Linking non-marine Ostracoda (Crustacea) assemblages to environmental drivers using species archetype models and indicator value analysis

OpenAlex · İngilizce

We investigated ostracod assemblages from 120 aquatic sites across Adana Province, southern Türkiye, to evaluate community–environment relationships and identify diagnostic taxa along strong physicochemical gradients across a range of habitat types. A total of 35 species were recorded from 11 different aquatic habitats. Species Archetype Modelling (SAM), Indicator Species Analysis (IndVal), and multivariate ordination were applied to characterize distributional patterns across sites. SAM resolved four archetypes, including a widespread assemblage dominated by Heterocypris incongruens and three less common assemblages associated with distinct environmental conditions. Conductivity was the primary variable associated with variation among archetypes, with pH and water temperature contributing additional variation. Canonical Correspondence Analysis accounted for 63.6% of the variation in species–environment relationships and indicated patterns of separation among assemblages along conductivity and thermal–chemical gradients, although these relationships should be interpreted cautiously. Cluster analysis further identified groups of sites sharing similar ecological and physicochemical characteristics. IndVal analysis supported the SAM-defined groupings, highlighting taxa associated with particular habitat types, including H . salina and Prionocypris zenkeri in saline or restricted environments and Cypridopsis vidua in freshwater sites. Species with broad ecological tolerances were widely distributed across sites, whereas less frequent taxa showed more restricted occurrences. The combined use of SAM and IndVal provides a robust framework for identifying patterns of ecological specialization and non-random assemblage structure in inland waters. These results highlight the association of non-marine ostracods with conductivity-related gradients and support their use as indicators in biomonitoring and conservation studies in Mediterranean freshwater ecosystems.