Amphisorus hemprichii Ehrenberg (Rhizopoda, foraminifera) along the Antalya coast

The benthic foraminifer Amphisorus hemprichii Ehrenberg is widely distributed in the Indo-Pacific. However, submarine surveys revealed large populations of A. hemprichii along the southwestern coasts of Antalya, Turkey, between Kalkan and Kekova. It is also present in the Red Sea which suggests that this species recently experienced Lessepsian migration. It inhabits mostly rocky substrate between 8-18 m water depth, but is also found epiphytically on Posidonia oceanica (Linné) Delile and Halophila stipulacea (Forsskål) Ascherson. We found rich populations of this species with individuals as large as 1cm in diameter in Kaş and Kekova. This indicates that environmental conditions are suitable to promote the survival of this species along the southwestern coasts of Turkey

A new guest in Illca Bay (Çeşme-Izmir-Turkey), Coscinospira acicularis

Indo-Pacific originated foraminifera species Coscinospira acicularis individuals were found among a rich peneroplid assemblage around a submarine spring in Illca Bay on the west coast of Karaburun Peninsula (Izmir, Turkey). This constitutes the first observation of this species in the Mediterranean. The submarine spring is located at a depth of 2.5 m and has a temperature of 28.4°C. It is possible that the special ecological conditions created by the warm waters of the spring might have enhanced the establishment of this thermophilic species. Although the Suez Canal is considered to be the major vector for the introduction of Indo-Pacific species into the Mediterranean, its abundance in Illca Bay and lack of observation on the eastern Mediterranean coasts suggests that shipping is the most probable mode of introduction for this species. Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2011

Some alien foraminifers along the Aegean and southwestern coasts of Turkey

Many vertebrate and invertebrate species of Indo-Pacific origin are observed in the Eastern Mediterranean. These alien species were likely transported via ballast waters or by attaching themselves onto vessels. In addition to that, many species were carried into the Mediterranean for aquaculture purposes or inadvertantly introduced from public aquariums. More importantly, man-made canals, especially the Suez Canal, serve as conduits to transportation of species between ecosystems. Many foraminifer species native to the Indo-Pacific were introduced into the Eastern Mediterranean via the Suez Canal. Some of these genera coexist with other benthic foraminifers in the Bay of Haifa, the Gulf of Iskenderun, southwestern Antalya, eastern Aegean Sea and northeast of Crete. We identified 26 genera and 32 species of Recent Foraminifera common to the Indo-Pacific and some to the Atlantic Ocean in our samples collected from various depths in the Aegean and Southwestern Mediterranean coasts of Turkey and the Gulf of Iskenderun. The absence of species native to Atlantic waters in the western Mediterranean suggests that their presence in the eastern Mediterranean must be of Indo-Pacific origin rather than Atlantic

An oasis for alien benthic foraminifera in the Aegean Sea

The benthic foraminiferal fauna in Pamucak Cove (NW Kuşadasi, Turkey) was investigated. A rich foraminiferal assemblage was observed around submarine springs, which were located 200 m off the coast. This foraminiferal assemblage is typical Mediterranean. However, the abundance of alien species is noteworthy. Fourteen alien foraminifera were found. Indo-pacific originated species; Quinqueloculina sp. C, Triloculina sp. A, Pyramidulina catesbyi (d'Orbigny), Brizalina simpsoni (Heron-Allen and Earland) and Amphistegina lessonii d'Orbigny were observed for the first time on the Turkish coastline. Specimens of Haddonia sp. and Cymbaloporetta plana (Cushman), abundantly observed in SW Antalya and Nodopthalmidium antillarum (Cushman), previously recorded from Iskenderun were also found in the study area, these are the first records for these species in the Aegean Sea. In addition, seven individuals of Euthymonacha polita (Chapman) were found around the springs, and this constitutes the first record of this species in the entire Mediterranean Sea. © 2010 The Author(s)

Atlas of recent benthic foraminifera from Turkey

Benthic foraminifera are single-celled organisms abundantly found in all kind of marine environments from brackish estuaries to the deep ocean basins at all latitudes. Foraminifera are covered with an organic test which accumulate in the sediment and make up a significant amount of sedimentary rock. Many species have well defined salinity and temperature preferences making them particularly useful for reconstructing ecological changes occured in the past. The fossil tests not only used for paleoenvironmental interpretition, but also for biostratigraphy and age-dating. Anthropogenic pollution or environmental factors may cuase abnormal development of the test, such as aberrant chamber shape and size, twisted or distorted chamber arrangement, multiple apertures, twin, triplet and even quadruplet forms. These abnormalities are commonly used as indicators of pollution. Many researchers have studied the recent benthic and planktic foraminifera of the Mediterranean fauna. The studies have investigated the distribution and abundance of the species, composition of the foraminiferal assemblages, ecological factors and interractions of tests with the substrate. Recent studies, mainly focused on the alien species and their ecological impact. Despite the numerous researches, there is a lack of a comprehensive illustrated guide to the Mediterranean foraminifeal fauna, except the "Mediterranean Foraminifera" (Cimerman and Langer 1991), which included samples from Adriatic and Tyrrhenian Seas, representing mostly the western Mediterranean fauna. With the presented SEM photos of 299 species in 84 plates, the aim of the present Atlas is to fill the gap and provide an updated checklist of foraminiferal fauna of the Turkish coastline, representing the majority of the Levantine Basin

Twin, triplet and quadruplet teratogens in benthic foraminifera from Antalya

We report twin and triplet forms of Recent benthic foraminifers from the southwestern coasts of Antalya (SW Turkey). Biological influences are possibly the primary cause for abnormal morphologies During foraminifer reproduction, the number of individuals occupying the reproduction cyst, duration of the delay before the breaking of the cyst and the size of the cyst are all likely causes for the formation of twins, triplets and quadruplets. Thus, we assume that twins, triplets and quadruplet test formation in benthic foraminifers in our study area are caused by developmental accidents, and are not necessarily related to physical and chemical pressures from the environment

A review of benthic foraminifers and ostracodes of the Antalya coast

We studied benthic foraminifer and ostracod faunas from the Southwestern coasts of Antalya (Turkey) in 227 sediment samples collected by SCUBA divers in July and August, 2002. We identified 50 foraminifer genera and 96 species, some of which contained numerous large specimens. The large abundances of Indo-Pacific species, such as Peneroplis arietinus (Batsch), Amphisorus hemprichii Ehrenberg, Sorites variabilis Lacroix, Amphistegina lobifera Larsen, and Heterostegina depressa d'Orbigny is noteworthy. In some samples 75% of the sand is composed of Amphistegina lobifera Larsen tests. In contrast to this rich foraminifer fauna, ostracods are poorly represented by only 21 genera and 23 species

Morphological abnormalities in benthic foraminifers of the Antalya coast

Many researchers report abnormal test morphologies in benthic foraminifers and some suggest that anthropogenic pollution may be one of the causes for these anomalies. Some species are even used as bioindicators of anthropogenic pollution. However, environmental stress may be exerted by natural factors also, such as hypersalinity, periodical acidification and strong hydrodynamics. We observed large populations of morphologically abnormal foraminifer individuals in 227 recent sediment samples on the southwestern coast of Antalya (Turkey). In 117 of our samples we found morphologically abnormal Textularia bocki Höglund individuals. The proportion of abnormal individuals to normal ones within a population is 3.2%. We also found morphologically abnormal individuals of Peneroplis arietinus Batsch, P. pertusus (Forskål), P. planatus (Fichtel and Moll), Amphisorus hemprichii Ehrenberg, Sorites orbiculus Ehrenberg, S. variabilis Lacroix and Spiroloculina cf. S. angulata d'Orbigny in 87 of our sediment samples. The abundance and large sizes of these abnormal individuals are significant. There is no industrial plant near the study area and this region is not a popular tourist attraction. Thus, anthropogenic waste cannot be regarded as an important cause for unhealthy foraminifers in this region. There are frequent freshwater springs along the coast around Kalkan, Kaş and eastern Kekova. Seasonal discharge from submarine caves also contributes freshwater to the sea ranging between 12% and 50%. Radioactivity levels and heavy metal concentrations in these submarine discharges are insignificant. However, we see a correlation between the abundance of abnormal individuals and the locations of caves and freshwater springs in the region. Our results suggest that rapid changes in ecological parameters related to submarine groundwater discharge may be responsible for morphological anomalies in foraminiferal genera and species

Did the Red Sea - Mediterranean connection over the Dead Sea Fault Zone end in the Late Pliocene?

The delta plain of the Asi (Orontes) river in Hatay (Turkey) is located between two regional major tectonic zones, the Dead Sea Fault Zone from the Red Sea to Antakya and the East Anatolian Fault Zone from Karliova to Antakya. Sediment samples from five cores performed on the Asi delta plain to 15 m depth were studied, and three fossil groups were identified in 5 samples. They mainly consist of 51 foraminiferal species from 42 genera; ostracod genera representing marine, brackish and fresh water environments, and Gastropoda and Bivalvia taxa.The abundance of some benthic Foraminifera in the recent sediment samples, including Euuvigerina reineri (Bedford), Siphonina tubulosa Cushman and Siphonodosaria abyssorum (Brady), which are common in the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea, and Red Sea is remarkable. In addition, Euuvigerina reineri (Bedford) individuals about 70 ka have been collected from Mağaracik village to the north of the drilling area. The existence of these species in the Quaternary sediments indicates that the water connection via the Gulf of Aqaba on the Dead Sea Fault Zone was still open in the Pleistocene. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA.JSM-6490 Core Ege ÜniversitesiThe authors would like to thank to Prof. Dr. İlhan Kayan for sedimentological and paleoenvironmental interpretations of the core profiles of Asi Delta; to Beycan Hocaoğlu, Levent Uncu and Hakan Yiğitbaş (Ege University) for preparation of samples and to Dr. İpek F. Barut (İstanbul University) for organization of this study. The authors would like to thank to Dr. Tansel Tekin and Tuğrul Tüzüner ( TPAO. Research Center, Ankara ) for the support of taking SEM (Jeol. JSM-6490 LV) microphotos. Also, the authors are grateful to Prof. Dr. Timur USTAÖMER (İstanbul University) for his critical suggestions during the preparation of this paper

Did Amphistegina lobifera Larsen reach the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal?

It has been accepted by many researchers that Amphistegina lobifera Larsen migrated to the Mediterranean Sea via Suez Canal like many other Indo-Pacific originated foraminifers and organisms. This idea was also supported in the studies performed on the Turkish Aegean and Mediterranean coast in the last ten years, due to the discovery of alien benthic foraminifers. However, during field research in the Akkuyu (Mersin) region, a rich benthic foraminifera assemblage was found in the sediment samples, in which Amphistegina lobifera Larsen was abundant. In the present study, when and how Amphistegina lobifera Larsen migrated to the Mediterranean was investigated.Most of the Amphistegina lobifera Larsen individuals observed are found to show similar morphological characteristics with recent samples collected from Turkish coastline, which at first indicated that the individuals from Akkuyu might also be of Holocene age, but the OSL method produced dates of 227.3 ± 17.8, 87.7 ± 9.6 and 6.0 ± 0.6 ka. These ages are Middle Pleistocene, Late Pleistocene and Holocene. In one sample, aged 427.5 ± 29.4 ka, Spiroloculina antillarum d'Orbigny, which was suggested to be introduced to Mediterranean via the Suez Canal, was found together with Articulina carinata Wiesner. The presence of Spiroloculina antillarum d'Orbigny with Amphistegina lobifera Larsen together with in an other sample, aged 227.3 ± 17.8 ka, indicates that these foraminifers have been introduced to the Mediterranean in Middle Pleistocene and they might have been living in the Eastern Mediterranean since then. As a result, these age data show that Amphistegina lobifera Larsen individuals did not migrate to the eastern Mediterranean via the Suez Canal which was opened in 1869, but much earlier than that via a different natural water way connecting Indo-Pacific to the Eastern Mediterranean. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA