Gökçeada Salt Lake: a Case Study of Seasonal Dynamics of Wetland Ecological Communities in the Context of Anthropogenic Pressure and Nature Conservation

Abstract

Gökçeada Salt Lake (GSL) (Gökçeada Island, North Aegean Sea) is an important wetland area situated on established birdmigratory routes. The waterbody is subject to significant variability in seasonal water quality and species diversity. Monthlyobservations indicate that a total of 29 waterbird species were present during 2015–2016. Rainfall was observed to influencewaterbird abundance. There was also a strong correlation between waterbird and zooplankton species diversity, with waterquality a further influencing factor. The seasonal abundance of 78 other aquatic species was also investigated. Spring and fallseasonal eutrophication, as a consequence of canal construction and suspected warming due to climate change has causedchanges in Chlorophyll-a, dissolved oxygen, biological oxygen demand levels and grazing habits of aquatic species. Here, wepropose GSL as a coastal lagoon model for a hydrodynamically sensitive habitat undergoing significant change from thecombined threats of heavy metal pollution from a waste management facility, pesticide use for tourism and agriculture activityand wider climate impacts. We conclude that our results provide a paradigm for broad-scale monitoring programs encompassingall components of the wetland ecosystem under anthropogenic and climate change pressure, thus providing a tool to support andinform essential management and rehabilitation plans.