Shape and size analyses of otoliths are widely considered appropriate tools for distinguishing between fish species and for assessing populations and stocks. The present study aims to distinguish four gurnard species collected from Edremit Bay (Aegean Sea) based on variations in their otolith shape morphology. A total of 60 specimens of Eutrigla gurnardus, 64 of Chelidonichthys lastoviza, 60 of Chelidonichthys lucerna, and 60 of Lepidotrigla cavillone were analyzed. No significant intraspecific differences were noted in the morphology of the left and right otoliths, and so only the left sagittal otoliths were subjected to further analysis. Otolith shape was quantified using wavelet coefficients generated via the ShapeR software package. In addition, otolith size indices, including length (OL), height (OH), perimeter (OP), and area (OA), were extracted from digital images, while shape descriptors such as form factor (FF), aspect ratio (AR), ellipticity (E), circularity (C), roundness (RD), and rectangularity (R), were measured for each species. Significant interspecific differences were observed in the otolith shape and size indices (p < 0.05), and mean otolith shapes generated using wavelet derived contours revealed obvious shape differences among the species. These findings were strongly supported by a canonical analysis of principal coordinates (CAP), with the first two axes together explaining 96.5% of the total variance (CAP1 = 84.7%, CAP2 = 11.8%). Overall, the results indicate that otolith shape analysis is a reliable tool for identifying gurnard species and provides a methodological baseline for future comparative studies in the Aegean Sea.

Montelukast sodium (MS) is a leukotriene receptor antagonist and used clinically as an antiasthma agent. MS has been hypothesized to have adverse effects in insects. To test this hypothesis, MS was added to the artificial diet of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster Meigen (Diptera: Drosophilidae) at different concentrations (1200, 1600, 2000, and 2400 mg/L) under laboratory conditions. The effects of MS on the survival rate and development time of D. melanogaster, as well as its effects on malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and cytochrome P450 monooxygenase (CYP450) enzyme activity in adults were investigated. The genotoxic effect of MS in whole adults was examined using a single-cell gel comet assay. Compared with the control, dietary MS concentrations led to decreased survivorship in each developmental stage of the insects. MDA content was significantly higher in adults reared on MS diets at 2400 mg/L. In addition, low MS concentrations significantly decreased CYP450 enzyme activity in the adults. MS resulted in significantly more DNA damage. This study confirms that oxidative stress and DNA damage are induced by dietary exposure to MS in D. melanogaster adults, adversely affecting survivorship. These findings have important implications in the control of agricultural pest insects.

Abamectin (ABM) is a widely used pesticide in agriculture and aquaculture worldwide. However, limited information is available on the toxic impacts of ABM on nontarget marine organisms, necessitating further research to investigate the toxic impacts of ABM on marine life. Hence, this study examined the acute (0.5–2.5 μg/L for 24 and 48 h) and chronic (0.125–0.5 μg/L for 7 days) toxicity of ABM on the marine microcrustacean Artemia franciscana under different incubation conditions and at different stages of development. To simulate a more realistic environmental scenario, some of the exposure tests were conducted in the presence of food or with mechanical agitation of the test medium. Hatchability cyst, mortality of larvae (instars 1, 2, and 3), and several morphological parameters were selected as end points for toxicity assessment. The results demonstrated that ABM significantly decreased the hatching and emergence success following exposure to 1 and 2.5 μg/L for 24 h and 48 h, respectively, in all treatment groups (p ˂ 0.05). There was a concentration-dependent increase in mortality of larvae, with instar 2 indicating the greatest sensitivity to ABM, followed by instars 3 and 1. Body lengths of larvae (instars 1, 2, and 3) decreased with the dosage levels. Higher mortality was observed in the unfed tests, and the incubation method (with or without agitation) had no significant effect on ABM toxicity. Our results provide valuable toxicological data for assessing the impact of ABM on marine crustacean species and highlight its potential ecological risk to marine ecosystems.

The aim of this publication is to compile an updated list of marine arthropod species reported from the coasts of Türkiye. As of the first half of 2024, a total of 1886 arthropod species have been reported in the marine and brackish water environments of Türkiye. The class Malacostraca, having the highest number of species, is followed by Copepoda, Ostracoda, Arachnida, Pycnogonida, Thecostraca, Branchiopoda, and Insecta in terms of species diversity. Additionally, 83 alien species have been identified.

This study evaluates the biosorption ability of chitin derived from a specific spider species namely Drassodes lapidosus (Walckenaer, 1802) belongs to Gnaphosidae family. The obtained chitin was characterized by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. In the alpha form of the obtained chitin, its thermal stability was observed to be 356.9 ℃ and, the Crl value was 69.16%. In addition, this chitin was used as a bioadsorbent to remove heavy metal ions such as Ni (II), Cu (II) and Pb (II) from the aqueous medium by solid phase extraction (SPE) method using mini adsorption columns. The SPE method was optimized by changing one variable at a time. Main parameters affecting the SPE technique such as solution pH, sample volume, and interfering ions were optimized in model metal solutions containing Pb (II), Cu (II) and Ni (II) at certain concentrations. Determination of metal concentrations were acquired by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer (FAAS). The results revealed that, Pb (II), Cu (II) and Ni (II) ions could be quantitatively removed from their environment at pH=5, by their adsorption on the surface of the chitin. Even in the presence of possible interfering anions and cations at high concentrations. Pb (II), Cu (II) and Ni (II) could be separated quantitatively from aqueous solution by using Drassodes lapidosus chitin as adsorbent.

Artificial light associated with coastal development is becoming one of the major threats to coastal biodiversity. Sea turtles are coastal breeders, and it is well-known that hatchlings tend to move toward lighter objects on the beach, which prevents them from reaching the sea. It is, therefore, essential to identify the impact of artificial light at night (ALAN) on the nesting beaches. Here, we investigated ALAN levels using imagery from satellites at important green turtle (Chelonia mydas) nesting beaches in the Mediterranean. Mean August radiance levels at nesting beaches ranged from 0.00473 nW/cm2sr (Northern Cyprus-South Karpaz Beach) to 14.44 nW/cm2sr (Turkey – Davultepe Beach). Of the thirteen nesting beaches examined, five were below the threshold value of high ALAN effect (>2 nW/cm2sr). A statistically significant increasing trend was detected throughout the years on mean radiance levels in Kazanlı (r = 0.88, p < 0.01), Samandağ (r = 0.91, p < 0.01), Alata (r = 0.89, p < 0.01) and Davultepe (r = 0.88, p < 0.01). Based on possible scenarios of previously published scientific results, present work revealed the negative impact of ALAN which causes the decline of habitat quality on core nesting beaches of green turtles in the Mediterranean.

The importance of underground hibernacula for the conservation of bats and monitoring their populations is well-recognized. However, the lowland territory of Belarus, with absent natural caves and suitable for bats mines, was one of the least surveyed European regions in terms of underground bat sites, and especially hibernacula. To address this knowledge gap, in 2020, we conducted a broadscale one winter bat survey, exploring 90 underground sites (basements, cellars, church crypts, fortifications, and facilities of abandoned Soviet missile bases) in various parts of Belarus. To our knowledge, none of these sites had been examined for bats before. In 56 of the 90 underground sites, we discovered hibernating bats (a total of 1054 ind.) of six species: Barbastella barbastellus (78.5% of all bats), Myotis daubentonii (7.4%), Plecotus auritus (5.1%), Eptesicus nilssonii (4.9%), Myotis brandtii and Eptesicus serotinus (in sum, 2%). The distribution of bats among the hibernacula was highly uneven (with N$_{Me}$ = 3; N$_{av}$ = 19 ind.). In 76% of the hibernacula, the number of bats was between 1 and 10 individuals per site, which accounted for approximately 10% of all bats recorded during the survey. Only in five sites we found over 50 bats. One to four species were present in each site, with one species found in 58% of the hibernacula. We suppose that the small number of species and relatively small number of bats per hibernaculum is characteristic of the study region. This supports the idea that selecting key underground bat sites for their conservation and monitoring should be done regionally and only after obtaining primary data about bat species and their numbers in a sufficient number of sites. Our data significantly expands knowledge about underground bat hibernacula in the large lowland territory of eastern Europe and may serve as a starting point for further monitoring.

Morphological features are important for intraspecific and interspecific variation. Teeth are important taxonomical characteristics because they can differ according to diet. Shape analysis of the first upper molar (M1) was used to determine geographical variations and effects of ecological changes on the population structure of Hazel dormice (Muscardinus avellanarius) living in Turkey. Both outline and landmark analysis, as well as a canonical variates analysis, showed significant differences in teeth shape between populations. With this technique, we separated out two subspecies: M. a. trapezius and M. a. abanticus.

A dense mucilage event occurred between November 2020 and August 2021 in the Marmara Sea, Turkey. In this study, the aim was to understand the effect of mucilage on coastal fish biodiversity. For this purpose, juvenile and small-sized adult fish species were sampled with an experimental beach seine at 12 equally-spaced stations around the Marmara Sea between November 2021 and April 2022. In total, 34 species belonging to 19 families were sampled. Approximately 70% of the total fish abundance were Atherina boyeri Risso, 1810, Chelon auratus (Risso, 1810) and Chelon saliens (Risso, 1810). Highest abundance was detected from S5 (Marmara Ereğlisi) and S11 (Florya) comprising 17.3% and 14.2% of total abundance, respectively. Maximum species richness was found at S4 (Erdek) and S12 (Yalova Tigem), with 21 and 18 species, respectively. The highest biodiversity indexes were seen at S4, S8 (Karacabey floodplain area) and S12, whereas the lowest biodiversity index was found at S9 (Büyükçekmece). S4 and S8 should be monitored and protected by fisheries management authorities due to being nursery and protection areas for the Sea of Marmara. When the biomass and biodiversity of the coastal fish assemblages were compared with previous studies conducted before the mucilage event, it can be said that mucilage did not adversely affect recruitment success.

This study investigated the feeding patterns of populations of Anopheles sacharovi, Culex tritaeniorhynchus, and Culex pipiens in the Mediterranean and Aegean regions of Turkey. Blood-fed females resting inside barns, houses, and chicken coops in the rural areas were collected between May 2017 and September 2019, and the genomic DNA from each female was isolated to determine the blood source after amplification of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene region. Cytb results showed that out of 445 blood-fed An. sacharovi females 2 blood-fed from dogs, 9 from birds, and 434 from cows. The results also showed that all 216 blood-fed females Cx. tritaeniorhynchus captured fed from cows, 6 out of 97 Cx. pipiens females fed from horses and 91 from birds. The feeding pattern of mosquito populations can be affected by numerous factors such as sampling method, sample size, and host abundance. Although field studies on mosquito feeding patterns do not reveal the feeding preference of such vectors, they provide vital information to understanding of vector and host interactions in the research area. Moreover, these data can give an idea of possible human contact in an environment where various hosts are readily accessible to a given vector mosquito; this is important for the prevention of various human diseases caused by vector mosquitoes.