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Background. The Aegean Sea coast of Turkey hosts one of the most important nesting grounds for loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) in the Mediterranean Sea. Previous studies have revealed that the sea turtle carapace provides favourable conditions for various epibiontic organisms. Epibionts occurring on the carapace have been examined from different locations in the oceans. Methods. This is the first time such a high number (39) of samples collected from nesting turtles during such a long time period (extending from 2011 to 2018) has been used for the study of the diatom component of the microbiome on the turtle carapaces. A total of 33 samples were investigated in terms of light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Six unprocessed biofilm fragments were subject to SEM observations. Results. A total of 457 epizoic diatom taxa belonging to 86 genera were identified. Epizoic forms, e.g., Achnanthes spp., Chelonicola spp. or Tripterion spp. (also identified by SEM observations of the undisturbed pieces of the microbiome) dominated in terms of relative abundance, but the highest numbers of taxa were ubiquitously represented by Navicula (79), Nitzschia (45), Amphora (40), Cocconeis (32), Diploneis (25) and Mastogloia (23). Navicula perminuta and Delphineis australis were the most frequent taxa, present in 65% of the samples, both with an average relative abundance of 10%. The results of our study revealed that diatoms are an essential component of the loggerhead sea turtles' microbiome, in terms of high biodiversity and abundance. Although strict epibionts provide a signature of the turtle microbiome, the carapace as a solid substrate attracts numerous benthic diatom species which are considered opportunistic forms and can be found in the surrounding benthic habitats of the vast ocean littoral space. C1 [Kaleli, Aydin] Istanbul Univ, Fac Aquat Sci, Dept Marine & Freshwater Resources Management, Istanbul, Turkey. [Car, Ana] Univ Dubrovnik, Inst Marine & Coastal Res, Dubrovnik, Croatia. [Andrzej, Witkowski; Krzywda, Marta] Univ Szczecin, Inst Marine & Environm Sci, Szczecin, Poland. [Riaux-Gobin, Catherine] PSL Res Univ, CRIOBE, CNRS, EPHE,UPVD, Perpignan, France. [Riaux-Gobin, Catherine] Univ Perpignan, Lab Excellence CORAIL, Perpignan, France. [Solak, Cuneyt Nadir] Kutahya Dumlupinar Univ, Fac Sci & Arts, Dept Biol, Kutahya, Turkey. [Kaska, Yakup] Pamukkale Univ, Fac Sci & Arts, Dept Biol, Denizli, Turkey. [Zglobicka, Izabela; Kurzydlowski, Krzysztof] Bialystok Tech Univ, Fac Mech Engn, Bialystok, Poland. [Plocinski, Tomasz; Kurzydlowski, Krzysztof] Warsaw Univ Technol, Fac Mat Sci & Engn, Warsaw, Poland. [Wrobel, Rafal J.] West Pomeranian Univ Technol, Fac Chem Technol & Engn, Szczecin, Poland.

The biochemical blood parameters of 22 (7 foraging, 7 nesting, and 8 injured) loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) from the southwest coast of Turkey were investigated. A total of 27 blood variables were analyzed in three groups (plasma enzymes, plasma metabolites, and plasma ions), and 4 steroid hormones: testosterone (T), estradiol (E2), progesterone (Pro), and corticosterone (B). Triglyceride, cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, very low-density lipoprotein, magnesium, and phosphorus were higher in nestingfemales; urea was high in foraging individuals; and sodium, potassium, and chloride were lower while estradiol levels were higher in injured individuals. In addition, plasma steroid hormone levels T, Pro, and B were assessed in healthy and stranded individuals. The results of the present study provide valuable blood parameters for the medical care of the species in rescue centers and help us to understand the physiological response of loggerhead sea turtles to different conditions.

Hatchling sex ratios of loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) were estimated on two main nesting beaches (Dalyan Beach and Goksu Delta) in Turkey using three methods: nest temperature, incubation period and gonad histology. The electronic temperature recorders were placed in 35 selected nests. The mean nest temperature in the middle third of the incubation period was calculated as 29.5 degrees C on Dalyan Beach and as 31 degrees C on Goksu Delta. Incubation periods on Dalyan Beach and Goksu Delta were found as 52.9 days and 50.4 days, respectively. Gonad histology method was used only on Dalyan Beach and it was determined that 235 (55.6%) hatchlings were female out of 423 histologically examined hatchlings. Using nest temperatures and incubation periods, sex ratios on Dalyan Beach were estimated as 61% and 69.3%, and on Goksu Delta as 81% and 73.1%, respectively. In light of our sex ratio results, Dalyan Beach has a relatively high proportion of male hatchlings possibly due to its relatively western location. Our findings indicate that Dalyan Beach is an important nesting beach for loggerhead sea turtles in the eastern Mediterranean not only in terms of nest numbers and hatching success but also for its high proportion of male hatchlings. As for the methods used in this study, for further studies, we can suggest that nest temperature method provides the most accurate sex ratio result compared with incubation period and gonad histology methods, if temperature-recorded nests are selected in a manner of representing temporal distribution of the total nests on study beach.

Eggs, hatchlings, and adult loggerhead turtles, and incubation durations of clutches, were measured on three Turkish beaches (Dalyan, Fethiye and Goksu Delta), and some physical features of nests were compared. These features were not statistically different among the beaches, except for nest depth and distance to the high water mark. There was a positive relationship between hatchling mass and egg size. The carapace length of hatchlings was correlated with both egg diameter and incubation duration. The duration of asynchronous emergence of hatchlings on Fethiye beach was slightly longer than on the other two beaches, and the size of hatchlings decreased as asynchronous emergence proceeded. Of the hatchlings that emerged first, those that died were significantly smaller in SCL and mass than those that lived. These results suggest that smaller hatchlings may not be vigorous enough to emerge earlier from nests, and that they may be less fit.

This study describes a new subspecies of lizard, Eumeces schneiderii barani n. ssp., from western Anatolia, Turkey. The new subspecies is differentiated from other two subspecies in Anatolia (E. s. princeps and E. s. pavimentatus) by its characteristic colour and colour-pattern as well as by the scales along the dorsal midline. Results obtained from polyacrylamide gel disc electrophoresis support this differentiation.

The concentrations of Cd, Pb, Fe, Cr, Ni, Se, Sb, As and Cu were investigated in the nesting environment of green turtles in Mediterranean Sea near Kazanli, Mersin-Turkey. Tissues of plants growing on the beach and the adjacent environment, beach sand, sea ground sediment, sea grass as well as the egg shells from the nests were analyzed and the results showed no significant high levels of heavy metals detected. The higher levels of metals (Cr, Cu, Pb, Cd and As) were found in the samples from ground sea sediments. Ni and Sb were found at higher levels in river waters and Fe was at the highest in field soil. The high levels of Pb, Fe and Cd were also detected in sea grass, and the Cr, Cu and Ni in sea lily when comparison made with other plants. The levels of essential elements such as Fe and Cu were detected as the highest in most of the specimens. The herbivorous green turtles might be affected from the heavy metal concentrations in the future, since they feed on mainly sea grass. The accumulation of heavy metals via rivers into the sea might cause some pollution problems. C1 Pamukkale Univ, Fac Arts & Sci, Dept Biol, Denizli, Turkey. Pamukkale Univ, Fac Educ, Dept Sci Teaching, Denizli, Turkey. Naucrates, Onlus Friends Sea Turtles, I-22063 Cantu, CO, Italy. Pamukkale Univ, Fac Arts & Sci, Dept Chem, Denizli, Turkey.

The damage caused by some invertebrates to the eggs and hatchlings of loggerhead turtles, Caretta caretta, was investigated during the summer of 2002 on Dalaman beach, Turkey. The specimens, identified to family or genus levels, from nine families representing seven orders were recorded as infesting nests of loggerhead turtles. The heaviest impacts on loggerhead turtle nests was made by Pimelia sp. (Tenebrionidae, Coleoptera). Twenty-four (36.3%) out of 66 intact loggerhead hatched nests were affected by these larvae. Larval damage by Pimelia sp. was recorded in 188 (10.6%) out of 1773 eggs, but only in two (0.28%) hatchlings. The results show that fewer insects were in the nest the further from vegetation and therefore the relocation of nests from the water's edge to further inland close to vegetation may increase the infestation rate of the eggs. C1 Pamukkale Univ, Fac Arts & Sci, Dept Biol, Denizli, Turkey.

The leaves of Robinia pseudo-acacia L. (Fabaceae) were evaluated as a biomonitors of heavy metal contamination in Denizli city, Turkey. Concentrations of Fe, Zn, Pb, Cu, Mn and Cd were determined in washed and unwashed leaves and soils collected from a wide range of sites with different degrees of metal pollution (industry, urban roadside, suburban) and from a rural (control) site by atomic absorption spectrometry. All the elements that measured were found to be at high levels in samples collected at industrial sites, except for lead and copper which were found at high levels in samples collected from urban roadsides that associated with the road traffic. The strong correlation between the degree of contamination and concentrations in all plant leaves assessed display that the leaves of R. pseudo-acacia reflect the environmental changes accurately, and that they seem as an effective biomonitor of environmental quality in areas subjected to industrial and traffic pollutions. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. C1 Pamukkale Univ, Fac Arts & Sci, Dept Biol, Denizli, Turkey. Pamukkale Univ, Fac Arts & Sci, Dept Chem, Denizli, Turkey.

The leaves of Robinia pseudo-acacia L. (Fabaceae) were evaluated as a biomonitors of heavy metal contamination in Denizli city, Turkey. Concentrations of Fe, Zn, Pb, Cu, Mn and Cd were determined in washed and unwashed leaves and soils collected from a wide range of sites with different degrees of metal pollution (industry, urban roadside, suburban) and from a rural (control) site by atomic absorption spectrometry. All the elements that measured were found to be at high levels in samples collected at industrial sites, except for lead and copper which were found at high levels in samples collected from urban roadsides that associated with the road traffic. The strong correlation between the degree of contamination and concentrations in all plant leaves assessed display that the leaves of R. pseudo-acacia reflect the environmental changes accurately, and that they seem as an effective biomonitor of environmental quality in areas subjected to industrial and traffic pollutions.

A total of 65 stranded and 2 injured turtles were found in 2001 along the southwestern Mediterranean coast of Turkey during the monitoring program and the majority (n=42) of the stranded ones were loggerhead turtles and the others (n=23) green sea turtles. The main causes of turtle mortalities were fishing-industry related injuries and trawl nets drown. Damages, such as broken carapace shell or cuts from boats as well as other injuries related to fishing industry could be found on 25 of the stranded turtles. The concentrations of Cd, Pb, Fe, Cr, Ni, Se, Sb, As and Cu were measured in tissue samples collected from these stranded loggerhead and green turtles. The levels of essential elements, such as Fe and Cu, were detected to be the highest in most of the specimens. The other heavy metals were found to be present in tissues at important levels and, therefore, more likely to affect the health of these endangered turtle varieties in the Mediterranean. C1 Pamukkale Univ, Fac Sci & Arts, Dept Biol, Denizli, Turkey. Pamukkale Univ, Fac Educ, Dept Sci Teaching, Denizli, Turkey. Naucrates, I-22063 Cantu, Italy. Pamukkale Univ, Fac Sci & Arts, Dept Chem, Denizli, Turkey.