Eastern Mediterranean Coast Of Turkey Research Articles

Census of breeding avifauna and the status of Audouin’s Gull ( Ichthyaetus audouinii ) along the eastern Mediterranean coast of Turkey

Census of breeding avifauna and the status of Audouin’s Gull ( Ichthyaetus audouinii ) along the eastern Mediterranean coast of Turkey

Catch Composition and Catch Yield of Species Caught from Agyatan Lagoon on the Eastern Mediterranean Coast of Turkey

Zengin kültürel mirasa sahip lagün alanları, biyolojik ve ekonomik üretkenliği destekleyen olağanüstü ekosistemlerdir. Lagünler ile ilgili birçok ulusal ve uluslararası otorite, Akdeniz kıyı lagünlerine ilişkin veri boşluklarını ve bölgesel yönetim uygulamalarının eksikliğini vurgulamıştır. Bu çalışmada, Türkiye'nin Akdeniz kıyısında bulunan Ağyatan lagününde yakalanan balıkların aylara göre av kompozisyonundaki değişimleri ve av veriminin ortaya konulması amaçlanmıştır. Ağyatan lagününde Haziran 2020 ile Şubat 2022 tarihleri arasında sabit bariyer tuzaklara, uzatma ağı ve pinterlere yakalanan ekonomik türler değerlendirilmiştir. Yakalanan balık ve karides türlerinin toplam av miktarlarının zamana bağlı değişimleri aylık olarak incelenmiştir. Ağyatan lagününde avcılık yoluyla ve kuzuluk sisteminden elde edilen karides ve balıklardan oluşan 9 tür temel alınarak aylara göre toplam üretim miktarları hesaplanmıştır. İki sezon toplamında en çok S. aurata 44,146 kg ve en az ise A. anguilla 3,454 kg yakalandığı tespit edilmiştir. Türlerin aylara göre toplam yakalanma miktarlarına bakıldığında 2020-2021 sezonu içerisinde Kasım (33,2%) ve Ekim (15,7%) aylarında en çok üretimin olduğunu, aynı zamanda 2021-2022 sezonunda da aynı aylarda (Kasım 37,3%, Ekim 18%) en yüksek üretimin olduğunu tespit edilmiştir. Her iki sezon ayrı olarak birim çaba başına av (CPUE) kg/gün olarak değerlendirildiğinde 2020-2021 sezonunda CPUE değeri 275,58 kg/gün, 2021-2022 sezonunda ise CPUE değeri 347,87 kg/gün olarak hesaplanmıştır. Bu çalışma kapsamında, Ağyatan lagünü ile ilgili tamamlayıcı bilgi sağlayarak karar vericilerin Ağyatan lagünü için bölgesel yönetim planı geliştirirken bu bilgileri dikkate alması önerilmektedir.

First Observation of the Nocturnal Cleaning Relationship between Common Octopus Octopus vulgaris (Cuvier, 1797), and Indo-Pacific Palaemonid Shrimp, Urocaridella pulchella Yokeş & Galil, 2006 from the Iskenderun Bay, Eastern Mediterranean Coast of Turkey

During a Scuba survey in Iskenderun Bay at night time on November 2018, a female Urocaridella pulchella individual was observed with nocturnal cleaning on Octopus vulgaris at 16 m in depth. Some photos of the shrimp and its symbiont were taken. Although the nocturnal cleaning relationship between U. pulchella and various marine species has been reported in some studies, the nocturnal cleaning relationship between O. vulgaris and U. pulchella has been observed for the first time. In addition, in the present study, we first reported Indo-Pacific palaemonid shrimp U. pulchella which was encountered in its natural habitat during an underwater observation from Iskenderun Bay, and this report is the first observation for this area and fills a gap in the distribution range of this species.Keywords: eastern Mediterranean, Iskenderun coast, nocturnal cleaning, Palaemonidae, Turkey.

First occurrences of Nerocila bivittata on Dusky Grouper (Ephinephelus marginatus) and Mottled Grouper (Mycteroperca rubra)

The parasitic Isopod Nerocila bivittata was collected from caudal fins and body surface of dusky grouper (Ephinephelus marginatus) and mottled grouper (Mycteroperca rubra) captured by commercial trawl vessels as non-target species from Antalya Bay which is located in the eastern Mediterranean coast of Turkey. The parasites caused typically hemorrhages on caudal fins of both hosts. The parasitic isopod was identified as Nerocila bivittata which has not been reported from groupers in the worldwide. The study represents new hosts and geographical records.

Multi-temporal analysis of urbanisation patterns as coastal development indicators: Eastern Mediterranean coast of Turkey

Natural and anthropogenic forces on Earth create changes in biophysical characteristics of landscapes in the forms of modifications or transformations. Since landscapes are composed of spatially configured patches of different land cover types, changes in the pattern composition and configuration may be used as indicators for identifying environmental trends and their underlying causes. To this end, pattern indices hold a strong potential to conceptualize landscape structure in many different ways. This study aims to analyse landscape changes in an urbanized coastal landscape in the eastern Mediterranean region of Turkey using pattern indices as development indicators. For this purpose, the spatial distribution of built-up areas was extracted for the years 1989, 1995, 2001, 2007 and 2019 using geo-referenced SPOT and Sentinel images. Eight landscape structure indices were calculated to demonstrate spatial and temporal diversity of area/edge, shape and aggregation characteristics of built-up patches. These indices are (1) class area (CA), (2) percentage of landscape (PL), (3) largest patch index (LPI), (4) edge density, (5) perimeter-area ratio (PARA), (6) fractal dimension (FRAC), (7) related circumscribing circle (RCC) and (8) percentage of like-adjacencies (PLADJ). The study area was divided into 215 grid-units to represent spatial diversity of development. The aforementioned indices were calculated separately for each of the units. The spatial distribution of built-up areas was also associated with land capability to assess land degradation trends. Results showed that much of the development occurred on Class I and II lands that are in fact prime agricultural areas. Results also suggest that the structure of building patches and the way that it changes vary between the coast and inland.

Relationship between pollen counts and weather variables in the atmosphere of Mersin Province on the Eastern Mediterranean Coast of Turkey

This study researched atmospheric pollen from Mersin Province using the volumetric method between in 2016 and 2017. The daily, weekly, monthly, and annual distribution of the pollen obtained during the study was identified. The relationship between pollen and meteorological factors was researched using Spearman?s rho analysis. During the two-year study, 32,336 pollen grains/m3 from 40 different taxa [22 trees, 1 grass (Poaceae), and 17 other weeds] were identified. Of the total pollen, 82% belonged to trees, 6.8% to grasses, 11% to other weeds, and unidentified taxa accounted for 0.2%. In the first year, 17,070 pollen grains/m3 were identified in the atmosphere and 15,266 pollen grains/m3 were identified in the second year. The pollen concentration was at its peak between March and July. Pollen grains of the following taxa, listed according to density, were discovered in the atmosphere: Cupressaceae/Taxaceae (26.49%), Pinaceae (25.61%), Olea (12.76%), Urticaceae (7.00%), Poaceae (6.77%), and Fraxinus (5.06%). According to the statistical analysis while sunshine duration, relative humidity, and wind speed usually have a positive correlation, precipitation has a negative correlation with pollen concentration.

Genetic and Bio-Ecologic Characteristics of Common Pandora Pagellus erythrinus from the Eastern Mediterranean Coast of Turkey for the Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management

Genetic structure and growth characteristics of common pandora Pagellus erythrinus populations collected from the Iskenderun, Mersin and Antalya Bays were revealed through D-loop sequencing of mtDNA and length-weight and age-length relationships. While the highest value of genetic diversity was obtained in the Mersin population (0.0024), the lowest value was in Iskenderun population (0.0006). A total of 9 haplotypes was found and mean haplotype diversity was found 0.7485. The highest genetic divergence was observed between the Mersin and Iskenderun Bay populations (0.0206), whereas the Iskenderun and Antalya Bay populations had the least genetic divergence (0.0165). BioMorphv3 was used for determining the length-weight and age-length relationships. The length-weight relationships for all individuals of Iskenderun, Mersin and Antalya populations were estimated as W=0.0693 x L 2.3887 (r=0.9456), W=0.0786 x L 2.3338 (r=0.9473) and W=0.0693 x L 2.3887 (r=0.9542), respectively. The von Bertalanffy growth parameters for all individuals of Iskenderun, Mersin and Antalya populations were calculated as Lt=39.22 [1 - e0.210(t+0.32)], Lt=50.48 [1-e0.120(t+2.76)], Lt=38.08 [1-e 0.158(t+0.48)], respectively.

Feeding ecology and reproduction biology of Glaucostegus cemiculus (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1817) from the eastern Aegean Sea

Though guitarfish are common bycatch and have an economical value in the Mediterranean Sea, there is still limited knowledge on blackchin guitarfish’s, Glaucostegus cemiculus, their presence or any biological feature, with specific regard to those that inhabit the eastern Mediterranean coasts of Turkey. To explore this information gap, bio-ecological features, which are investigated in terms of stomach contents and reproduction, were examined from individuals obtained from Izmir Bay. A total of 122 individuals caught as by-catch were collected monthly between: July 2015–June 2016. Crustaceans were found to be the main prey item in their diets. Maturity stages were mainly immature, with the exception of two individuals: an immature 2-developing female and mature 3b-active male. Knowledge retrieved from present studies on bio-ecological features contributes to closing the current information gap on endangered blackchin guitarfish in the eastern Aegean Sea. Such studies also provide a platform for essential discussion on the various ways in which effective r monitoring strategies for the species could be implemented and managed; particularly in the Turkish coast of the eastern Mediterranean.

Bugulidae Species along the Aegean Coast of Turkey

Along the Turkish coast, Bugulidae family represented with tree valid genera, Bugula, Bugulina and Crisularia, contains mostly common fouling species in shallow and deep water. Five species belonging to two genera (Bugula neritina, Bugulina flabellata, Bugulina simplex, Bugulina stolonifera, Bugulina fulva) were investigated during different sampling periods. This study provides descriptions, illustrations, and information about ecological characteristics and biogeographical distributions of the above mentioned species. Bugulina fulva was reported for the first time from the Eastern Mediterranean coast of Turkey (Marmaris).

Description of Pseudoameiropsissuphankaraytugi sp. nov.(Copepoda: Harpacticoida: Ameiridae) with the first report of the genus Pseudoameiropsis Pallares, 1982 outside of the South Atlantic Ocean

A new species of the monotypic genus Pseudoameiropsis was found in samples collected from the eastern Mediterranean coast of Turkey. The new species can be separated from P. argentinus by the armature formula in the endopod of the second to fourth swimming legs (0, 1, 021; 0, 1, 121; 0, 1, 121 in P. argentinus, but 1, 1, 221; 1, 1, 221; 1, 1, 221 in the new species), and armature complement in the third exopodal segment of the fourth swimming leg (with eight setae/spines in the new species, but seven elements in P. argentinus). The general shape and armature of the female fifth leg is similar in the two species but some minor differences in their ornamentation were observed. This is also the first record of the genus in the Mediterranean Sea and outside of the South Atlantic Ocean.

Occurrence of Bluntnose Sixgill Shark Hexanchus griseus (Bonnaterre, 1788) in Yeşilovacık Bay, Northeastern Mediterranean

Aims: In this study, an individual of H. griseus was caught from the Mersin Bay and this ichthyologic note presents a new female record of H. griseus for Mersin Bay, Mediterranean coast of Turkey. This study aims to contribute to the chronological records of the species in the Mediterranean Sea.
 Place and Duration of Study: Yeşilovacık bay is a small bay in the west of Mersin Bay. Yeşilovacık bay which lies at approximately 36°07’n latitude, 33°37’e, longitude and about 143 km Western of in Mersin province, Turkey. Sample: On 19 March 2018 blunthose sixgill shark specimen was measured and then deposited in the Museum of the Systematic, Faculty of Fisheries, University of Mersin.
 Methodology: A female specimen of H. griseus with a total length (TL) of 350 cm (400 kg) was captured by a commercial trawl at a depth around of 280 m of the Yeşilovacık Bay (Northeastern Mediterranean Sea), Turkey. Total length was measured to the nearest 1 mm and the weight of the specimen was determined to the nearest kilogram.
 Results: Measurements of the specimen are presented and compared with the previous records of H. griseus in the Eastern Mediterranean coast of Turkey (Iskenderun Bay), which are given in Table. The identification was carried out according to the previous report.
 Conclusion: To date specific conservation measures are not known for this species for the Northeastern Mediterranean coast of Turkey. Thus, the effect of coastal fishery for sharks should be regularly monitored and protection measures should be taken in this region in order for this shark species to continue their conservation for the next generation.

ECONOMIC EFFICIENCY PERFORMANCE OF SMALL-SCALE FISHERIES IN THE EAST MEDITERRANEAN COAST OF TURKEY

In this study, it is aimed to analysis of the economic efficiency of the small-scale coastal fishing activities operating on the Eastern Mediterranean coast of Turkey. In this context, face-to-face surveys were conducted with small-scale fishermen during the 2016-2017 fishing season and so these fisherman’s input usage, total revenue structures and socio-economic and demographic characteristics were determined. Data Envelopment Analysis method was applied to determine the economic efficiency levels of small-scale fisheries and extreme levels of input use was demonstrated. In addition, a Tobit Regression Model was applied to detect the factors causing the inefficiency of these small-scale fishers. The results of the analysis reveal that the average economic efficiency levels of the small-scale fishermen operating in the research area under the variable return to scale are 0.64. According to the results, it is possible to realize the same output performance when the fishers’ use of inputs is reduced by 36.1%. The main inputs leading to inefficiency in the output performance of small-scale fishers are determined as vessel maintenance expenditures (15.4%), fishing gear repair or purchase expenditures (12.3%) and labour costs (12%). In addition, Tobit Analysis was applied to investigate the relationship between the economic efficiency results and the socio-economic and demographic situation of small-scale fishermen. According to this, household size, working hours and vessel ownership factors causes economic inefficiency on the focused fishermen.

The Nile Softshell Turtle (Trionyx triunguis): Nest Parameters and A New Nesting Site

There are no studies carried out on nest parameters of the Nile softshell turtle (Trionyx triunguis) in Turkey except for few studies on the Western Mediterranean coast of Turkey. In this study, 12 nests of the Nile softshell turtle were examined in terms of nest parameters during 2016 and 2017 nesting seasons on Belek, Göksu, and Burnaz beaches located on the Central and Eastern Mediterranean coast of Turkey. Nesting period started in May (17%) but intensified in June (83%). The distance of nests to the shore, depth of nests, clutch temperature, clutch size, and hatching success in the nests were recorded and calculated. Among three beaches, the lowest hatching success rate was on Göksu Beach (0.18 ± 0.26), whereas the values were similar on Belek (0.75 ± 0.22) and Burnaz (0.72 ± 0.36) beaches. Although clutch temperatures were measured in a range (29.5–33.0 °C) that is optimal for embryo development, most of the eggs inside nests were dead at the late embryonic period (5.1 ± 9.6) which was followed by early (1.8 ± 3.1) and middle stage embryos (0.3 ± 0,6). The highest number of unfertilized eggs was recorded on Burnaz Beach (14.5 ± 19.1) and the lowest was on Belek Beach (1.0 ± 1.5). Regarding the relationship between the nest parameters, it was detected that only the clutch temperature has a significant relationship with the clutch size. In this study, a new nesting site for the softshell Nile turtle on Burnaz Beach was discovered and nest parameters in this species were indicated on three beaches.

Biotope conservation in a Mediterranean agricultural land by incorporating crop modelling

This research aims to develop a decision support system based on the conservation of biotopes within a Mediterranean agricultural landscape through the optimization of agricultural productivity. The first stage of this research includes mapping crop patterns using medium-resolution satellite sensor data recorded by LANDSAT and Sentinel-2 over Lower Seyhan Plain (LSP) located at the Eastern Mediterranean coast of Turkey between 2010 and 2016. In the second stage, crop productivity of three major crops namely winter wheat, corn, and cotton derived from image classification was modelled spatially and temporally through the CropSyst model. Additionally, the model was also revealed irrigation return flow from the drainage and the related N load. In the last stage, conservation principles and policies were recommended to diminish the detrimental impacts of agricultural fertilizer loads to the biotopes through drainage channels. The model results indicated that crop productivity of wheat, cotton, first crop corn, and second crop corn 21%, 28%, 47%, and 4% of total production in LSP, respectively. The average annual crop production of the wetlands region was 161,548 tons and equal to 16,5% of the total plain area. The largest amount of drainage water comes from cotton and second crop corn cultivation; the smallest amount comes from wheat and first crop corn cultivation. The largest amount of nitrogen remaining within the system was from second-crop corn, whereas, the smallest amount from wheat. It can be concluded that nitrogen fertilizer should be applied according to the soil characteristics, reduced by 5% for wheat, 10% for first crop corn, and 50% for second crop corn. As a result of this reduction fertilizer uptake efficiency will increase and N load to the wetlands will decrease.

Sixteen Year (2002-2017) Record of Sea Turtle Strandings on Samandağ Beach, the Eastern Mediterranean Coast of Turkey.

Bektaş Sönmez (2018) Data on stranded sea turtles allow us to obtain information about age classes, temporal and spatial distributions, and mortality rates in turtles. This study aims to investigate life stages, temporal variation in the number of stranded, body size trend, causes of stranding, and scute deviation of stranded sea turtles on Samandağ Beach, the eastern Mediterranean coast of Turkey during 2002-2017. A total of 302 stranded dead turtles were found. Among these, 167 (55.4%) of them were Chelonia mydas, 127 (42%) Caretta caretta, 2 (0.6%) Trionyx triunguis, and 6 individuals (2%) were unidentified. The mean annual stranding values over the years were 10.5 (ranging from 6 to 22) and 7.9 individuals (ranging from 4 to 21) for C. mydas and C. caretta, respectively. Although the adult green turtles were less stranded, sub-adult and adult stages of the loggerhead turtles were intensively stranded. As the body size of the stranded green turtle has slightly increased, the number of stranded green turtles has decreased over the years. Stranding of loggerhead turtles showed no trend in frequency or body size. The causes of death showed significant differences between the two species as well as among the years. Fishing activities and marine pollution is the main cause of strandings on Samandağ Beach. Oceanic and sub-adult stage individuals were stranded in especially high numbers due to plastic materials. Adult stages in both sea turtle have less carapacial scute deviation. The present study contributes to the stranded data for both sea turtle species in the Mediterranean. Natal origins of the stranded sea turtles on Samandağ Beach should be investigated and a stranding network system should be urgently established.

New record of diamondback puffer Lagocephalus guentheri Miranda Ribeiro, 1915 from the North-Eastern Mediterranean, Turkey

One specimen of the diamondback puffer fish, Lagocephalus guentheri (33.7 cm, TL) was caught by a commercial trammel net at a depth of 37 m on 12 May 2017 from the Arsuz coast, Turkey. The present paper is the first report of L. guentheri from the eastern Mediterranean coast of Turkey. Morphometric and meristics characters of our specimens are given and some remarks about the geographical distribution of the species in the all around the Mediterranean is presented. Although L. guentheri is recorded in the Mediterranean Sea and have been reported from the North-eastern Aegean waters of Turkey. The present study, L. guentheri was recorded for the first time from the northeastern Mediterranean, Turkey (Iskenderun Bay). The present of this species in the Mediterranean is propably due to migration from the Red Sea via the Suez Canal.

Analysis of road development and associated agricultural land use change.

Development of road network is one of the strongest drivers of habitat fragmentation. It interferes with ecological processes that are based on material and energy flows between landscape patches. Therefore, changes in temporal patterns of roads may be regarded as important landscape-level environmental indicators. The aim of this study is to analyze road development and associated agricultural land use change near the town of Erdemli located in the eastern Mediterranean coast of Turkey. The study area has witnessed an unprecedented development of agriculture since the 2000s. This process has resulted with the expansion of the road network. Associations between agricultural expansion and road development were investigated. High-resolution satellite images of 2004 and 2015 were used to analyze spatial and temporal dimensions of change. Satellite images were classified using a binary approach, in which land areas were labeled as either "agriculture" or "non-agriculture." Road networks were digitized manually. The study area was divided into 23 sublandscapes using a regular grid with 1-km cell spacing. Percentage of landscape (PL) for agriculture and road density (RD) metrics were calculated for the earlier (2004) and later (2015) years. Metric calculations were performed separately for each of the 23 sublandscapes in order to understand spatial diversity of agriculture and road density. Study results showed that both RD and PL exhibited similar increasing trends between 2004 and 2015.

Cosmogenic 36Cl glacial chronologies of the Late Quaternary glaciers on Mount Geyikdağ in the Eastern Mediterranean

We report the timing of glaciations during the Late Quaternary in the central Taurus Mountains of Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean. Forty moraine samples from three glacial valleys on Mount Geyikdağ (36.53°N, 32.10°E, 2877 m), near the Eastern Mediterranean coast of Turkey, were dated with in-situ cosmogenic 36Cl. These glacial valleys are located on the southern flank of the mountain and were filled with few km long glaciers that terminated at elevations of about 1750 m above sea level. Three glacial retreats/advances were determined in this study. During the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), glaciers reached their maximum positions at 20.6 ± 0.6 ka ago (±1σ). This date is in accordance with the timing of local maximum ice extent, represented by piedmont glaciers in the northern side of the mountain. Glaciers started to retreat after the LGM and shortly stabilized or re-advanced two times before they completely vanished out. The first stage ended before 13.7 ± 0.8 ka ago during the Late-glacial. The last glaciation occurred during the Holocene and ended between 9.6 ± 1.4 ka and 5.9 ± 0.5 ka ago. Later, glaciers mostly vanished from the study area, but a few rock glaciers developed during the Late Holocene. Glacial chronologies of Mount Geyikdağ are mostly comparable with the globally observed advances elsewhere.

Metal accumulations in different tissues of cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis L., 1758) in the Eastern Mediterranean coasts of Turkey.

In this study, metal concentration levels (Cd, Co, Cr, Ni, and Pb) were investigated in the gill, hepatopancreas, ovary, testis, and mantle of the male and female cuttlefish Sepia officinalis in various stations (Iskenderun, Antalya, Kas, Gazipasa, and Anamur) in Mediterranean coasts of Turkey. Hepatopancreas tissue was a better indicator in terms of heavy metal concentration compared to the other tissues. In general, Cd, Co, Cr, Ni, and Pb accumulation for the male was found more than that of the female, whereas Cd and Ni accumulation was found higher in the female. There was a relationship among the metals in the form of Co > Pb > Ni > Cd > Cr in the mantle tissue. The Pb concentration over the recommended limits was found in cuttlefish of Anamur, Antalya, and Iskenderun stations.

Toxicity of the Lessepsian pufferfish Lagocephalus sceleratus from eastern Mediterranean coasts of Turkey and species identification by rapid PCR amplification

Pufferfish, Lagocephalus sceleratus, L. suezensis and L. spadiceus, are widely distributed Lessepsian species along the Turkish and other eastern Mediterranean coasts. L. sceleratus is considered one of the worst invasive species in the Mediterranean Sea and recently caused human intoxication by accidental consumption. Therefore, methods to assess pufferfish toxicity and accurately identify toxic pufferfish are important for food safety. Firstly, 20 specimens of L. sceleratus were collected from the eastern Mediterranean coasts of Turkey. Tetrodotoxin (TTX) content was determined among different tissues (muscle, liver, gonad, kidney, intestine and skin) by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. All of the specimens contained TTX. The highest TTX concentration was detected in the ovary (80.0 µg TTX/g), followed by the intestine (48.8 µg TTX/g), kidney (34.0 µg TTX/g) and liver (25.4 µg TTX/g). The flesh and testis contained detectable amounts of TTX (3.4 µg TTX/g and 2.6 µg TTX/g, respectively). TTX analogs were also detected in the tissues, with 4,9-anhydro-5,6,11-trideoxyTTX and 5,6,11-trideoxyTTX being the major analog. A species-specific PCR method was developed to identify three species of genus Lagocephalus based on the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dehydrogenase subunit 2 or cytochrome oxidase subunit I regions of the mitochondrial DNA of L. sceleratus, L. suezensis, and L. spadiceus. The designed primers amplified only DNA of target species and not those of other fish and shellfish species. The species-specific PCR method successfully identified these pufferfish species and could be applied to thermally treated products of the pufferfish with only 1 ng of extracted DNA.