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This work aimed to collect the available material on the presence of marine Non-Indigenous Species (NIS) in the Mediterranean countries starting with existing national inventories and updating with new species records observed until December 2020 and other taxonomic and status amendments as appropriate. The final outcome is the result of a collaborative process between national and regional experts, involving detailed exchange of information and the building of consensus on the final lists to be used as the baselines for the implementation of the Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme for the Mediterranean. (IMAP). In total, 1011 non-indigenous species have been found in Mediterranean marine waters, of which 748 are currently considered established. The highest number of species is observed in Israel, Turkey, Lebanon and Italy. Approximately 50 species were categorized as Data Deficient, eitherdue to lack of consensus on their alien status or the validity of their identification. Polychaeta and Foraminifera were the taxonomic groups with the highest number of controversial species.There was a general increase in the yearly rate of new NIS introductions after the late 1990’s, which appears to be slowing down in the last decade. The refined NIS inventories are and important step for the full operationalization of the Common Indicator 6 for alien species in the context of IMAP.

This study was conducted to determine fauna and flora assemblages of Holocene sequences from Gemlik Gulf (SE Marmara Sea) and to obtaine their similarities and differences between the assemblages of Gemlik and Izmit Bays. Total of 201 dark gray colored, fine to medium grained sandy clay samples were studied. In the drilled samples, 22 genera and 38 species were identified from the foraminifera characterizing the infralittoral zone. 40 genera and 58 species of foraminifera characterizing the upper circalittoral zone were identified. In addition, Black Sea originated Ammonia parasovica was found for the first time in cores taken from Gemlik Gulf. Nannofossil species characterizing the open-shallow marine environment Emiliania huxleyi, Reticulofenestra parvula, Coronosphaera spp., Syracosphaera spp., Helicosphaera spp. beside Gephyrocapsa oceanica, small Gephyrocapsa spp., Scyphosphaera porosa were obtained. A total of 27 genera and 37 species from ostracods were defined in the samples from gulf. Moreover, the quite abundant mollusc assemblage characterizing the shallow marine environment and fewer genera and species of diatoms were identified. The studied sequence is represented by NN21 Emiliania huxleyi biozone at the Holocene. Foraminifers and ostracods of the Gemlik Gulf are observed as Mediterranean-Aegean Sea originated assemblages. The mollusc shows the shallow marine community.

WOS: 000486426300004 Significantly rich assemblages of foraminifera (11 samples), ostracoda (8 samples) and mollusca (7 samples) have been detected from the 14 samples recovered from the salty swamp plain behind a dunefield along the eastern coast of the Gulf of Saros, North Aegean Sea. Preliminary paleontological findings, together with the Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) late Quaternary dating technique, have indicated that big-scale storm waves and occasional tsunamis have inundated the large coastal areas at the eastern part of gulf, as much as a few kilometres, in the past, at least during the last 2200 years.

Many scientific researches have been done on different faunal assemblages in relation to the environmental condition from thermal sources located on the eastern Aegean Sea coast. Aliaga (Izmir) region has also thermal resources. These two thermal springs are closely located on the coast of Ilica Cape, northwest of Aliaga (Izmir) and northwest of Karaagac Cove. Their temperatures are 40 degrees C and 51 degrees C, respectively. The bottom deposits consist of rock fragments, gravel, sand, silt and clay units in the study area.

WOS: 000455157100002 Many scientific researches have been done on different faunal assemblages in relation to the environmental condition from thermal sources located on the eastern Aegean Sea coast. Aliaga (Izmir) region has also thermal resources. These two thermal springs are closely located on the coast of Ilica Cape, northwest of Aliaga (Izmir) and northwest of Karaagac Cove. Their temperatures are 40 degrees C and 51 degrees C, respectively. The bottom deposits consist of rock fragments, gravel, sand, silt and clay units in the study area. In this research, 13 bottom sediment samples taken from different points and corresponding depths in the sea between the Ilica Cape and the Tasli Cape were examined. Heavy metal analysis in the sediment samples were done by using ICP-MS. In addition, the results of trace element analysis and total Alpha and Beta features in the samples taken from the sea surface and spring waters were evaluated. The aim is to interpret meiobenthic living conditions by investigating on the effect of thermal springs the benthic foraminifera, ostracod and mollusk assemblages in this region. It was observed that the typical Aegean Sea foraminifera fauna composed of 32 genera and 50 species predominated in the studied samples. An important peculiarity of the region is absence of amphistegina lobifera and peneroplid genera and species commonly observed in the Aegean coasts of Turkey. Widely known nineteen genera and twentyeight species from Ostracods were found in Mediterranean and Aegean Sea. Mollusc faunas consist of 9 genera and 10 species from gastropods, 14 genera and 14 species from bivalves. The other an important finding in the deposits are the presence of numerous gypsum crystals in sample A11. This finding is an indication of an old thermal source. Furthermore, distribution of zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), Cooper (Cu) and arsenic (As) as the heavy metals in the same sample were found to be the highest. In these examples, a few species of foraminifera and only one species from ostracods and bivalves were found.

WOS: 000299017200001, This 2010 review of alien species along the coasts of Turkey represents a total of 400 alien species belonging to 14 systematic groups. The present paper also reports the first findings of Vanderhorstia mertensi in the Aegean Sea (Gokova Bay), Chama adspersa in the Sea of Marmara and Mya arenaria in the Aegean Sea. A total of 124 new alien species was determined within the last 5 years. Mollusca had the highest number of species (105 species), followed by Polychaeta (75 species), Crustacea (64 species) and Pisces (58 species). The highest number of alien species (330 species) were encountered on the Levantine coast of Turkey, followed by the Aegean Sea (165 species), Sea of Marmara (69 species) and Black Sea (20 species). The Suez Canal (66% of the total number of alien species) is the main vector for species introductions to the coasts of Turkey, followed by the shipmediated transport (30%). The majority of species (306 species, 76% of total number of species) have become established in the area, while 59 species are classified as casual (15%), 23 species as questionable (6%) and 13 species as cryptogenic (3%). One new alien species was introduced to the coasts of Turkey every 4 weeks between 199:1 and 2010. The majority of aliens were found on soft substratum (198 species) in shallow waters (0-10 m) (319 species). Some species such as Caulerpa racemosa, Amphistegina lobifera, Amphisorus hemprichii, Rhopilema nomadica, Mnemiopsis leidyi, Hydroides spp., Ficopomatus enigmaticus, Charybdis longicollis, Rapana venosa, Asterias rubens, Siganus spp. and Lagocephalus sceleratus show a highly invasive character, and have great impacts both on the prevailing ecosystems and humans.