Search Results (12)

Hierapolis of Phrygia, an archaeological site in southwestern Turkey, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988. During archaeological campaigns, 71 mortar samples from public buildings were collected, dating from the Julio-Claudian to the Middle Byzantine period. The samples were analyzed using a multi-analytical approach including polarized optical microscopy (POM), digital image analysis (DIA), X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) and SEM–EDS to trace the raw materials and understand the evolution of mortar composition and technology over time. During the Roman period, travertine and marble were commonly used in binder production, while marble dominated in the Byzantine period. The aggregates come mainly from sands of the Lycian Nappe and Menderes Massif, with carbonate and silicate rock fragments. Variations in composition, average size and circularity suggest changes in raw material sources in both Roman and Byzantine periods. Cocciopesto mortar was used in water-related structures from the Flavian to the Severan period, but, in the Byzantine period, it also appeared in non-hydraulic contexts. Straw became a common organic additive in Byzantine renders, marking a shift from the exclusively inorganic aggregates of Roman renders. This study illustrates the evolving construction technologies and material sources used throughout the city’s history. Full article

This study estimates relative pollen productivity (RPP) for plant taxa from Southern Anatolia, an important region in the Mediterranean with a long history of human settlements. RPP estimates are required for quantitative pollen-based reconstruction of past land cover modelling. The application of the reconstruction by the REVEALS model in the Mediterranean basin is constrained due to the scarcity of the RPP values specific to the region. To better understand the relationship between vegetation cover and land use in the Mediterranean area, the present study aims to provide a set of RPPs for Turkey and the Mediterranean region. The study area centres around Gölhisar Lake in southwestern Turkey. Modern pollen data are collected from moss pollsters from 21 sites together with vegetation surveys. RPP estimates for the main taxa characteristic of the Mediterranean region are obtained (referenced to evergreen Quercus t.) using the extended R-value (ERV) model through the analysis of modern pollen assemblages. The most reliable results are acquired with the ERV sub-model 2 and Prentice’s taxon-specific method (using a Gaussian plume dispersal model) to distance-weighted vegetation data, corresponding to a Relative Source Area of Pollen (RSAP) value of 102 m. RPPs of dominant taxa in the study area are obtained for Quercus coccifera/Fagaceae (1 ± 0), Juniperus/Cupressaceae (0.279 ± 0.001), Fabaceae (0.008 ± 0.000), Pinus/Pinaceae (5.782 ± 0.011), and Poaceae (0.112 ± 0.001) and are comparable with other RPPs obtained in the Mediterranean region. Full article

Phytoplankton guilds are commonly characterised by dominance effects, while the main contribution to biological diversity is given by rare species. Here, we analysed the influence of rare species on taxonomic and functional diversity, which is described by taxa richness and composition, cell size, and size–abundance relationships in phytoplankton guilds. We explore these relationships at global and regional scales by analysing phytoplankton guilds from five biogeographical regions: the Northern Atlantic Ocean (Scotland), the South-Western Atlantic Ocean (Brazil), the South-Western Pacific Ocean (Australia), the Indo-Pacific Ocean (Maldives), and the Mediterranean Sea (Greece and Turkey). We have comparatively analysed the phytoplankton taxonomic diversity of the whole dataset and with the datasets obtained by progressively subtracting taxa occurring in the last 1%, 5%, 10%, and 25% of both numerical abundance and overall biomass. Globally, 306 taxa were identified across five ecoregions with only 27 taxa accounting for 75% of overall numerical abundance and biomass; almost 50% of taxa were lost on every step. The removal of 1% of most rare taxa significantly affected the phytoplankton size–abundance relationships and body-size structure, strongly impacting on small taxa. The progressive removal of additional rare taxa did not further affect phytoplankton size–abundance relationships and size structure. Full article

In our study, using the analysis of DNA barcodes and morphology (wing color, male genitalia, and female sphragis shape), we show that the group of species close to P. mnemosyne comprises the western and eastern phylogenetic lineages. The eastern lineage includes P. stubbendorfii, P. glacialis, and P. hoenei. The western lineage includes three morphologically similar species: P. mnemosyne (Western Eurasia), P. turatii (southwestern Europe), and P. nubilosus stat. nov. (Turkmenistan and NE Iran), as well as the morphologically differentiated P. ariadne (Altai). The latter species differs from the rest of the group in the presence of red spots on the wings. Parnassius mnemosyne s.s. is represented by four differentiated mitochondrial clusters that show clear association with specific geographic regions. We propose to interpret them as subspecies: P. mnemosyne mnemosyne (Central and Eastern Europe, N Caucasus, N Turkey), P. mnemosyne adolphi (the Middle East), P. mnemosyne falsa (Tian Shan), and P. mnemosyne gigantea (Gissar-Alai in Central Asia). We demonstrate that in P. ariadne, the red spots on the wing evolved as a reversion to the ancestral wing pattern. This reversion is observed in Altai, where the distribution areas of the western lineage, represented by P. ariadne, and the eastern lineage, represented by P. stubbendorfii, overlap. These two species hybridize in Altai, and we hypothesize that the color change in P. ariadne is the result of reinforcement of prezygotic isolation in the contact zone. The lectotype of Parnassius mnemosyne var. nubilosus Christoph, 1873, is designated. Full article

Years of outbreaks of woody canker (Cryptosphaeria pullmanensis) in the United States, Iran, and China have resulted in massive economic losses to biological forests and fruit trees. However, only limited information is available on their distribution, and their habitat requirements have not been well evaluated due to a lack of research. In recent years, scientists have utilized the MaxEnt model to estimate the effect of global temperature and specific environmental conditions on species distribution. Using occurrence and high resolution ecological data, we predicted the spatiotemporal distribution of C. pullmanensis under twelve climate change scenarios by applying the MaxEnt model. We identified climatic factors, geography, soil, and land cover that shape their distribution range and determined shifts in their habitat range. Then, we measured the suitable habitat area, the ratio of change in the area of suitable habitat, the expansion and shrinkage of maps under climate change, the direction and distance of range changes from the present to the end of the twenty-first century, and the effect of environmental variables. C. pullmanensis is mostly widespread in high-suitability regions in northwestern China, the majority of Iran, Afghanistan, and Turkey, northern Chile, southwestern Argentina, and the west coast of California in the United States. Under future climatic conditions, climate changes of varied intensities favored the expansion of suitable habitats for C. pullmanensis in China. However, appropriate land areas are diminishing globally. The trend in migration is toward latitudes and elevations that are higher. The estimated area of possible suitability shifted eastward in China. The results of the present study are valuable not only for countries such as Morocco, Spain, Chile, Turkey, Kazakhstan, etc., where the infection has not yet fully spread or been established, but also for nations where the species has been discovered. Authorities should take steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to restrict the spread of C. pullmanensis. Countries with highly appropriate locations should increase their surveillance, risk assessment, and response capabilities. Full article

The ladybird, Stethorus gilvifrons (Mulsant) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), is an important predator of two-spotted spider mites, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae), in southeastern Europe and western and southwestern Asia, such as Iran, India, and Turkey. To enhance forecasting the occurrence and performance of this predator in natural control and improve its usage in biological control, we evaluated and compared four non-linear oviposition models, i.e., Enkegaard, Analytis, Bieri-1, and Bieri-2. The models were validated by using data of age-specific fecundity of female S. gilvifrons at six constant temperatures (15, 20, 25, 27, 30, and 34 °C). All four models provided good fit quality to age-dependent oviposition at 15 to 30 °C (R² 0.67 to 0.94; R²_adj 0.63 to 0.94) but had a poor fit at 34 °C (R² 0.33 to 0.40; R²_adj 0.17 to 0.34). Within temperatures, the best performing models were Bieri-1 (R²), Bieri-2 (R²_adj), and Analytis (RSS) at 15 °C, Bieri-1 at 27 °C, and Analytis at 20, 25, and 30 °C. Analytis was the best suited model across the wide temperature range tested (from 15 to 30 °C). The models presented here allow for prediction of the population dynamics of S. gilvifrons in field and greenhouse crops in temperate and subtropical climates. Full article

A total of thirteen (13) paleoclimatic coastal and hinterland archives of the broader eastern Mediterranean region were collected and examined statistically in search of underlying trends for the period 2800 to 200 BP. For each archive, a proxy record representative of hydro-climatic changes was selected, normalized using z-factors to facilitate intercomparison, and analyzed statistically. Multivariate statistical analysis was performed using a clustering analysis (HCA) and dimension reduction (PCA), which led to groupings of similar records temporally, and allowed the identification of spatially underlying modes of variability. Two main modes of variability were identified, further supporting complex trajectories of paleoclimatic evolution in the region. The first mode was identified for sites presenting a trend from a wetter to an overall drier phase, with respective changes at major phase shifts at 1400 BP and 1100 BP. All sites were from the southern and northern Balkan region, as well as southwestern Turkey. A contrasting dry to wet trend was identified for a site in the Peloponnese (Greece) and the Levant, with a major phase shift at around 750 BP. The inclusion of different proxies from very different environmental settings and the 200-year window has complicated the connection of established short-term climatic events to the study’s findings. Full article

The Western Anatolia Region of Turkey is an important region of high seismic activity. The active dynamics of the region are shaped by a compression and expansion mechanism. This active mechanism is still ongoing and causes strong seismic activity in the region. The Frontinus Gate is a monument in the Roman city of Hierapolis of Phrygia located in southwestern Anatolia. The aim of this study is to investigate the seismic behavior of this stone masonry structure using discrete element modeling. For this purpose, nonlinear dynamic analyses were performed to simulate the structural response of the gate under seismic excitation. Deformation, damage, and failure patterns induced in the masonry gate for different levels of seismic action are evaluated and discussed. An earthquake with a return period of 475 years is expected to cause some damage, but no collapse, while for a return period of 2475 years, the models indicate collapse of the monument. Full article

In this study, we identified the most important climate factors affecting the radial growth of black pine at different elevations of the mountain regions of Southwestern Turkey (Sandıras Mountain, Muğla/Turkey). We used four black pine tree-ring chronologies, which represent upper and lower distribution limits of black pine forest on the South and North slopes of Sandıras Mountain. The relationships between tree-ring width and climate were identified using response function analysis. We performed hierarchical cluster analysis to classify the response functions into meaningful groups. Black pine trees in the mountain regions of Southwestern Turkey responded positively to a warmer temperature and high precipitation at the beginning of the growing season. As high summer temperatures exacerbated drought, radial growth was affected negatively. Hierarchical cluster analysis made clear that elevation differences, rather than aspect, was the main factor responsible for the formation of the clusters. Due to the mountainous terrain of the study area, the changing climatic conditions (air temperature and precipitation) affected the tree-ring widths differently depending on elevation. Full article

Onosma L. genus (Boraginaceae) comprises of 230 species that is represented by 102 species in the flora of Turkey with almost 50% endemism ratio (48 species), implying Anatolia as the gene center of Onosma species. In this study, we evaluated the petroleum ether, dichlorometane and methanol root extracts of 5 Onosma species (O. mite, O. mollis, O. taurica var. taurica, O. frutescens, and an unidentified Onosma member) collected from Southwestern Turkey for their cytotoxic activities. The extracts were screened versus seven human cancer cell lines, namely DU145, Capan-1, HCC-1937, MCF-7, HeLa, HEPG2, A-459 and a normal cell line, MRC-5, using MTT assay. As a result, the petroleum ether and dichlorometane extracts of Onosma species, rich in naphthoquinones, were more active than the methanol extracts in a dose range of 8 to 32 μg/mL. The petroleum ether and dichlorometane extracts of O. taurica and the unidentified species along with the petroleum ether extract of O. mollis showed strong cytotoxicity versus all the cell lines with IC₅₀ values lower than 8 μg/mL (the lowest test dose). Thus, O. taurica var. taurica and O. mollis were taken into cytotoxic activity-guided fractionation studies to isolate the bioactive compounds. Full article

The Tumanpınarı mineralization is a volcanic rock-hosted epithermal Fe-Mn-Ba deposit located in the southwestern part of Dursunbey, Balıkesir, Turkey. The deposit constitutes one of the most important deposits of the Havran-Dursunbey metallogenic sub-province in which numerous Early Miocene Fe-Mn-Ba deposits are distributed. The ore occurs as open-space fillings in faults, fractures, and breccias in the andesite. Early hydrothermal activity was responsible for four types of hypogene alteration in decreasing intensity: silicification, sericitization, hematization and argillic alteration. The mineral assemblage includes pyrolusite, psilomelane, hematite, and barite as well as minor magnetite, manganite, poliannite, limonite, braunite, bixbyite, galena, pyrite, and goethite. Mineralogically, three ore types are recognized as pyrolusite + psilomelane + hematite + barite ore, pyrolusite + psilomelane + poliannite ore and barite + pyrolusite + psilomelane + hematite ore (barite-dominant ore). In addition to Fe, Mn and Ba, the ore contains substantial quantities of Pb, Zn, As. Chemically, the transition from fresh to altered rocks has little effect on the elemental levels for Si, Al, Fe, Ca, Mg, K, Rb, Sr and H₂O. The homogenization temperature of fluid inclusions hosted in the main stage quartz and barite ranged from 113 to 410 °C with salinities ranging from 0.4 to 14.9 eq. wt % NaCl, respectively. Overall, the available data suggest that the deposits formed as the result of the interaction of two aqueous fluids: a higher-salinity fluid (probably magmatic) and a dilute meteoric fluid. Full article

Southwestern Turkey is a tectonically active area. To determine kinematics and strain distribution in this region, a GPS network of sixteen stations was established. We have used GPS velocity field data for southwest Anatolia from continuous measurements covering the period 2003 to 2006 to estimate current crustal deformation of this tectonically active region. GPS data were processed using GAMIT/GLOBK software and velocity and strain rate fields were estimated in the study area. The measurements showed velocities of 15-30 mm/yr toward the southwest and strain values up to 0.28-8.23x10^-8. Results showed that extension has been determined in the Burdur-Isparta region. In this study, all of strain data reveal an extensional neotectonic regime through the northeast edge of the Isparta Angle despite the previously reported compressional neotectonic regime. Meanwhile, results showed some small differences relatively with the 2006 model of Reilinger et al. As a result, active tectonic movements, in agreement with earthquake fault plane solutions showed important activity. Full article