Yakup Kaska

Pamukkale University · Department of Biology

Sea turtles are vulnerable to climate change since their reproductive output is influenced by incubating temperatures, with warmer temperatures causing lower hatching success and increased feminization of embryos. Their ability to cope with projected increases in ambient temperatures will depend on their capacity to adapt to shifts in climatic regi...

The loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta), has the widest distribution among sea turtle species in the Mediterranean, requiring regional and international collaborations in addition to local efforts to better inform conservation actions. Molecular techniques are powerful tools for the assessment of population dynamics at large scales, especially...

Sea turtles are considered as bio-indicators for monitoring the efficiency of restoration measures to reduce marine litter impacts on health. However, the lack of extended and standardised empirical data has prevented the accurate analysis of the factors influencing litter ingestion and the relationships with individual health. Historic data collec...

the morning. Nests were randomly caged with 1) only top grid cage (N= 455), 2) top cage and side cage (N= 831). Some nests were remained without cages (N= 207). Predation and other nest related parameters were monitored and recorded regularly throughout the season. The top grid cages (Fig 1) used were 1m x 1m dimensions while the side cages (Fig 2)...

Identification of key habitats of migratory marine megafauna species is of great importance, especially for the conservation of threatened species. In this study, the occurrence and distribution of sea turtles in coastal and offshore areas were investigated for the first time by offshore onboard observations in the Finike Seamounts (Anaximander) Sp...

The loggerhead sea turtle ( Caretta caretta ), has the broadest distribution among sea turtle species in the Mediterranean and requires regional and international collaborations in addition to local efforts to better inform conservation actions. Molecular techniques are powerful tools to assess population dynamics at large scales, especially by det...

The loggerhead sea turtle ( Caretta caretta ), has the broadest distribution among sea turtle species in the Mediterranean and requires regional and international collaborations in addition to local efforts to better inform conservation actions. Molecular techniques are powerful tools to assess population dynamics at large scales, especially by det...

Aim Understanding the spatial ecology of animal movements is a critical element in conserving long‐lived, highly mobile marine species. Analyzing networks developed from movements of six sea turtle species reveals marine connectivity and can help prioritize conservation efforts. Location Global. Methods We collated telemetry data from 1235 indivi...

Satellite tracking studies have identified some of the migratory corridors and foraging sites of Mediterranean loggerhead sea turtle ( Caretta caretta ) rookeries over the past few decades. However, due to a lack of information for breeding rookeries in Libya and Turkey, our understanding of the distribution and connectivity of adult loggerheads is...

Delineating priority areas for highly mobile marine megafauna represents a major challenge for conservation biology. To manage such areas, one must understand both their spatial properties (i.e., location, number, extent), and the level of exposure to a number of given pressures. Here, we used a combination of ensemble distribution models, field-ba...

In this study, we present the first in-water monitoring results of loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) in Köyceğiz-Dalyan specially protected area (SPA), Turkey. The capture-mark-recapture (CMR) study encompassed a total of 113 capture events of 88 individuals across two sampling years. The majority of the population was adults (88.6%) with a high...

To determine blood biochemistry and reassess and compare red blood cell morphology based on individuals’ gender, age and SVL (Snout-Vent Length), we studied 30 blood samples of Bufotes variabilis (15 males, 15 females) from Ornaz Valley, Denizli/Turkey. For age determination, bone samples were threated according to the skeletochronology procedure a...

This document summarizes and updates current knowledge about sea turtles that either breed in the Mediterranean, such as the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) and the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas), or can be observed in those waters, such as the leatherback turtle ( Dermochelys coriacea), olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea), Kemp's ridle...

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 di...

Phenological shifts, by initiating reproductive events earlier, in response to advanced seasonal warming is one of the most striking effects currently observed in wild populations. For sea turtles, phenological adjustment to warming conditions could be the most effective short-term adaptation option against climate change. We calculated future phen...

The following protocol is intended to respond to the requirements set by the European Union's Marine Strategy Framework Directives (MSFD) for the D10C3 Criteria reported in the Commission Decision (EU), related to the amount of litter ingested by marine animals. Standardized methodologies for extracting litter items ingested from dead sea turtles a...

SWOT Report XIV features an up-to-date, comprehensive map of sea turtle distribution in the Mediterranean, a picture of loggerhead movements in the Atlantic, and expert answers to the most frequently asked questions about sea turtles. Other articles explore the effects of red tides on turtles, best practices for transporting stranded turtles, and...

The marine diatom Olifantiella Riaux–Gobin et Compère predominantly occurs in tropical Indo– Pacific coral reef environments. The genus has about a dozen validly published taxa and is characterized by transapically elongate striae composed of a macroareola, broad perforated girdle, and tubular buciniportula process of trumpet–shape. The valve mantl...

The available information regarding the 2 sea turtle species breeding in the Mediterranean (loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta and green turtle Chelonia mydas) is reviewed, including biometrics and morphology, identification of breeding and foraging areas, ecology and behaviour, abundance and trends, population structure and dynamics, anthropogenic...

1.-The assessment of the composition and dynamics of endangered populations is crucial for management and conservation, and appropriate genetic markers are critical. 2.-The genetic structuring of the Mediterranean green turtle (Chelonia mydas) populations and the origin of the stranded animals found along the Israeli coast was investigated using ne...

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), prog...

The Fethiye-Göcek Specially Protected Area (SPA) is an important protected area in Turkey that includes important loggerhead turtle nesting beaches and marine habitats for sea turtles. Here, we analysed the number of stranded loggerhead and green sea turtles in the Fethiye-Göcek SPA, Turkey. A total of 139 dead sea turtles (102 loggerhead and 37 gr...

Skeletochronology is a reliable tool for assessing several parameters in amphibian populations. We used skeletochronology to determine the age structure, growth rate, age at first reproduction, and longevity of Levantine frog Pelophylax bedriagae populations from different localities in Denizli, Turkey. All examined individuals (N = 161) exhibited...

Ectothermic species are strongly affected by thermal changes. To assess the viability of these species under climate change constraints, we need to quantify the sensitivity of their life history traits to temperature. The loggerhead marine turtle (Caretta caretta) nests regularly in the Oriental Basin of the Mediterranean Sea. The different populat...

In 2010, an international group of 35 sea turtle researchers refined an initial list of more than 200 research questions into 20 metaquestions that were considered key for management and conservation of sea turtles. These were classified under 5 categories: reproductive biology , biogeography, population ecology, threats and conservation strategies...

The sex of neonatal sea turtles is difficult to determine, because neonates lack heteromorphic sex chromosomes and dimorphic external characteristics; internal dimorphic morphology is defined at hatching. We used histochemical staining and made measurements in the gonads and paramesonephric ducts (PD) of both sexes to determine structural differenc...

Fethiye beaches are the one of the most important sea turtle nesting beaches from Turkey. The reproductive biology of nesting loggerhead turtles was investigated there during three consecutive nesting seasons (2011-2013). A total of 253 nests were recorded in three seasons, and these nests included an average 80.4 eggs per nests. The incubation per...

Heavy metals, such as copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) have toxic effects on marine organisms. In this study, Cu accumulation in the kidneys of loggerhead hatchlings from Dalyan Beach, Mugla, Turkey was investigated using orcein histochemical technique. Cu associated proteins were seen as dark purple deposits mostly in the apical portions of the cells of...

Samandağ Beach, an important nesting location for endangered green turtles (Chelonia mydas), is located at the most eastern part of the Mediterranean in Turkey. Hatchling sex ratio can be one of the key factors for green turtle protection, which is under the threat of global climate change. In this study, sex ratios of hatchlings were estimated by...

Hatchling sex ratios of loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) were estimated on two main nesting beaches (Dalyan Beach and Göksu 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...

Dalyan Beach is one of the most important nesting beaches in Turkey for loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta). This research provides information on the nesting activities such as spatial and temporal distribution of nesting, nesting success, nesting density, hatching success, incubation period, clutch size, tagging and predations over 7 nesting...

Sea turtles are endangered species all around the world. Two species of sea turtles loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and green turtle (Chelonia mydas) are using Turkey’s Mediterranean coastline for nesting and foraging. Dozens of sea turtles are being injured or died in consequence of fishery interactions, speed boat accidents, ghost nets etc. along th...