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Benthic foraminifera of eastern Aegean Sea (Turkey) systematics and autoecology
... Foraminifera, gastropods, bivalves, ostracods, echinoids, and worm tube individuals were separated under a binocular microscope. The foraminiferal descriptions and nomenclature used here are based on Cimerman and Langer (1991); Sgarrella and Moncharmont-Zei (1993); Hottinger et al. (1993); Loeblich and Tappan (1988); Avşar and Meriç (2001); Avşar and Ergin (2001); Meriç and Avşar (2001); Avşar (2002Avşar ( , 2008; Kaminski et al. (2002); Meriç et al. (2002;2004a, 2004b, 20142005); Avşar et al. (2006); Murray (2006). ...
... In this case, a detailed environmental analysis cannot be performed. On the other hand, similar benthic foraminifer fauna has been recorded in the Eastern Mediterranean region in environments ranging from infralittoral (0-50m) to lower epibathyal (400-500 m) environments Meric et al., 2004aMeric et al., , 2014 and some of them can also be encountered in estuarine environments (Ünsal et al., 2002;Irvalı and Çağatay, 2009). However, considering the morphology and geometry of the Gediz Delta, and given the identified foraminifers in the drill cores most abundant in the infralittoral environments and indicator species of circalittoral and epibathyal depths are absent, an infralittoral environment with a depth range of 0-50 m can be predicted for the Delta. ...
... The interpretation of Holocene foraminifera assemblages is based on comparisons with ecological data from various modern Mediterranean coastal regions (e.g. Jorissen, 1987;Albani et al., 1991;Sgarrella and Moncharmont Zei, 1993;Donnici and Serandrei Barbero, 2002;Amorosi et al., 2004;Meriç et al., 2004;Melis and Covelli, 2013). The 82 examined samples contain 88 foraminifera species pertaining to 43 genera, with Bolivina reported as spp. ...
The ancient city of Elaiussa Sebaste, currently Ayaş, is located on the southeastern coast of Turkey. It was one of the main trading Mediterranean harbours from the Augustan period until the early Byzantine era. The Arab invasion in the 7th century ce marked its definitive abandonment. A significant historical topic concerns the palaeoenvironmental evolution of the northern and southern harbours of Elaiussa Sebaste, including their decline and burial. An interdisciplinary study analysed six cores drilled in the current plains corresponding to the former harbour basins. A geoelectrical study, integrated with borehole stratigraphy, reconstructed the geometry of the carbonate bedrock that forms the accumulation base of the marine sediments. Sediments deposited from the 8th century bce to the 6th century ce include the development phases of the ancient city from the 3rd century bce onwards. Sedimentology, micropalaeontology (foraminifers, ostracods), palaeobotany (pollen, non‐pollen palynomorphs, microcharcoals, plant macroremains) and Pb isotopes provided a model of the environmental evolution in both harbour basins. The main harbour expansion phase, marked by a change in Pb concentration, is hypothesized to have occurred between 140 and 220 ce , which is consistent with the historical sources indicating the development of the city during the mid‐Roman Imperial period.
... Dozens of tropical foraminiferal species, mostly of Indo-Pacific origin have invaded the Mediterranean, especially the Levantine Basin and now inhabit the coasts of Egypt, Israel, Turkey and Greece (Basso & Spezzaferri, 2000;Langer & Hottinger, 2000;Hyams et al., 2002;Samir et al., 2003;Meriç et al., 2004;Hyams-Kaphzan et al., 2008;Langer, 2008;Koukousioura et al., 2010;Zenetos et al., 2012;Avnaim-Katav et al., 2020a,b;Stulpinaite et al., 2020). The majority of alien Foraminifera entered the Mediterranean from the Red Sea, through the Suez Canal which was opened in 1869, and altered the benthic ecology (Rilov & Galil, 2009;Zenetos et al., 2012). ...
The foraminiferal order Carterinida is characterized by agglutinated tests consisting of calcareous spicules. Four species have so far been described from the tropical Pacific and the Caribbean Sea. We report here the first occurrence of Carterina from the Southeastern Levantine Shelf of the Mediterranean Sea. Based on molecular and morphological results, we describe Carterina labinea sp. nov., which is characterized by a trochospiral test with a conical, tapered spiral side and a concave umbilical side. The test is composed of elongate fusiform calcareous spicules. Tests have a mean diameter of 720 μm, which is twice the vertical height, and spicules vary in length and width from 112/15 μm to 73/14 μm. Our results show that the genus Carterina extends its distribution beyond tropical Seas and might be more widely distributed than previously thought. Moreover, the appearance of the new species in the study area suggests it is a new colonizer as continuous biomonitoring studies in the area show that it is absent in sediment samples taken before 2020. Our results highlight the importance of ongoing monitoring programs in high-risk basins such as the Levantine to gain more information about the biodiversity changes and improve environmental conservation of Eastern Mediterranean littoral areas progressively colonized by tropical species.
... Dozens of tropical foraminiferal species, mostly of Indo-Pacific origin have invaded the Mediterranean, especially the Levantine Basin and now inhabit the coasts of Egypt, Israel, Turkey and Greece (Basso & Spezzaferri, 2000;Langer & Hottinger, 2000;Hyams et al., 2002;Samir et al., 2003;Meriç et al., 2004;Hyams-Kaphzan et al., 2008;Langer, 2008;Koukousioura et al., 2010;Zenetos et al., 2012;Avnaim-Katav et al., 2020a,b;Stulpinaite et al., 2020). The majority of alien Foraminifera entered the Mediterranean from the Red Sea, through the Suez Canal which was opened in 1869, and altered the benthic ecology (Rilov & Galil, 2009;Zenetos et al., 2012). ...
Abstract
The foraminiferal order Carterinida is characterized by agglutinated tests consisting of calcareous spicules. Four species have so far been described from the tropical Pacific and the Caribbean Sea. We report here the first occurrence of Carterina from the Southeastern Levantine Shelf of the Mediterranean Sea. Based on molecular and morphological results, we describe Carterina labinea sp. nov., which is characterized by a trochospiral test with a conical, tapered spiral side and a concave umbilical side. The test is composed of elongate fusiform calcareous spicules. Tests have a mean diameter of 720 lm, which is twice the vertical height, and spicules vary in length and width from 112/15 lm to 73/14 lm. Our results show that the genus Carterina extends its distribution beyond tropical Seas and might be more widely distributed than previously thought. Moreover, the appearance of the new species in the study area suggests it is a new colonizer as continuous biomonitoring studies in the area show that it is absent in sediment samples taken before 2020. Our results highlight the importance of ongo- ing monitoring programs in high-risk basins such as the Levantine to gain more information about the biodiversity changes and improve environmental conservation of Eastern Mediterranean littoral areas progressively colonized by tropical species. ! 2022 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Foraminifera; New Carterina species; SSU rDNA sequences; First record; Southeastern Levantine shelf
... Each sample was wet-sieved with a 100 mm and a 63 mm sieve. Up to 300 individuals per sample were counted and examined for foraminifers according to Meriç et al. (2004) and for ostracods according to Meisch (2000) and Handl et al. (1999). In both sediment cores, 12 species of foraminifers and 19 species of ostracods were identified. ...
... Microfossil analysis of the calcarenite samples (K1) shows a small amount of Amphistegina lobifera Larsen, which is known, as is the case with many other foraminifers and microorganisms of Indo-Pacific and Atlantic origin (Langer and Hottinger 2000), to have reached the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal. The existence of this foraminifera, the most abundant in the East Mediterranean Basin, has been recorded in Israel (Langer and Hottinger 2000;Hyams et al. 2002;Gruber et al. 2007), Greece (Cherif 1970), Lebanon (Moncharmont Zei 1968), Zakynthos Island, Greece (Siokou et al. 2013), Turkey (Avşar 1997;Meriç et al. 2004) and the Maltese Islands (Yokeş et al. 2007). ...
This study discusses the composition and age of calcarenite deposits and aeolianite overlying the upper Cretaceous ophiolites in the eastern Mediterranean north of the Asi River Delta. They record the Mediterranean–Red Sea water connection in the Late Pleistocene. Petrographic analysis and microfossil determination showed that these deposits are classified as micritic calcarenite and biocalcarenite, indicating deposition in a high-energy shoal environment and carbonate aeolianite with abundant rhizoliths as residuals of rootlet calcification. The invasive species of Amphistegina lobifera Larsen and Peneroplis pertusus (Forskal) found in the calcarenite and aeolianite make it clear that the Indo-Pacific Ocean waters reached the Levantine Sea basin during the periods MIS 5e and/or MIS 5c by following a palaeo-channel along the Gulf of Suez.
... For samples in which there were <300 specimens, all tests and valves were picked. Species were identified according to Cimerman and Langer (1991) and Meriç et al. (2004) for foraminifera, and following Bonaduce et al. (1975) and Joachim and Langer (2008) for ostracoda. ...
We combined biostratigraphical analyses, archaeological surveys, and Glacial Isostatic Adjustment (GIA) models to provide new insights into the relative sea-level evolution in the northeastern Aegean Sea (eastern Mediterranean). In this area, characterized by a very complex tectonic pattern, we produced a new typology of sea-level index point, based on the foraminiferal associations found in transgressive marine facies. Our results agree with the sea-level history previously produced in this region, therefore confirming the validity of this new type of index point. The expanded dataset presented in this paper further demonstrates a continuous Holocene RSL rise in this portion of the Aegean Sea. Comparing the new RSL record with the available geophysical predictions of sea-level evolution indicates that the crustal subsidence of the Samothraki Plateau and the North Aegean Trough played a major role in controlling millennial-scale sea-level evolution in the area. This major subsidence rate needs to be taken into account in the preparation of local future scenarios of sea-level rise in the coming decades.
Tarsus Ovası Çukurova'nın bir parçasıdır ve güneyde Akdeniz; kuzey ve kuzeybatıda Bolkar Dağları; doğuda ise Misis Dağları ile sınırlandırılmış bir bölgede yer almaktadır. Döneminin en önemli yerleşmelerinden olan Gözlükule Höyüğü Tarsus Ovası'nda yer almaktadır. Neolitik dönemde önemli bir yerleşme merkezi olan höyük, kesintisiz yerleşime sahne olmuştur. "Tarsus Berdan Ovasında Paleocoğrafya ve Jeoarkeoloji Araştırmaları" adlı tez çalışmamız 6 bölümden oluşmaktadır. Giriş bölümünde çalışma alanının coğrafi konumu, amaç ve yöntem konuları üzerinde durulmuştur. Tezin ikinci ve üçüncü bölümlerinde Tarsus ve çevresinin fiziki coğrafya özellikleri ile arkeolojisi açıklanmıştır. Dördüncü bölümde Tarsus Ovası'ndan elde edilen sediman örnekleri üzerine uygulanan analizler ayrıntılı olarak belirtilmiştir. Çalışmanın beşinci bölümünde bölge paleocoğrafya-jeoarkeolojisi yeniden değerlendirilmiş, son bölümde ise çalışmanın nihai sonuçları verilmiştir. Çalışmada Tarsus Ovası'nda gerçekleştirilen delgi sondaj çalışmalarından elde edilen sediman örnekleri üzerinde ayrıntılı analizler gerçekleştirilmiştir. Farklı derinliklerden alınan 300 adet sediman örneğinin lazer kırınımlı tane boyu analizleri, 145 adet sediman örneğinin X-Işını Floresansı yöntemiyle element analizleri, Karbon-Nitrojen-Sülfür analizleri, Toplam Karbon ve Toplam İnorganik Karbon analizleri yapılmış, 140 adet sediman örneğinin de paleontolojik analizleri gerçekleştirilmiştir. Farklı derinliklere ait 5 kavkı örneğine Tübitak MAM tarafından Radyokarbon-14 tarihlendirmesi yapılmıştır. Bu analizler ışığında bölgenin paleocoğrafyasına yeni bilimsel katkılar sunulmuştur. Yapılan analizlerin sonuçlarına göre, Erken Holosen'de gerçekleşen transgresyonla kıyı çizgisi Tarsus Ovası'nın kuzeyine doğru sokulduğu ancak Gözlükule Höyüğü'ne kadar ulaşamadığı kanıtlanmıştır. Gözlükule Höyüğü'nün en az 5 kilometre kadar güneyinde bulunan kıyı çizgisi, Orta ve Geç Holosen'de bölgede yer alan Tarsus Çayı ile Seyhan ve Ceyhan Irmaklarının taşıdığı alüvyonlarla dolma sonucu, tekrar açığa doğru ilerlemiştir. Orta ve Geç Holosen'de gelişen süreçlere bağlı olarak, Gözlükule Höyüğü'nün güneyinde bir lagünün oluştuğu ispatlanmıştır. Sediman birikiminin sürmesiyle birlikte lagün ortamı giderek önce bir göle, daha sonrasında delta-taşkın ovasına dönüşmüştür. Günümüze kadar ova üzerinde bu süreçlerin izleri olarak kalan bataklıklar halindeki sulak alanlar da yapılan drenaj çalışmaları ile kurutulmuştur. Günümüzde Tarsus'un güneyinde küçük bir alan kaplayan Karabucak Bataklığı, bu ortamların son kalıntısıdır.
The Tarsus Plain is part of Çukurova and the Mediterranean Sea in the south; Bolkar Mountains to the north and northwest; It is located in a region bordered by Misis Mountains in the east. One of the most important settlements of its period, Gözlükule Mound is located on the Tarsus Plain. The mound, a significant settlement in the Neolithic period, has been inhabited uninterruptedly until today. Our thesis study called "Paleogeographical and Geoarchaeological Research in the Tarsus Berdan Plain" consists of 6 chapters. In the introduction, the geographical location of the study area, the aim, and the method have been emphasized. In the second and third chapters of the thesis, the physical geography and archeology of Tarsus and its surroundings have been explained. In the fourth chapter, the analyzes applied to the sediment samples obtained from the Tarsus Plain have been given in detail. In the fifth part of the study, the paleogeography-geoarchaeology of the region has been re-evaluated, and in the last sixth, the final results of the study have been explained. In this study, detailed analyzes have been made on the sediment samples obtained from the core drillings carried out in the Tarsus Plain. Laser diffraction grain size analysis of 300 sediment samples, XRF, CNS/CN elemental analysis of 145 sediment samples, and paleontological analysis of 140 sediment samples was carried out. Radiocarbon-14 dating has been made by Tübitak MAM on 5 shell samples of different depths. In the light of these analyzes, new scientific contributions to the paleogeography of the region have been explained. According to the results of the analysis, it has been proven that the shoreline was intruded towards the north of the Tarsus Plain due to the transgression that took place in the Early Holocene, however it could not reach as far as the Gözlükule Mound. The coastline, south of the Gözlükule Mound, has moved towards the open sea again due to filling with the alluvium carried by the Tarsus Stream and the Seyhan and Ceyhan Rivers in the region during the Middle and Late Holocene. It has been proven that a lagoon was formed in the south of Gözüle Mound due to the processes that developed in the Middle and Late Holocene. Because of continued sediment accumulation, the lagoon gradually turned into a lake and then a delta-flood plain. Wetlands in the form of swamps, which have remained as traces of these processes on the plain, have also been dried by the drainage works. The Karabucak Swamp, which occupies a small area in the south of Tarsus today, is the last remnant of these environments.
Biogeographical patterns are increasingly modified by the human-driven translocation of species, a process that accelerated several centuries ago. Observational datasets, however, rarely range back more than a few decades, implying that a large part of invasion histories went unobserved. Small-sized organisms, like benthic foraminifera, are more likely to have been reported only recently due to their lower detectability compared to larger-sized organisms. Recently detected native species of tropical affinity may have thus been mistaken for non-indigenous species due to the lack of evidence of their occurrence in pre-invasion records. To uncover the unobserved past of the Lessepsian invasion—the entrance of tropical species into the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal—we collected sediment cores on the southern Israeli shelf. We deployed state-of-the-art radiocarbon techniques to date 7 individual foraminiferal tests belonging to 5 alleged non-indigenous species and show that they are centuries to millennia old, thus native. Two additional species previously considered non-indigenous occurred in centennial to millennia-old sediments, suggesting their native status. The evidence of multiple tropical foraminiferal species supposed to be non-indigenous but proved native in the eastern Mediterranean suggests either survival in refugia during the Messinian Salinity Crisis (5.96-5.33 million years) or, more likely, dispersal from the tropical Atlantic and Indo-Pacific during the Pleistocene. In the interglacials of this epoch, higher sea levels may have allowed biological connectivity between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea for shallow-water species, showing that the Isthmus of Suez was possibly a more biologically porous barrier than previously considered.
Globally, one of the two most common shallow-marine and estuarine foraminiferal genera is Ammonia. Over the past 50 years, the majority of workers have identified specimens in this genus as belonging to just 1-3 cosmopolitan species - A. beccarii, A. tepida and A. parkinsoniana. This has been partly because of the problems of discriminating the Ammonia species based entirely on shell morphology and partly because of a 1974 laboratory study that claimed to have shown that all morphologies were merely ecophenotypic variants of one species - a conclusion that molecular studies have proven to be unequivocally wrong. In this study we recognize, describe and figure sixty-seven living species and infraspecies of Recent Ammonia and two closely-related genera (Acarotrochus, Pseudoeponides) from around the world and summarize their ecological and biogeographic distribution. Twenty-six species and two subspecies are recognized by DNA sequencing and shown to be morphologically distinguishable. A further 39 morphospecies and one subspecies, that have not yet been sequenced, have sufficiently distinct morphology to be recognized. Canonical variates analysis using 42 measured or assessed morphological characters shows that the majority of these species can be readily discriminated by their test morphologies, although a few of the less-ornamented molecular species are verging on being pseudocryptic. Molecular sequencing of the type species of Challengerella (C. bradyi) and Helenina (H. anderseni) places them within our Ammonia clade. Here we continue to recognize the morphologically highly distinct genera Pseudoeponides (subjective senior synonym of Helenina) and allied Acarotrochus. Twenty new species or subspecies are described (molecular T types in brackets): Ammonia abramovichae (T8), A. akitaae, A. aoteana australiensis (T5A), A. arabica (T26), A. ariakensis quiltyi, A. buzasi (T11), A. fajemilai, A. goldsteinae, A. goodayi, A. haigi (T25), A. hattai, A. jorisseni (T23), A. justinparkeri, A. kitazatoi (T10), A. morleyae (T12), A. shchedrinae, A. turgida almogilabinae (T22M), Acarotrochus lippsi, Pseudoeponides hottingeri and P. dubuissoni. Aneotype is designated for A. veneta (Schultze 1854) (T1). We recognize 67 Ammonia and related taxa in this study but speculate that there may be 30 or more additional living species that we are not yet confident to discriminate without molecular sequencing. Ammonia species live in most parts of the world between 62 degrees N (Faeroe Islands) and 55 degrees S (Strait of Magellan), where seasonal sea-surface temperatures are 4-10 degrees C and above. One estuarine species (A. veneta, T1) is cosmopolitan, euryhaline and eurythermic. Several species are widespread in one or two ocean regions (e.g., Atlantic and Mediterranean; South Pacific), whereas the majority are endemic to smaller areas (e.g., eastern Mediterranean; Caribbean-Gulf of Mexico). Eleven biogeographic "provinces" are recognized by cluster analysis of presence/absence records with the highest diversities in the Australian and northwest Pacific provinces with 18 and 19 species each). Levels of endemism in our "provinces" range between 0 (temperate Atlantic) and 44% (Australian).
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