Summary
I completed my undergraduate education in Atatürk University, Education Faculty, Biology Department. Then pursued my graduate education at the Biology Department of Mersin University. Both my ...master's and PhD theses were on the biological and population genetics features of various fish species. My initial encounter with tunicates dates back to my Postdoc at Israel Oceanographic and Limnologic Research Institute (IOLR) in 2011, where I was working on a DNA barcoding project. During that time, the entire institute was actively engaged in research on tunicates, and discussions during lunchtime often revolved around this fascinating group of organisms. Prof. Rinkevich usually only spoke seriously about tunicate biology but 1 day he told me “You know Botryllus schlosseri is riding horse in Black Sea coasts of Turkiye.” I was totally surprised and was trying to understand the meaning of this comment from a scientific perspective. He then showed me the picture of a B. schlosseri colony attached to a seahorse. Following several more Postdoc experiences, I began working as a Principal Investigator at Institute of Marine Sciences, Middle East Technical University (IMS‐METU) in 2017. Since then, my team and I have been working on tunicate biodiversity, evolutionary biology, genomics, DNA barcoding, metabarcoding, metabolomics, whole‐body regeneration (WBR) and aging related pathways.
Botrylloides niger (class Ascidiacea) is an invasive marine filter-feeding invertebrate that is believed to originate from the West Atlantic region. This species of colonial tunicate has been ...observed in several locations along the coasts of Israel and around the Suez Canal, but it has not yet been reported on the coasts of the Northeastern Mediterranean Sea (NEMS), suggesting an ongoing Lessepsian migration. However, the extent of this invasion might be concealed by reports of other potentially misidentified species of Botrylloides, given that the strong morphological similarities within this genus renders taxonomical identification particularly challenging. In this study, we performed a phylogeographic and morphological analysis of B. niger in the NEMS. We collected 238 samples from 8 sampling stations covering 824 km of the coastlines of NEMS. We reported 14 different morphotypes, of which the orange-brown, orange, and brown-striped morphs were the most abundant. Using the mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase I (COI) as a DNA barcode marker, we identified 4 haplotypes. The COI haplotypes clustered with the reference B. niger sequences from GenBank and differed significantly from the sister Botrylloides species. We confirmed our identification using three additional barcoding markers (Histone 3, 18S rRNA, and 28S rRNA), which all matched with over 99% similarity to reference sequences. In addition, we monitored a station for a year and conducted a temporal analysis of the collected colonies. The colonies were absent during the winter and spring, while new colonies were established in the summer and expanded during autumn. We performed demographic population analysis on our spatial data that identified a possible population subdivision at a sampling site, which might have been caused by local freshwater input. Herein, we present the first report on the presence of Botrylloides niger in the NEMS. This study represents a key step toward understanding the diversity and the propagation of this highly invasive species of colonial ascidians, both within the Mediterranean basin as well as globally.
Legally protected plants are illegally traded through online sales platforms and orchids are a significant component of this wildlife trade. This study focused on
salep,
a compound product made from ...wild collected orchid tubers from several genera—including
Anacamptis, Dactylorhiza, Himantoglossum, Ophrys, Orchis, Serapias—
whose harvest endangers some of the species used, despite their collection and sale being restricted by national and international legislation. Using a custom designed web crawler in combination with DNA barcoding of a subset of products over 18 months 1942 items of
salep
were detected as sold at a total value of US$ 37,775, estimated to be equivalent to 90,000 to 180,000 wild orchids being destructively harvested. Wild harvested tubers traded at a value of $0.21 and equivalent cultivated orchids have a market price of $16–28; cultivation is currently no viable alternative to wild harvesting. Using a web crawler on open trade sites contributes to knowledge on illegal wildlife trade, which can be used to address illegal plant trade at the national and international level.
The scopes related to the interplay between stem cells and the immune system are broad and range from the basic understanding of organism’s physiology and ecology to translational studies, further ...contributing to (eco)toxicology, biotechnology, and medicine as well as regulatory and ethical aspects. Stem cells originate immune cells through hematopoiesis, and the interplay between the two cell types is required in processes like regeneration. In addition, stem and immune cell anomalies directly affect the organism’s functions, its ability to cope with environmental changes and, indirectly, its role in ecosystem services. However, stem cells and immune cells continue to be considered parts of two branches of biological research with few interconnections between them. This review aims to bridge these two seemingly disparate disciplines towards much more integrative and transformative approaches with examples deriving mainly from aquatic invertebrates. We discuss the current understanding of cross-disciplinary collaborative and emerging issues, raising novel hypotheses and comments. We also discuss the problems and perspectives of the two disciplines and how to integrate their conceptual frameworks to address basic equations in biology in a new, innovative way.
Goksu Delta is a specially protected area in the Mediterranean region of Turkey. The delta is classified as a Wetland of International Importance according to the RAMSAR Convention on Wetlands of ...International Importance. Increases in population have recently taken place in this region due to heavy agricultural activities and discharges of anthropogenic wastes. In the present study, frequencies of erythrocytic nuclear abnormalities such as, micronuclei (MN) and nuclear buds (NB) were investigated in peripheral blood of three fish species; Clarias gariepinus (Catfish), Alburnus orontis (Bleak), and Mugil cephalus (Mullet) from Akgol (AG) and Paradeniz (PD) lagoons of Goksu Delta. Concentrations of heavy metals (Cu, Cd, Ni, Pb) were also measured in the water, sediment samples. MN and NA frequencies were elevated in fish from AG and PD lagoons in comparison with those from upstream regions. The results of this study indicate that the lagoons of Goksu Delta contaminated with genotoxic pollutants and that the genotoxicity is related to the agricultural activities and to the discharge of anthropogenic waste waters.
Long-day photoperiods are considered as an effective managerial tool in manipulating somatic growth and reproduction in a number of fish species. Effects of three different artificial long-day ...photoperiods on somatic growth and gonadal development of Nile tilapia (
Oreochromis niloticus L.) were investigated in this study. Swim-up fry with a mean initial weight of 0.06 g were exposed to 24L:0D, 20L:4D and 18L:6D artificial photoperiods and ambient light regime (control) for 24 weeks at 27.0
±
1 °C. The effect of photoperiodic manipulation was only detectable and statistically meaningful during fingerling stage. Long-day photoperiods resulted in significantly higher mean final weights and specific growth rates (SGR) than natural light regime. The highest mean final weight (24.94
±
0.45 g) and SGR (3.46
±
0.03% day
−
1
) were obtained under 24L:0D photoperiod. Mean female gonadosomatic index (GSI) and mean oocyte size were significantly lower in fish maintained under continuous light regime (24L:0D) than those of 20L:4D, 18L:6D treatments and control. The highest gonadosomatic indices were recorded in control female and males. Mean oocyte diameter in fish exposed to continuous light was measured as 1.05
±
0.06 mm with the bulk of the oocytes (60.0%) in pre-vitellogenic stage (≤
1.20 mm). On the contrary, oocyte size and size distribution of oocytes in 20L:4D, 18L:6D photoperiod groups and control were indicating a more advanced oocyte development stage, i.e. vitellogenic (1.2–1.8 mm) and post-vitellogenic stages (>
2.1–2.4 mm). Basically, results obtained support the idea that continuous artificial lighting may be influential on enhancing somatic growth and delaying gonadal development in Nile tilapia during fingerling stage.
Tunicates are marine filter-feeding invertebrates that can be found worldwide and which are the closest phylogenetic group to the vertebrates (Craniata). Of particular interest, colonial tunicates ...are the only known chordates that can undergo Whole-Body Regeneration (WBR) via vascular budding. In Botrylloides anceps, a fully functional adult regenerates from a fragment of the vascular system in around 2 weeks after amputation. In this chapter, we present protocols to collect B. anceps colonies, confirm their species, breed them in the lab, monitor WBR and perform histological staining on cryosections.
Botrylloides niger (class Ascidiacea) is an invasive marine filter-feeding invertebrate that is believed to originate from the West Atlantic region. This species of colonial tunicate has been ...observed in several locations along the coasts of Israel and around the Suez Canal, but it has not yet been reported on the coasts of the Northeastern Mediterranean Sea (NEMS), suggesting an ongoing Lessepsian migration. However, the extent of this invasion might be concealed by reports of other potentially misidentified species of Botrylloides, given that the strong morphological similarities within this genus renders taxonomical identification particularly challenging. In this study, we performed a phylogeographic and morphological analysis of B. niger in the NEMS. We collected 238 samples from 8 sampling stations covering 824 km of the coastlines of NEMS. We reported 14 different morphotypes, of which the orange-brown, orange, and brown-striped morphs were the most abundant. Using the mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase I (COI) as a DNA barcode marker, we identified 4 haplotypes. The COI haplotypes clustered with the reference B. niger sequences from GenBank and differed significantly from the sister Botrylloides species. We confirmed our identification using three additional barcoding markers (Histone 3, 18S rRNA, and 28S rRNA), which all matched with over 99% similarity to reference sequences. In addition, we monitored a station for a year and conducted a temporal analysis of the collected colonies. The colonies were absent during the winter and spring, while new colonies were established in the summer and expanded during autumn. We performed demographic population analysis on our spatial data that identified a possible population subdivision at a sampling site, which might have been caused by local freshwater input. Herein, we present the first report on the presence of Botrylloides niger in the NEMS. This study represents a key step toward understanding the diversity and the propagation of this highly invasive species of colonial ascidians, both within the Mediterranean basin as well as globally.
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