Aydin, Gazel BurcuCamur-Elipek, Belgin2024-06-122024-06-1220190324-0770https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14551/23651Rice fields are temporary wetland agro-ecosystems that could be inhabited by benthic macroinvertebrates. A survey of benthic macroinvertebrate diversity of rice-fields in the Meric-Ergene River Basin, an important rice-production area in Turkey, was carried out during the cultivation cycle (April - October 2016). We identified 69 benthic macroinvertebrate taxa in the studied area, majority of them with a potential to represent food resources for fish. Totally, 51 species were identified at the species level; in addition to them, other invertebrates were identified at the levels of superior taxa: seven genera, eight families, one order, one class and one phylum. Of the sampled taxa, 74% were arthropods (representing 21 families in five classes). Seasonal colonisation and succession of benthic macroinvertebrates during rice cultivation cycle followed one another, being also regulated by predation. We conclude that strategies of sustainable management of rice fields should be planned together by biologists and agroecologists, and propose alternative approaches to utilise the rice field apart from rice production.eninfo:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccessRice FieldsBenthic Macroinvertebrate DiversityMeric-Ergene River BasinTurkeyWetlandsArticle7118794Q4WOS:000463847800013