87 ACTA ZOOLOGICA BULGARICA Acta zool. bulg., 71 (1), 2019: 87-94 Aquatic Ecology Research Article * Corresponding author: gburcuaydin@trakya.edu.tr Introduction Approximately 15% of the World’s wetlands are rice felds, known also as paddy felds (Hook 1993). These paddy felds are man-made semi-aquatic eco- systems that can be recognised as temporary wet- lands, which harbour many species occurring in nat- ural temporary ponds (Roger 1996, Lawler 2001). Rice felds are rapidly changing ecosystems that provide a habitat succession typical for temporary waters, thus being similar to natural wetlands; there- fore, they have the potential to help protecting the regional biodiversity (Lawler 2001, Edirisinghe & Bambaradeniya 2006). There are three major ecological phases in a single paddy cultivation cycle: aquatic, semi-aquat- ic and a terrestrial (dry) phase. In the early aquat- ic phase, the rice cultivation cycle begins with the preparation of the feld for cultivation and a variety of organisms (protozoans, rotifers, turbellarians and micro-crustaceans) colonise it via irrigation waters, followed by secondary aquatic invertebrates with aquatic larvae (odonates, dipterans, mayfies, etc.) colonising the felds through laying eggs as well as by other aquatic insects such as heteropterans and coleopterans (Bambaradeniya et al. 2004). In the aquatic phase, there is shallow fuctuating water, with a depth of 5–30 cm, which is variable during the pro- duction cycle; its physicochemical features change during the cultivation depending on the agricultural impact (Bambaradeniya et al. 2004). Irrigated rice felds are temporary or seasonal aquatic habitats, consisting of heterogeneous microhabitats suitable for various benthic macroinvertebrates. As the water in a rice feld is greatly afected by climatic condi- tions (sunlight, wind, air temperature and rainfall), the macrozoobenthos diversity may change depend- ing on the geographical location, climatic factors, anthropogenic applications and irrigation water quality. However, diferent farming practices and using pesticides can alter the suitability of rice felds as habitats and benthic macroinvertebrates may be Benthic Macroinvertebrate Diversity of Rice Fields in the Meriç-Ergene River Basin, Thrace, Turkey Gazel Burcu Aydın* & Belgin Çamur-Elipek Trakya University, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, Edirne, Turkey Abstract: Rice felds are temporary wetland agro-ecosystems that could be inhabited by benthic macroinvertebrates. A survey of benthic macroinvertebrate diversity of rice-felds in the Meriç-Ergene River Basin, an impor- tant rice-production area in Turkey, was carried out during the cultivation cycle (April – October 2016). We identifed 69 benthic macroinvertebrate taxa in the studied area, majority of them with a potential to represent food resources for fsh. Totally, 51 species were identifed at the species level; in addition to them, other invertebrates were identifed 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 fve 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 felds should be planned together by biologists and agroecologists, and propose alter- native approaches to utilise the rice feld apart from rice production. Key words: Rice felds, benthic macroinvertebrate diversity, Meriç-Ergene River Basin, Turkey