The effects of physico-chemical parameters and situation of dam reservoirs on their phytoplankton population in west Azarbaijan province (north-west Iran)

This study was performed to determine relationship between dam reservoir physico-chemical parameters and the phytoplankton structure in 7 reservoirs of west Azarbaijan province. Samplings were carried out during July 2016. Samples were collected for phytoplankton identification and enumeration, chemical analyses at each sampling site. Principal component analysis (PCA), Detrended Correspondent Analysis (DCA) and two-way unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA) were performed to determine the environmental variables affecting phytoplankton community dynamics. Seventy-three species belonging to five divisions were determined during this study. The result of PCA and DCA was confirmed by UPGMA analysis, in which three main groups were clustered on the basis of their correlation with phytoplankton community changes and environmental parameters. Totally, highly disturbed reservoirs contained different phytoplankton community than undisturbed ones.