Assessing Water and Sediment Pollution in the Sea of Marmara Estuaries and Its Impact on Invertebrate Fauna

This study aims to identify aquatic invertebrates living in the estuaries of the Marmara Sea and to correlate species with environmental parameters. For this purpose, sampling was carried out in 2022 from 8 stations selected from the coasts. A surber sampler, prepared with a 20x20 cm square made of fine iron with a mesh size of 250 microns, was used to collect invertebrate groups. An Ekman grab, with dimensions of 20x20 cm, was used as the sampling tool for sediments. Sterile polypropylene amber bottles of 1 liter each were used for water samples. As a result of species identification, 33 benthic invertebrate species belonging to 7 phyla were identified. It was determined that Idotea balthica, Nereis zonata and Hyale crassipes species were the species with the highest number of individuals. As a result of water and sediment analyses, it was determined that the stations were exposed to minimal pollution during the sampling period. It has been determined that some Polychaeta species are associated with Fe, Zn, Mn, and Cr, and Mytilus galloprovincialis is more tolerant to all parameters.