The faunistic analysis of soft bottom benthic materials collected from the Aegean and Levantine coasts of Turkey in August 2016 and 2017 revealed a total of 7 sipuncula species and 975 individuals ...belonging to 6 genera. The maximum population density of sipunculans was found to be 1790 ind.m−2 in the Aegean Sea and 730 ind.m−2 in the Levantine Sea. Onchnesoma steenstrupii steenstrupii was the most dominant species, comprising 83.1–92.8% of the total number of specimens in the Aegean Sea and 87.2–96.2% of the total number of specimens in the Levantine Sea. Four major sipunculan assemblages were found in the regions, and the main environmental factors controlling these assemblages were depth, temperature, salinity, the sediment grain size, nutrients and total organic carbon. Different abiotic factors affected the distribution of different sipunculan species in the regions. The present study included two cryptogenic sipunculan species; Apionsoma (Apionsoma) misakianum and Aspidosiphon (Aspidosiphon) mexicanus.
•Relation between sipunculan species and environmental variables was investigated.•Depth, temperature, salinity, the sediment grain size, nutrients and total organic carbon affected the distribution of the sipunculan species.•Different abiotic factors affected the distribution of different sipunculan species in the regions.
The 2020's update of marine alien species list from Turkey yielded a total of 539 species belonging to 18 taxonomic groups, 404 of which have become established in the region and 135 species are ...casual. A total of 185 new alien species have been added to the list since the previous update of 2011. The present compilation includes reports of an ascidian species (Rhodosoma turcicum) new to the marine fauna of Turkey and range extensions of six species. Among the established species, 105 species have invasive characters at least in one zoogeographic region, comprising 19% of all alien species. Mollusca ranked first in terms of the number of species (123 species), followed by Foraminifera (91 species), Pisces (80 species) and Arthropoda (79 species). The number of alien species found in seas surrounding Turkey ranged from 28 (Black Sea) to 413 (Levantine Sea). The vectoral importance of the Suez Canal diminishes when moving from south to north, accounting for 72% of species introductions in the Levantine Sea vs. only 11% of species introductions in the Black Sea. Most alien species on the coasts of Turkey were originated from the Red Sea (58%), due to the proximity of the country to the Suez Canal. Shipping activities transported 39% of alien species, mainly from the Indo-Pacific area (20%) and the Atlantic Ocean (10%). Misidentified species (such as Pterois volitans, Trachurus declivis, etc.) and species those classified as questionable or cryptogenic were omitted from the list based on new data gathered in the last decade and expert judgements. The documented impacts of invasive species on socio-economy, biodiversity and human health in the last decade as well as the legislation and management backgrounds against alien species in Turkey are presented.
Ocean literacy (OL) refers to the ability of citizens to understand and explain the concepts and phenomena related to the oceans, and leads them to positive behavioral change for the protection and ...sustainability of the oceans. The study presents a bibliometric analysis of ocean literacy-based studies published between 2017 and 2021, in order to provide more meaningful information about (a) the academic journals that mostly publish ocean literacy studies, (b) the content analysis of the articles, (c) country rankings over the years (d) the keywords mostly used and (e) the funding source. The Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases were used to find ocean literacy-based articles. Seventy-nine articles from forty ocean literacy academic journals covered by WoS and Scopus were carefully selected using predefined criteria. The results revealed that most of ocean literacy-based articles were published in the Frontiers in Marine Science journal (n=23). The countries that published the most ocean literacy-based articles were UK, Italy, Canada, USA, and Portugal. Most of the studies were supported by governmental budgets (n=44). The most popular concepts in ocean literacy-based studies included “Global OL Perspectives’’, “Sustainability”, “Citizen Science”, “Students’ OL Improvement”, “Measuring and Evaluating Students and Teachers’ OL”, “Stakeholders’ Effects on OL”, “OL Based Books-iBooks-Textbooks” and “Individuals’ Affective Domain on OL”. By considering the large number of ocean literacy-based articles published in academic journals indexed in WoS and Scopus, this article can contribute significantly to ocean literacy studies and informed and responsible research, as well as to citizen input to policy development on ocean literacy.
The present study deals with benthic community structures of mussel beds (Mytilus galloprovincialis) in the Sea of Marmara, including the Çanakkale and İstanbul Straits. The Sea of Marmara's mussel ...beds were mainly formed by small-sized mussel individuals (shell length <4 cm). Macrobenthic species associated with the mussels support high diversity in the region, comprising 184 species belonging to 11 taxonomic groups. The annelids (38% of total number of species) were the most diverse group and arthropods (48% of total number of individuals) the most abundant. Motile species numerically dominated mussel beds at stations, while epibiont fauna were relatively low in terms of number of species and abundance. Five different species assemblages were identified in the region, which appeared to be mainly influenced by some biotic (e.g. mussel biomass, alien species) and abiotic (e.g. salinity) factors. The assemblages were mainly characterized by having high abundances of three crustacean (Jassa marmorata, Hyale schmidti and Melita palmata) and one polychaete (Platynereis dumerilii) species. Seven alien species were found at stations, of which the small-sized anthozoon Diadumene cincta accounted for 86% of total number of individuals of alien species.
•The Marmara Sea's mussel beds were mainly composed of small-sized mussels.•The mussel beds had a diverse associated fauna.•Different species assemblages occurred in the region.•The community structures were mainly affected by salinity and mussel biomass•Invasive alien species occurred in mussel beds.
The fauna associated to the sponge Sarcotragus foetidus was studied in two eco-regions of the Mediterranean Sea, the Aegean and Levantine Seas. A total of 134 species belonging to 8 taxonomic groups ...were determined. Different species assemblages were encountered in the eco-regions, mainly due to the importance of some alien species (Red Sea invaders) on sponge communities. Among community parameters, only the number of species differed significantly among the sub-regions. The number of species and the number of individuals were significantly and positively correlated with the sponge volume. The species assemblage patterns determined were significant correlated with a set of environmental variables such as nitrogen, phosphate and dissolved oxygen. Some alien species such as the ophiuroid Ophiactis savignyi and the polychaete Leonnates indicus densely invaded porous systems of sponges in the Levantine Sea, indicating the magnitude of impacts of alien species on the eastern Mediterranean ecosystem. In the Levantine Sea, the alien species accounted for 34% of total number of individuals of macro-invertebrates associated with sponges, but the percentage rose up to 64% in Iskenderun Bay (eastern-most point of studied area). The biotic index ALEX detected a moderate ecological status in the area in terms of the impacts of alien species on native biodiversity.
This paper deals with annelids (Oligochaeta and Polychaeta) collected in the Sea of Marmara between 2006 and 2010 at depths from 0 to 66 m. A total of five oligochaete and 198 polychaete species were ...found. Five polychaete species, namely Prosphaerosyllis marmarae sp. nov., Levinsenia demiri sp. nov., Levinsenia kosswigi sp. nov., Levinsenia marmarensis sp. nov. and Levinsenia tribranchiata sp. nov. are new to science, and five oligochaete and 84 polychaete species are new to the fauna of the Sea of Marmara. A list of species found in the region and their maximum densities are presented at depth intervals. The present material includes six alien polychaete species, Paraprionospio coora, Polydora cornuta, Prionospio (Minuspio) pulchra, Pseudopolydora paucibranchiata, Chaetozone corona and Metasychis gotoi, of which the latter four species were new records for the region.
Current status Bilecenoglu, Murat; Yokes, M. Baki; Bakir, Kerem ...
PloS one,
05/2021, Letnik:
16, Številka:
5
Journal Article
Recenzirano
The 2020's update of marine alien species list from Turkey yielded a total of 539 species belonging to 18 taxonomic groups, 404 of which have become established in the region and 135 species are ...casual. A total of 185 new alien species have been added to the list since the previous update of 2011. The present compilation includes reports of an ascidian species (Rhodosoma turcicum) new to the marine fauna of Turkey and range extensions of six species. Among the established species, 105 species have invasive characters at least in one zoogeographic region, comprising 19% of all alien species. Mollusca ranked first in terms of the number of species (123 species), followed by Foraminifera (91 species), Pisces (80 species) and Arthropoda (79 species). The number of alien species found in seas surrounding Turkey ranged from 28 (Black Sea) to 413 (Levantine Sea). The vectoral importance of the Suez Canal diminishes when moving from south to north, accounting for 72% of species introductions in the Levantine Sea vs. only 11% of species introductions in the Black Sea. Most alien species on the coasts of Turkey were originated from the Red Sea (58%), due to the proximity of the country to the Suez Canal. Shipping activities transported 39% of alien species, mainly from the Indo-Pacific area (20%) and the Atlantic Ocean (10%). Misidentified species (such as Pterois volitans, Trachurus declivis, etc.) and species those classified as questionable or cryptogenic were omitted from the list based on new data gathered in the last decade and expert judgements. The documented impacts of invasive species on socio-economy, biodiversity and human health in the last decade as well as the legislation and management backgrounds against alien species in Turkey are presented.
The present paper deals with the ecology and population characteristics of the sipunculid Apionsoma (A.) misakianum from the Aegean Sea, which is a new record for the Mediterranean Sea. A total of ...571 specimens of this species were collected at 25 stations between 41 and 195 m depth. The majority of specimens were found between the depth intervals 101-150 m (46%) and 151-200 m (45.2%). The biometrical parameters such as the trunk length and individual wet weight of the specimens were evaluated using regression and correlation analyses. In addition, the morphological, ecological and distributional features of the species are given and discussed.