A preliminary study on macrobenthoses of Behesht-e Gomshodeh River in Fars Province, Iran

Despite the significant role of macroinvertebrates، they have not received enough attention in running water ecosystems of Iran. Behesht-e Gomshodeh is one of the most important localities among Protected Areas in Fars Province. The river that originates from the mountains of this area is connected to the Kor River and flows to the Dorudzan Reservoir. This paper presents the results of a study on macrozoobenthos of the Behesht-e Gomshodeh River. Sampling was performed during winter and spring 2012 at three sampling sites. A total of 25 families have been identified، and class Insecta (especially، order Ephemeroptera) had the most variety. In overall، the number of identified taxa in spring was more than winter. The greatest taxon richness (17 families) and more number of sensitive taxa were found at site 1، while the lowest taxon richness (11 families) and more resistant taxa to pollutants were shown at the site 3. Therefore، site 1 could be considered as a more sensitive place.