Demography and population structure of Northeastern Mediterranean monk seal population

Date

2021-01-01

Author

Kurt, Merve
Gücü, Ali Cemal

Metadata

Show full item record

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Item Usage Stats

272
views

0
downloads

Copyright © 2020 Mediterranean Marine ScienceThe Northeastern Mediterranean coasts that border southern Turkey host one of the last strongholds for the survival of the endangered Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus, 1779). The seal colonies inhabiting south coast of Turkey have been studied since 1994 through various short-term research projects focusing on distinct small populations that were thought to be isolated. In this study, the entire extent of the area was monitored approximately for 3 years (between 2015 and 2018) with camera traps places in 20 caves known to be actively used by the seals. A total of 7014 images taken throughout the study period, along with 25,100 images taken previously, were used to identify the seals inhabiting the area. In total, 37 individuals were identified based on the natural marks on the body. Based on photo-identified seals, a mark-recapture method was applied to estimate the total population size within the Northeastern Mediterranean. The overall population size was found to be 46 (SE=7.7) in the case of closed population and 53(SE=34.8) in the case of open population during the study period. The range of identified seals was almost six times larger than previously documented in the same area, reaching distances up to 245 km. The population estimate indicated a decrease in population size compared to previous studies. Finally, the study emphasises the importance of long-term monitoring studies elucidating changes in the demographic parameters in relation to threats posed, rather than cut-paste measurement suggestions which are not applicable in reality, while structuring the conservation actions targeting survival of this highly endangered species.

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/88694

Journal

Mediterranean Marine Science

DOI

https://doi.org/10.12681/mms.21913

Collections

Graduate School of Marine Sciences, Article

Suggestions

OpenMETU
Core

Population Viability Analysis (PVA) of the Mediterranean Monk Seal (Monachus monachus Hermann, 1779) inhabiting in the Northeastern Mediterranean Ok, Meltem; Gücü, Ali Cemal (2006-08-22) Northeastern Mediterranean coasts of Turkey host critically endangered Mediterranean monk seal. In this study, the vital parameters of the monk seal colony which have been obtained since 1994 were evaluated by using population viability analysis to evaluate the risk of extinction of the species in the eastern Mediterranean, and their expected chances for recovery. This study also aims to compare the effect of Marine Protected Area established in 1999 on the conservation of the species. Annual survival rate ...
Activity budget analysis of non-breeding mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) at Sarp Lake, Turkey Khan, Aleem Ahmed; Bilgin, Cemal Can; Kence, Aykut; Khan, Kokab Raheela (1996-12-01) Time activity budget analyses of non-breeding mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) at Sultan Marshes, Sarp lake, Turkey was conducted from September to November, 1991. This study investigated the importance of Sarp lake with reference to non-breeding mallards. Feeding activity increased with cooler weather. The month of September showed maximum preening activity (33.3%). Preening is positively correlated with temperature (r=0.974, P<0.05). Temperature also has pronounced effect on agonistic activities (bill threat...
Foraminiferal biostratigraphy and sequence stratigraphy of peritidal carbonates at the Triassic-Jurassic boundary (Karaburun Peninsula, Western Turkey) Tunaboylu, B. Coskun; Altıner, Demir; İŞİNTEK, İSMAİL; Demirci, D. (2014-08-15) Continuous shallow marine carbonates spanning the Triassic-Jurassic boundary are exposed in the Karaburun Peninsula, Western Turkey. The studied section (Tahtaiskele section) consists of Upper Triassic cyclic shallow marine carbonates intercalated with clastics overlain by Lower Liassic carbonates. Based on the microfacies stacking patterns, three main types of shallowing-upward cycles have been recognized. Cycles are mostly composed of subtidal facies at the bottom, intertidal/supratidal facies and/or suba...
Diet of a Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachus in a transitional post-weaning phase and its implications for the conservation of the species Kirac, Cem Orkun; Ok, Meltem (2019-01-01) The Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachus is the most endangered pin-niped in the world and is considered Endangered by the IUCN. Transition from suckling to active feeding is a critical time in the development of all mammal species, and understanding the dietary requirements of seals during this vulnerable period is of value in establishing conservation measures, such as fishery regulations. This study provides unique information on the dietary habits of a moulted monk seal pup, through the opportunist...
Sedimentary cyclicity in the upper cretaceous successions of the Haymana Basin (Turkey): depositional sequences as response to relative sea level changes Huseynov, Afgan; Altıner, Demir; Department of Geological Engineering (2007) The Haymana basin in Central Anatolia (Turkey) formed on a Late Cretaceous to Middle Eocene fore arc accretionary wedge. The aim of this study is to investigate the sedimentary cyclicity and depositional sequences in the Upper Cretaceous clastic successions of the Haymana basin. To be able to achieve this objective, a 250 m stratigraphic section, which is mainly composed of siliciclastics has been measured in the Haymana Basin. In this study, detailed lithofacies analyses were performed and five different ...

Citation Formats

M. Kurt and A. C. Gücü, “Demography and population structure of Northeastern Mediterranean monk seal population,” Mediterranean Marine Science, pp. 79–87, 2021, Accessed: 00, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://hdl.handle.net/11511/88694.