Dodecanese Islands Research Articles

Rockfall Mapping and Monitoring Across the Kalymnos Sport Rock Climbing Sites, Based on Ultra-High-Resolution Remote Sensing Data and Integrated Simulations

This manuscript presents a multidisciplinary study that proposes a methodology for delineating and categorizing vulnerability at rockfall risk areas to avoid human injuries and infrastructure damage caused by rockfalls. The presented workflow includes (i) classical geological mapping, (ii) the interpretation of high-resolution satellite data for observing the spatial distribution of fallen boulders, (iii) analytical hierarchy processing of spatial information within a Geographical Information System (GIS) platform, (iv) close-range remote sensing campaigns with Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs), and (v) integrated simulation of rockfall events. This methodology was applied to Kalymnos Island, which belongs to the Dodecanese Islands complex of the southeastern Aegean Sea in Greece. It is characterized by unique geomorphological features, including extensive vertical limestone cliffs that span the island. These cliffs make it one of the world’s most densely concentrated areas for sport climbing. The results highlighted the areas that the local authorities need to focus on and suggested measures for increasing the safety of climbers and infrastructure.

‘The Red Sea is the key to the Mediterranean’. The Italo-Ottoman war and the Red Sea region (1911–1912)

ABSTRACT This article examines the relationship between the Italo-Ottoman War of 1911–1912 and the Red Sea region. Italy, having failed to obtain a decisive victory in battle, decided in late 1911 to pressure the Ottoman Empire by extending the conflict to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Red Sea. While scholars have focused mainly on the conquest of Rhodes and the Dodecanese islands, this article maintains that greater attention needs to be paid to the involvement of the Red Sea area in operations in Libya. It was from this region that the tens of thousands of askaris were recruited, contributing over the years to shifting the balance in combat, and it was also from this region that attempts were made to get the support of some brotherhoods linked to the teachings of Sheykh Aḥmad Ibn Idrīs in a vain attempt to convince the Sanūsī order to de-escalate resistance. Consequently, this work looks at the Italian-Ottoman War also from the angle of its intense, dynamic link with the Red Sea region.

Phylogeography of Dolichophis Populations in the Aegean Region (Squamata: Colubridae) with Taxonomic Remarks

In this study, we investigate the phylogeographic patterns of Dolichophis species in the Aegean region, aiming to elucidate their genetic diversity and putative historical colonisation routes through mitochondrial and nuclear DNA data. Our findings revealed distinct phylogeographic patterns: D. caspius exhibited a higher level of haplotypes within two shallow mitochondrial lineages, contrasting with D. jugularis, which displayed lower genetic variability in the area. Additionally, we identified evidence showing possible human-mediated historical translocation of D. caspius populations to Karpathos from the Balkans mainland. The mitochondrial variability in D. jugularis remained relatively uniform across southwestern Anatolia and Dodecanese, except for Rhodes Island. The evidence from mitochondrial and nuclear data confirming the previously described morphological differentiation of the Rhodes snakes, and thus the name D. j. zinneri Cattaneo, 2012, described on the island, could be applied to this isolated population. This result addresses the first genetic view on the long-standing taxonomic uncertainties regarding the subspecies status of Rhodes D. jugularis. Our results also raise questions regarding possible historical hybridisations between D. caspius and D. jugularis in the Dodecanese islands, prompting the need for further investigation using extensive field studies and genomic approaches. Ultimately, the Aegean islands, particularly Kos and Rhodes, seem to be important sites for the evolution of these colubrid snakes and their historical dynamics.

The terrestrial gastropods in three Dodecanese islands, Rhodes, Symi, Chalki (Aegean Sea, Greece)

Rhodes, Symi and Chalki are three islands with different characteristics in the southeastern part of the Aegean Sea. In this work, we present their complete land snail fauna based on recent survey, samples from the collections of the Natural History Museum of Crete and a thorough bibliographic review. We report 67 land snail species from Rhodes, 34 species from Symi, and 32 from Chalki, with 4, 20 and 9 new records for each island, respectively. Also, one species has been added to the malacofauna of Greece, while many names, which were mentioned mainly in the 19th century, have been clarified, synonymised or abolished from the lists of the islands. Our results once again demonstrate the importance of the reproductive system as a tool for reliable assessment of the taxonomy of Aegean land snails, and that sampling during the rainy season should be the preferred methodological approach for collecting land snails in the Greek islands.

A skin secretion metabolome analysis of the Greek Dodecanese Lycian salamanders: Preliminary evidence of dietary alkaloid sequestration in urodeles.

Lyciasalamandra species, like most amphibians, secrete a wide array of compounds from their granular and mucous skin glands, including the internally synthesized samandarine alkaloids, making their skin a complex organ performing a variety of functions. Lyciasalamandra helverseni and L. luschani basoglui are insular endemics of the Dodecanese islands of SE Greece, bearing distinct isolated populations, with well-documented phylogenetic profiles. Here, we employ a metabolomics approach, utilizing UPLC-ESI-HRMS/MS data of the skin secretions sampled from a number of specimens found in the islands of Karpathos, Kasos and Kastellorizo, in an effort to reveal aspects of their chemistry and diversity across populations. The results indicated statistically significant variation between all taxa examined, based on various secreted compounds. The underlying factors of variation highlighted by the multivariate analysis were differences in samandarine and other alkaloid content as well as in animal size. Metabolite annotation, based on dereplication tools and most importantly HRMS and HRMS/MS spectra, yielded a number of known samandarine alkaloids, reported for the first time in the currently studied Lyciasalamandra species. We also present documentation for novel members of the samandarine alkaloid family, as well as preliminary evidence for a possible dietary alkaloid sequestration. This work can set the basis for further research of this often-neglected endemic species of the Salamandridae, as well as the structural investigation of the samandarine alkaloid group.

The Tabanidae (Diptera) of the Greek islands and Cyprus: An annotated checklist with remarks on ecology, zoogeography, and new records on the East Mediterranean fauna

The horse-fly fauna of the East Mediterranean is poorly known and, in some geographical areas, has not been studied for decades. The present study summarizes the results of tabanid collections performed over 30 years in the Greek islands (the Cyclades, Dodecanese, North Aegean and Crete) and Cyprus. In total, 18 species were known from the study territory. The present study reports an additional 10 species. Previously, only 1 horsefly species was known from the Dodecanese islands, 1 from the North Aegean islands, and 2 from the Cyclades. This study has raised the number of species to 6, 7, and 9, respectively. The combined taxa for the three island groups have increased from 4 to 17 species. Specifically, the number of species has increased from 3 to 7 in Crete and from 11 to 19 in Cyprus. Additionally, we report 1 new record from the Greek mainland, 1 from the Levantine region, 2 from Lebanon, and 2 from Israel. Four Afrotropical–Palearctic vector species: Atylotus agrestis (Wiedemann, 1828); Tabanus gratus Löw, 1858b; Tabanus sufis Jaennicke, 1867; and Tabanus taeniola Palisot de Beauvois, 1806; are recorded for the first time from Cyprus, and A. agrestis from southern Italy. Their status as invasive species in Europe is discussed, the four species are illustrated.

English Brutal Colonisation of the Seven Islands: The Poems of Ossian by James Macpherson

After the failure of the first strike of the 1821 Greek Revolution against the Ottoman Empire, which began in Moldovia in February, it continued in the Peloponnese one month later. The uprising resulted in victory with the formation of the Modern Greek state; its President was Jiannis Capodistria, a Corfiot. Greece was a state born mutilated in 1828 as it excluded: Epiros, Thessalia, Chios Mytilene, Samos, Crete and the Dodecanese Islands under Ottoman rule. The Ionian Islands were under English control, ostensibly known as the ‘British Protectorate’. The second expansion of the Greek state in the nineteenth century was engendered by Radical Ionian Greeks who rebelled against the English who had tyrannised the Seven Islands for almost fifty years until 1864 when they united with Greece. The influence of Celtic literature through the works of The Poems of Ossianby the Scottish antiquarian James Macpherson and Irish Melodies and ‘Imitation of Ossian’ by the Irish scholar Thomas Moore inspired the works of Seven Islands radical intellectuals, which provide a hidden code that coincided with political events at the time to unite the oppressed. The main translator of The Poems of Ossian was Panayiotis Panas, a Kephalonian scholar. He was the successor to Rhigas Velestinlis, the protomartyr of the Greek Revolution and follower of the national poet, the Zakynthian Dionysius Solomos. Panas aimed to unite and spiritually uplift the people by conveying the hope of living under freedom, equality, and fraternity; to live under democracy, without a monarchy. Neglected by the Greek Academy in the twentieth century do these translations of this Celtic literature and its influence remain in obscurity in this century? To what extent did the English have the right legally to gift the Seven Islands to Modern Greece in 1864? Has the sacrifice and patriotism of those who fought for the union of the Seven Islands with Greece been included in the school curriculum. Keywords: Irish melodies, translation, nineteenth century, history, The Mediterranean, The Poems of Ossian and British Colonialism

Mission impossible: the Italian bombing of Bahrain and the British response

ABSTRACT This article sheds light on a notable first in the history of air power. On 18 October 1940, four Italian Savoia-Marchetti SM.82s took off from the Dodecanese Islands in the Eastern Mediterranean, attacked the refinery of Bahrain in the Arabian Gulf and landed safely in Eritrea on the Red Sea coast. It was the longest mission ever carried out in total autonomy of flight and the first three-continent mission in the history of air bombing. This remarkable feat caught the British by surprise. Bahrain was thought to be so far away from enemy bases that it needed no defences at all. And, although the raid caused very little damage, it highlighted the exposed nature of Bahrain’s oilfields and refinery, forcing the hard-pressed British Empire to divert resources to defend an obscure theatre of war originally thought to be safe. This largely neglected mission is significant because in the course of the Second World War no other air forces managed to repeat this achievement or to equal this distance and because the Regia Aeronautica demonstrated an imaginative use of limited technology by upgrading the transport SM.82 planes into aircraft capable of carrying out bombing operations beyond the reach of its conventional bomber force. In this sense, it was a remarkable performance. But, at the same time, the bombing of Bahrain also illustrated how unprepared Italy’s armed forces were. Although by the end of 1940 the Regia Aeronautica had conducted several raids across the Mediterranean, the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf, it had failed to achieve anything significant. This failure exposed all the limitations of a war effort that had been imposed on the armed forces by Benito Mussolini despite conclusive evidence that Italy was not prepared to sustain a long conflict.

Designing an Emergency Information System for an Emergency Information System for Catastrophic Natural Situations

Natural disasters have brought about irreparable damage to humans, human activity, society, and the economy, and their effects will probably be increased in the future due to climate change. However, the extent of a natural disaster could be diminished if both individuals and authorities are informed of an impending emergency situation. Therefore, the research interest has been directed into developing robust Emergency Information Systems. This paper demonstrates the way a specific Emergency Information System could be designed to deliver alert messages. The system was designed on the base of the DRM standards and was put into action in the region of Vigla, an area located in Symi, one of the Dodecanese islands. The coverage test proved that the system operates well in remote areas that are characterized by rough geographic terrain.

Italy’s Sea: Empire and Nation in the Mediterranean, 1895–1945

Italy’s Sea: Empire and Nation in the Mediterranean, 1895–1945

The Dynamics of Maximum Lengths for the Invasive Silver-Cheeked Toadfish (Lagocephalus sceleratus) in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea

The Eastern Mediterranean Sea is the most invaded sea on the planet, with 666 non-indigenous species now recorded in the region. However, not all of these become successful in their new environments. Success here is defined by wide geographical spread, increased abundances, and larger maximum sizes than their native range. The silver-cheeked toadfish Lagocephalus sceleratus (Gmelin 1789) was first recorded in the Mediterranean Sea in 2003. It has now spread to all corners of the basin and is increasingly abundant in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea where it reaches monstrous sizes compared to the maximum sizes reported from its native range. This contribution presents three well-documented new weight records from the Dodecanese Islands, Greece: one specimen weighing 8.5 kg from 2012, and two specimens weighing 8 and 9 kg, respectively, from 2021. The latter is also confirmed with other well-documented larger-size records, along with a physiological hypothesis suggesting how such large sizes are reached.

Eucrostes indigenata in the collection of the Hungarian Natural History Museum (Lepidoptera: Geometridae)

Altogether 103 specimens of Eucrostes indigenata (Villers, 1789) (Lepidoptera: Geometridae: Geometrinae: Comostolini) are deposited in the Hungarian Natural History Museum. The species was found in the Carpathian Basin in 1895 for the first time, and the latest record dates back to 1974. Although the first record from Grebenac (Serbia) was mentioned in several references around the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, apparently it was forgotten later, and it was neglected by most authors of the recent decades. The voucher specimen of the first Hungarian record is illustrated. A case of mislabelling in Imre Frivaldszky’s collection is documented. The first record of the species from the Dodecanese Islands (Rhodes), Greece, is presented.

TEACHERS' VIEW OF THE EDUCATIONAL REALITY REGARDING THE BEHAVIOR OF THE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL

This paper examines the views of secondary education school teachers, regarding the educational decisions made in school, in relation to the behavior of the school Principal. Theoretically are being approached the institutional bodies involved in the administration of the school unit, the decision-making as a function of the administration of a school unit, as well as the roles, the procedures and the decision-making models. The survey was conducted with a written questionnaire, with five main axes: the strengthening of the role of the teachers, the responsibilities of the principal, the decision-making by the principal, the image of the school and the role of the Teachers' Association. The sample of the research was consisted of 151 teachers of secondary education of the Dodecanese islands in Greece and inductive statistical analyses were performed on a total of five variables that concerned either personal data of the teachers or data of the school units in which teachers work. A key research finding is the distance that separates teachers' expectations from what applies in school practice.

Mechanical defensive adaptations of three Mediterranean sea urchin species.

In the Mediterranean, Paracentrotus lividus and Sphaerechinus granularis are important drivers of benthic ecosystems, often coexisting in sublittoral communities. However, the introduction of the invasive diadematoid Diadema setosum, which utilizes venomous spines, may affect these communities. To describe the mechanical properties of the test and spines of these three species, specimens were collected in winter of 2019 from the sublittoral zone of the Dodecanese island complex, southeastern Aegean Sea. This region serves as a gateway for invasive species to the Mediterranean Sea. Crushing test was conducted on live individuals, while 3‐point bending test was used to estimate spine stiffness. Porosity and mineralogy of the test and spine, thickness of the test, and breaking length of the spine were measured and compared, while the microstructural architecture was also determined. The test of S. granularis was the most robust (194.35 ± 59.59 N), while the spines of D. setosum (4.76 ± 2.13 GPa) exhibited highest flexibility. Increased porosity and thickness of the test were related to increased robustness, whereas increased flexibility of the spine was attributed to high porosity, indicating that porosity in the skeleton plays a key role in preventing fracture. The spines of S. granularis exhibited highest length after fracture % (71.54 ± 5.5%). D. setosum exhibited higher values of Mg concentration in the test (10%) compared with the spines (4%). For the first time, the mineralogy of an invasive species is compared with its native counterpart, while a comparison of the mechanical properties of different species of the same ecosystem also takes place. This study highlights different ways, in which sea urchins utilize their skeleton and showcases the ecological significance of these adaptations, one of which is the different ways of utilization of the skeleton for defensive purposes, while the other is the ability of D. setosum to decrease the Mg % of its skeleton degrading its mechanical properties, without compromising its defense, by depending on venomous bearing spines. This enables this species to occupy not only tropical habitats, where it is indigenous, but also temperate like the eastern Mediterranean, which it has recently invaded.

Kalymnos Island, SE Aegean Sea: From Fishing Sponges and Rock Climbing to Geotourism Perspective

The island of Kalymnos, located in the Dodecanese island complex in the SE Aegean, is known for its sponge fishing but also for its world-famous climbing fields. Indeed, the island is considered the “Mecca” of climbers. Nevertheless, Kalymnos is characterized by moderate tourist traffic and lack of tourism infrastructure. The planning and development of geotourism can be a driving force for the economic sustainability of the island. In this study, the possibility of developing the innovative and alternative form of geotourism on the island of Kalymnos is explored. Kalymnos is characterized by numerous caves and steep slopes which can be geotopes attractive to visitors. Six caverns and two climbing fields were analyzed as part of our investigation. For the quantitative assessment of the geosites three factors are considered: the potential educational use (PEU), the potential touristic use (PTU), and the degradation risk (DR). The quantitative evaluation in combination with a SWOT analysis showed that there is indeed a possibility of promotion and development of geotourism in combination with the protection of the island’s geotopes. This will give additional impetus to the economy of Kalymnos. However, the lack of awareness from local authorities and residents is evident. The need for training in matters related to the geological heritage is necessary. In this way, there will be geotourism development, contributing positively to the economic prosperity and sustainability of the island.

Paleogeographic position of the central Dodecanese Islands, southeastern Greece: The push-pull of Pelagonia

Abstract The paleogeographic position of the central Dodecanese Islands at the transition between the Aegean and Anatolian plates plays a considerable role in understanding the link between both geologically unique domains. In this study, we investigate the tectonic history of the central Dodecanese Islands and the general correlation with the Aegean and western Anatolian and focus on the poorly studied islands of Kalymnos and Telendos. Three different major tectonic units were mapped on both islands from bottom to top: (1) The Kefala Unit consists of late Paleozoic, fossil-rich limestones, which have been deformed into a SE-vergent fold-and-thrust belt sealed by an up to 200-m-thick wildflysch-type olistostrome with marble and ultramafic blocks on a scale of tens of meters. (2) The Marina Basement Unit consists of a Variscan amphibolite facies basement with garnet mica schists, quartzites, and amphibolites. (3) Verrucano-type formation violet shales and Mesozoic unmetamorphosed limestones form the Marina Cover Unit. Correlation of these units with other units in the Aegean suggests that Kalymnos is paleogeographically located at the southern margin of the Pelagonian domain, and therefore it was in a structurally upper tectonic position during the Paleogene Alpine orogeny. New white mica 40Ar/39Ar ages confirm the Carboniferous deformation of the Marina Basement Unit followed by a weak Triassic thermal event. Single-grain white mica 40Ar/39Ar ages from pressure solution cleavage of the newly defined Telendos Thrust suggest that the Marina Basement Unit was thrusted toward the north on top of the Kefala Unit in the Paleocene. Located at a tectonically upper position, the units exposed in the central Dodecanese escaped subduction and the syn-orogenic, high-pressure metamorphism. However, these units were affected by post-orogenic extension, and the contact between the Marina Basement Unit and the non-metamorphic Marina Cover Unit has been reactivated by the cataclastic top-to-SSW, low-angle Kalymnos Detachment. Zircon (U-Th)/He ages from the Kefala and Marina Basement Units are ca. 30 Ma, which indicates that exhumation and cooling below the Kalymnos Detachment started in the Oligocene. Conjugate brittle high-angle normal fault systems, which resulted in the formation of four major WNW-ESE–trending graben systems on Kalymnos, localized mainly in the Marina Cover Unit and probably rooted in the mechanically linked Kalymnos Detachment. Since Oligo-Miocene deformation in the northern Dodecanese records top-to-NNE extension and the Kalymnos Detachment accommodated top-to-SSW extension, we suggest that back-arc extension in the whole Aegean realm and transition to the Anatolian plate is bivergent.

The place of Italy in Turkish foreign policy in the 1930s

For many scholars working on Turkish foreign policy in the 1930s, Italy is taken as the greatest threat to the newly-established Republic and one that dominated Turkish foreign policy making in this period. Italy did adopt a threating stance with the Italian occupation of the Dodecanese islands and its expansionist aims in Asia and Africa, which were a cause of concern for the Turkish government. A re-examination of the Turkish-Italian political and economic relations within the broader context of the Mediterranean and the great power politics of the period, however, demonstrates that the bilateral relations, at least officially, functioned without any significant and lasting crisis until the Italian invasion of Albania in 1939. What motivated and drove Turkish thinking and decision-making in the international arena was not Italy’s actions per se but the insecurity in the Mediterranean and beyond of which Italy was a part.

137Cs ocean distribution and fate at East Mediterranean Sea in case of a nuclear accident in Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant

A 3-D hydrodynamic model, coupled with a Lagrangian drift model, was applied to simulate the dispersion of derived 137Cs activity concentration in case of a nuclear accident in Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) located at the East Mediterranean Sea. The simulated near surface circulation presented a good skill in reproducing observed patterns from satellite altimetry data and existing literature. The dispersion pattern of dissolved 137Cs was investigated on an annual and seasonal basis. In all seasons the dominant pathway of released 137Cs had a westward direction, following the prevailing currents. The different dispersal patterns are mainly related to the intensity of the Asia Minor Current and the local circulation in the vicinity of the Akkuyu NPP. 137Cs was transported during the first month to the neighboring coasts of the NPP, while after the fourth month the distribution of the plume was extended in areas of the Eastern Aegean Sea (including East Crete and Rhodes Islands), as well as at the Antalya coastline. After the 3rd month, the plume reaches areas in the Eastern Aegean Sea (including the Crete Island and Cyclades plateau) while after the 6th month it is spread gradually to the Ionian Sea and Levantine basin. At the end of the annual simulation, the plume appears significantly diluted, with relatively high concentrations found still in Dodecanese Islands and along the Aegean Turkish coast. The 137Cs activity concentration starts to decline after the 9th month in most of the studied areas at the East Mediterranean Sea. The particulate 137Cs was diminished within a month from the accident, due to sinking and its fast transformation to dissolved, showing a similar westward dispersion pattern.

Abundance and population characteristics of the invasive sea urchin Diadema setosum (Leske, 1778) in the south Aegean Sea (eastern Mediterranean)

BackgroundThe Indo-Pacific sea urchin Diadema setosum has invaded the Mediterranean Sea and has spread along many locations in the southeastern part of the basin, where established populations exist on the shallow subtidal rocky shore. Diadema setosum is a ubiquitous species, of particular ecological importance due to the high levels of grazing pressure it imposes on benthic communities. Its biology, however, is not adequately studied, especially along its introduced range of distribution. The present study examines the population status of D. setosum outside its native range, in the Dodecanese island complex, south Aegean Sea. Thirty-four stations located across 16 islands were surveyed by scientific SCUBA-diving (up to a depth of 10 m) in December 2019 and June-July 2020. Samplings included: (i) visual census along transects to estimate relative abundance and population density, and (ii) random collection of specimens from densely populated stations to assess biometry and reproductive condition (histological examination of gonads) of D. setosum.ResultsDiadema setosum was found in 21 out of the 34 surveyed stations. The species had sparse populations of well-hidden individuals in rocky crevices, but with dense localized patches in Agathonisi, Leros, Kalymnos, Pserimos, Symi, Alimia and Chalki islands. In those seven islands, mean population density was 2.5 ± 1.48 individuals m−2. Diadema setosum had denser populations in shallower depths but larger dimensions in deeper; these results suggest segregated density and size patterns along a depth gradient. The size structure, according to the size frequency distribution of the test diameter, was unimodal with a fitted mode at 4.0–4.5 and 6.5–7.0 cm in shallow and deep populations, respectively. The examined morphometric relationships followed negative allometry, as previously suggested for the species within its native range of distribution, and test diameter appeared to be a good predictor of biomass. Diadema setosum specimens had immature gonads in winter and mature in summer, suggesting a synchronous reproductive pattern. These results conform to previous data from temperate populations of the species.ConclusionsDifferences in local environmental conditions, e.g. hydrodynamics and habitat type, together with biotic interactions, e.g. recruitment and competition, probably shape D. setosum population in the south Aegean distributional range. The establishment of D. setosum has severe implications on benthic communities and local sea urchin populations demanding management measures to prevent the forecasted further expansion of this invasive species.

Megascolia (Regiscolia) bidens (Hymenoptera: Scoliidae), a new distributional record for Continental Greece

Megascolia (Regiscolia) bidens (Linnaeus, 1767) (Hymenoptera: Scoliidae), previously known to inhabit Dodecanese Islands, is recorded for the first time in the Saronic Gulf and Greek mainland. The species distribution and ecology are briefly discussed. A short species diagnosis is provided to assist further data collection.