bottom sampling was conducted. However, with regard to other sites where soft bottom sampling was carried out, the temperature varied between 8.0 and 18.0°C, salinity between 17.7 and 29.2 PSU, while values for dissolved oxygen and pH ranged from 5.1 to 11.4 mg l-1 and 7.8 to 8.7, respectively. In addition, the study of the amphipod species distribution revealed that the number of species was higher in spring compared to autumn while the number of individuals was higher in autumn compared to spring.