A review of investigations on diatoms (Bacillariophyta) in Turkish inland waters

A compilation/discussion of data published on diatoms in aquatic systems from Turkey is provided based on data ordered according to type of study, type of water body, and river basins within the conterminous Turkish territory. The majority of phycological studies in Turkey focus on phytoplankton seasonal changes in lakes and reservoirs located in lowlands, while only a few studies related to high mountain lakes and lotic systems have been published. Palaeolimnological work is also restricted to some basins, while others have been completely neglected from this perspective. Several studies performed during last decade focus on the application of diatoms to water quality monitoring, a topic that is rapidly gaining popularity among local scientists. The main shortcoming in all the studies is the pervasive use of publications based on European material as identification sources, which may have resulted in force-fitting of Turkish taxa into European-based concepts, thus giving a skewed impression of diversity and an imprecise estimation of the ecological requirements of the different taxa. Additionally, because of current research practices, chiefly by native researchers, the vast majority of publications only contain reports of the most common taxa. Even for these common diatoms, there is a severe lack of supporting information in the form of descriptions, argumentation or illustrations, which makes the elaboration of a catalogue a difficult if not impossible task. The aim of this manuscript is to provide a background for further investigations; it includes an identification of neglected geographical and research areas.