Fusun Ozer

• PhD
• Professor (Assistant) at Hacettepe University

Mouflons are flagship species of the Mediterranean islands where they persist. Once thought to be the remnants of a European wild sheep population, archaeology suggests they were introduced by humans to the islands of Cyprus in the Early Neolithic (~10,000 years ago) and later to Corsica and Sardinia. Their status as truly wild animals remains a su...

Selective funerary practices can inform about social relationships in prehistoric societies but are often difficult to discern. Here we present evidence for an age-specific practice at the Neolithic site of Çatalhöyük in Anatolia, dating to the 7th millennium BCE. Among ancient DNA libraries produced from 362 petrous bone samples, those of subadult...

The emergence of Neolithic villages in Western Anatolia, particularly between 7000-6000 BCE, has caused debates regarding the driving forces behind this transition. While earlier hypotheses suggested demic diffusion from the Fertile Crescent, recent studies suggest more complex population dynamics. We address this question by combining material cul...

Sheep was one of the first domesticated animals in Neolithic West Eurasia. The zooarchaeological record suggests that domestication first took place in Southwest Asia, although much remains unresolved about the precise location(s) and timing(s) of earliest domestication, or the post-domestication history of sheep. Here, we present 24 new partial sh...

In this chapter, we investigate the genetics of two Early Chalcolithic Catalhoyuk individuals, U.18333 and U.16835, the only two burials yet recovered from the West Mound. These were two neonates buried within the same building. Using shotgun-sequenced partial genomes (0.06x and 0.02x coverage) we identify both as females. Despite being recovered f...

We present palaeogenomes of three morphologically unidentified Anatolian equids dating to the first millennium BCE, sequenced to a coverage of 0.6–6.4×. Mitochondrial DNA haplotypes of the Anatolian individuals clustered with those of Equus hydruntinus (or Equus hemionus hydruntinus), the extinct European wild ass, secular name ‘hydruntine’. Furthe...

Western Anatolia has been a crucial yet elusive element in the Neolithic expansion from the Fertile Crescent to Europe. Using 30 new palaeogenomes from Anatolia c.8000-6000 BCE we describe the early Holocene genetic landscape of Western Anatolia, suggesting population continuity since the late Upper Pleistocene. Our findings indicate that the Neoli...

Arguments have long suggested that the advent of early farming in the Near East and Anatolia was linked to a ‘Mother Goddess’ cult. However, evidence for a dominant female role in these societies has been scarce. We studied social organisation, mobility patterns and gendered practices in Neolithic Southwest Asia using 131 paleogenomes from Çatalhöy...

Sheep are among the earliest domesticated livestock species, with a wide variety of breeds present today. However, it remains unclear how far back this diversity goes, with formal documentation only dating back a few centuries. North European short-tailed (NEST) breeds are often assumed to be among the oldest domestic sheep populations, even though...

Once widespread in their homelands, the Anatolian mouflon (Ovis gmelini anatolica) and the Cyprian mouflon (Ovis gmelini ophion) were driven to near extinction during the 20th century and are currently listed as endangered populations by the IUCN. While the exact origins of these lineages remain unclear, they have been suggested to be close relativ...

Ancient DNA (aDNA) obtained from human remains is typically fragmented and present in relatively low amounts. Here we investigate a set of optimal methods for producing aDNA data by comparing silica-based DNA extraction and aDNA library preparation protocols. We also test the efficiency of whole-genome enrichment (WGC) on ancient human samples by m...

A common model of social change during Neolithic transitions involves societies first organised along nuclear family lines and later organised as extended families, with an increasing prevalence of patrilineal and patrilocal traditions. Ethnographic evidence can be found in support of this model, but is indirect. An in-depth evaluation would only b...

Once widespread in their homelands, Anatolian mouflon (Ovis gmelini anatolica) and Cyprian mouflon (Ovis gmelini ophion) were driven to near extinction during the 20th century and are currently listed as endangered populations by the IUCN. While the exact origins of these lineages remain unclear, they have been suggested to be close relatives of do...

A major challenge in zooarchaeology is to morphologically distinguish closely related species’ remains, especially using small bone fragments. Shotgun sequencing aDNA from archeological remains and comparative alignment to the candidate species’ reference genomes will only apply when reference nuclear genomes of comparable quality are available, an...

A major challenge in zooarchaeology is to morphologically distinguish closely related species’ remains, especially using small bone fragments. Shotgun sequencing aDNA from archeological remains and comparative alignment to the candidate species’ reference genomes will only apply when reference nuclear genomes of comparable quality are available, an...

Sheep are among the earliest domesticated livestock species, with a wide variety of breeds present today. However, it remains unclear how far back this breed diversity goes, with formal documentation only dating back a few centuries. North European short tail breeds are often assumed to be among the oldest domestic sheep populations, even thought t...

We present paleogenomes of three morphologically-unidentified Anatolian equids dating to the 1st millennium BCE, sequenced to coverages of 0.6-6.4X. Mitochondrial DNA haplotypes of the Anatolian individuals clustered with those of Equus hydruntinus (or Equus hemionus hydruntinus), the extinct European wild ass. The Anatolian wild ass whole genome p...

We present a spatiotemporal picture of human genetic diversity in Anatolia, Iran, Levant, South Caucasus, and the Aegean, a broad region that experienced the earliest Neolithic transition and the emergence of complex hierarchical societies. Combining 35 new ancient shotgun genomes with 382 ancient and 23 present-day published genomes, we found that...

Upper Mesopotamia played a key role in the Neolithic Transition in Southwest Asia through marked innovations in symbolism, technology, and diet. We present 13 ancient genomes (c. 8500 to 7500 cal BCE) from Pre-Pottery Neolithic Çayönü in the Tigris basin together with bioarchaeological and material culture data. Our findings reveal that Çayönü was...

A major challenge in zooarchaeology is to morphologically distinguish closely related species’ remains, especially using small bone fragments. Shotgun sequencing aDNA from archeological remains and comparative alignment to the candidate species’ reference genomes will only apply when reference nuclear genomes of comparable quality are available, an...

A major challenge in zooarchaeology is to morphologically distinguish closely related species' remains, especially using small bone fragments. Shotgun sequencing aDNA from archeological remains and comparative alignment to the candidate species' reference genomes will only apply when reference nuclear genomes of comparable quality are available, an...

Upper Mesopotamia played a key role in the Neolithic Transition in Southwest Asia through marked innovations in symbolism, technology, and foodways. We present thirteen ancient genomes (c.8500-7500 calBCE) from Pre-Pottery Neolithic Çayönü in the Tigris basin together with bioarchaeological and material culture data. Our findings reveal that Çayönü...

In this chapter, we provide an overview of current knowledge of human population history in Anatolia, and more specifically, the demographic history of the region with regards to migration and the admixture processes across time. Although the earliest evidence of the human presence in Anatolia dates back to the Palaeolithic period (Güleç 1999; Taşk...

Sheep were among the first domesticated animals, but their demographic history is little understood. Here we analyzed nuclear polymorphism and mitochondrial data (mtDNA) from ancient central and west Anatolian sheep dating from Epipaleolithic to late Neolithic, comparatively with modern-day breeds and central Asian Neolithic/Bronze Age sheep (OBI)....

The history of human inbreeding is controversial. In particular, how the development of sedentary and/or agricultural societies may have influenced overall inbreeding levels, relative to those of hunter-gatherer communities, is unclear. Here, we present an approach for reliable estimation of runs of homozygosity (ROHs) in genomes with ≥3× mean sequ...

The social organization of the first fully sedentary societies that emerged during the Neolithic period in Southwest Asia remains enigmatic,1 mainly because material culture studies provide limited insight into this issue. However, because Neolithic Anatolian communities often buried their dead beneath domestic buildings,2 household composition and...

The genetic diversity of the Mediterranean swordfish (Xiphias gladius Linneus) has not been explored extensively at its easternmost range so far. In this study, modern X. gladius samples from the eastern part of the Mediterranean basin, north of the Aegean Sea (Aegean‐2013, n = 26) and the Mediterranean coast of Turkey (N.Levantine‐2013, n = 42) we...

The history of human inbreeding is controversial. The development of sedentary agricultural societies may have had opposite influences on inbreeding levels. On the one hand, agriculture and food surplus may have diminished inbreeding by increasing population sizes and lowering endogamy, i.e. inbreeding due to population isolation. On the other hand...

Sheep was among the first domesticated animals, but its demographic history is little understood. Here we present combined analyses of mitochondrial and nuclear polymorphism data from ancient central and west Anatolian sheep dating to the Late Glacial and early Holocene. We observe loss of mitochondrial haplotype diversity around 7500 BCE during th...

In this study, 182 male animals from 12 native sheep breeds, as well as Karacabey Merino and Karagül breeds of Anatolia, wild sheep Anatolian Mouflon (Ovis gmelinii anatolica) were used as the study material. Based on SRY and SRYM18 regions on the Y-chromosome, haplotypes of the populations were analyzed using DNA sequence analyses. The SRY region,...

The archaeological documentation of the development of sedentary farming societies in Anatolia is not yet mirrored by a genetic understanding of the human populations involved, in contrast to the spread of farming in Europe [1–3]. Sedentary farming communities emerged in parts of the Fertile Crescent during the tenth millennium and early ninth mill...

The aim of this study was to determine the genetic diversity of 4 native Turkish cattle breeds, based on the growth hormone (GH), prolactin (PRL), and diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT1) genes. In order to study the polymorphisms in these genes, the polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method was perf...

In the present study, to contribute to the understanding of the evolutionary history of sheep, the mitochondrial (mt) DNA polymorphisms occurring in modern Turkish native domestic (n = 628), modern wild (Ovis gmelinii anatolica) (n = 30) and ancient domestic sheep from Oylum Höyük in Kilis (n = 33) were examined comparatively with the accumulated d...

Population and conservation genetics of two freshwater fish species, Notropis heterodon and Notropis heterolepis, were evaluated in north-eastern Illinois, U.S.A., where both species have severely declined. Fishes were sampled from two remnant populations occurring in small glacial lakes (source samples) and from two man-made ponds that had been st...

The Anacapa deer mouse is an endemic subspecies that inhabits Anacapa Island, part of Channel Islands National Park, California. We used mitochondrial DNA cytochrome c oxidase subunit II gene (COII) and 10 microsatellite loci to evaluate the levels of genetic differentiation and variation in ~1400 Anacapa deer mice sampled before and for 4 years af...

Background: Whale sharks are a declining species for which little biological data is available. While these animals are protected in many parts of their range, they are fished legally and illegally in some countries. Baseline biological and ecological data are needed to allow the formulation of an effective conservation plan for whale sharks. It i...