Vertical dynamics of some indicator microorganisms in Tunca river at Turkish Thrace

Abstract

Although freshwater resources are the most essential material to sustain the life, they have been under a lot of impacts from human activities. These ecosystems sustain a lot of different groups of microorganisms. But, discharges from domestic and industrial wastewaters, agricultural pesticides and fertilizers to the water bodies may change the bacterial composition. The presence of some indicator bacteria in water ecosystems can point to the quality of a water resource. In this research, the vertical distribution of some bacterial indicators (total coliform, faecal coliform and Escherichia coli bacteria) and their dynamics were analyzed in Tunca River located at Edirne Province in Turkey (Turkish Thrace). The water samples were taken from three different depths (surface, middle, and bottom) at seasonal intervals during 2011. Some physicochemical parameters (temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and suspended solids) were also measured. It was concluded that the bacterial concentration in Tunca River decreases with increasing of depth. Therefore, it is suggested that the surface water of Tunca River should not be used for irrigation.