Hüseyin Ambarlı

Bu çalışma, Kuzey Yarım Küre’de geniş bir dağılım gösteren ve taksonomik olarak yüksek varyasyona sahip bir tür olan bozayının (Ursus arctos Linnaeus, 1758) Türkiye’deki popülasyonunda görülen benzersiz beyazımsı leke fenotipinin yaygınlığını ve bunun türün izlenmesi ve korunması için potansiyelini araştırmaktadır. Bu özelliğin varlığı, Türkiye için doğrudan gözlem yöntemlerini ve fotokapanları kullanarak bozayıların izlenmesi ve korunmasına yönelik çalışmaları kolaylaştırma potansiyeline sahiptir. Bu nedenle, bireyleri ayırt etmeye olanak sağlayan bu fenotipin yaygınlığı bir vatandaş bilimi ve ulusal haber kaynağından toplanan N=236 bireye ait görsel veri seti analiz edilerek araştırılmıştır. Ayıların yaklaşık %25'inde beyazımsı lekelerin bulunduğu tespit edilmiştir. Morfolojik olarak bu lekelerin boyun ve omuz bölgesinde olma eğilimi ve benzersizliği, diğer ayı türlerinden farklı olarak, bireysel tanımlamayı kolaylaştırma potansiyeli sunmaktadır. Ülkemizin özellikle Kuzey kesimlerinde bu fenotipin yaygın olduğu anlaşılmaktadır. Sonuç olarak bu çalışma ile Türkiye'deki bozayıların il bazında popülasyon büyüklüğü tahmini başta olmak üzere ve uzun vadeli koruma ve davranış çalışmalarında müdahalesiz izleme aracı olarak kullanılması için bir fırsat olduğu ortaya konulmuştur.

Biotic interactions are expected to influence species' responses to global changes, but they are rarely considered across broad spatial extents. Abiotic factors are thought to operate at larger spatial scales, while biotic factors, such as species interactions, are considered more important at local scales within communities, in part because of the knowledge gap on species interactions at large spatial scales (i.e., the Eltonian shortfall). We assessed, at a continental scale, (i) the importance of biotic interactions, through food webs, on species distributions, and (ii) how biotic interactions under scenarios of climate and land‐use change may affect the distribution of the brown bear (Ursus arctos). We built a highly detailed, spatially dynamic, and empirically sampled food web based on the energy contribution of 276 brown bear food species from different taxa (plants, vertebrates, and invertebrates) and their ensemble habitat models at high resolution across Europe. Then, combining energy contribution and predicted habitat of food species, we modelled energy contribution across space and included these layers within Bayesian‐based models of the brown bear distribution in Europe. The inclusion of biotic interactions considerably improved our understanding of brown bear distribution at large (continental) scales compared with Bayesian models including only abiotic factors (climate and land use). Predicted future range shifts, which included changes in the distribution of food species, varied greatly when considering various scenarios of change in biotic factors, providing a warning that future indirect climate and land‐use change are likely to have strong but highly uncertain impacts on species biogeography. Our study confirmed that advancing our understanding of ecological networks of species interactions will improve future projections of biodiversity change, especially for modelling species distributions and their functional role under climate and land‐use change scenarios, which is key for effective conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Bozayı (Ursus arctos), ülkemizde doğal yaşam alanları olan ormanlar, yaylalar ve dağlık bölgelerde sıklıkla rastlanan bir türdür. Şavşat ilçesi, Artvin'in doğusunda yer alan zengin biyoçeşitlilik barındıran bir bölgedir ve Artvin'deki bozayı nüfusunun önemli bir kısmı bu bölgede yaşamaktadır. Bu nedenle, Şavşat'ta bozayının habitat uygunluk modellemesini yapmak, türün korunması ve yönetimi açısından önemlidir. Bozayının habitat uygunluğunu belirlemek için GPS-GSM vericili tasmalar kullanılarak elde edilen konum verileri, iklim verileri ve çevresel veriler kullanılarak MaxEnt yöntemiyle habitat uygunluk modellemesi yapılmıştır. Çalışmada kullanılan veriler arasında biyo-iklim iklim verileri, eğim, yükseklik, engebelilik, “Corine” arazi örtüsü ve insan etkisi indeksi verileri yer almaktadır. Bu veriler, bozayının yaşam alanı tercihlerini belirleyen faktörler arasındadır. Modelin sonuçlarına göre, Şavşat'ta en yüksek habitat uygunluk oranları, ibreli ve yapraklı ormanlık bölgelerde görülmekle birlikte meyve-sebze bahçelerini de önemli derecede kullandıklarını göstermektedir. Bu sonuçlar, bozayının ormanlık alanları tercih ettiğini, ormanların korunmasının ve yönetiminin önemli olduğunu göstermektedir. İnsan-ayı çatışmasına neden olabilecek bozayıların sebze-meyve bahçelerini tercih etmelerine karşın, çalışmamız ormanlık ve dağlık alanlarda da önlemler alınması gerekebileceğini ortaya koymaktadır. Ayrıca, 1.000-2.000 rakımlı alanların da bozayının habitatı için önemli olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Habitat uygunluk modellemesi, türlerin korunması ve yönetimi açısından önemli bir araçtır.

Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes are commonly used markers for monitoring adaptive genetic and evolutionary potential of species. In this study, we investigated genetic variation of the MHC class II DRB locus in the chamois genus Rupicapra by using next-generation sequencing. Sequencing of 102 samples led to the identification of 25 alleles, 11 of which are novel. The high ratio of the relative rates of nonsynonymous to synonymous mutations (dN/dS) suggests a signal of positive selection on this locus. We analyzed patterns of genetic variation within and among 2 subspecies of Northern Chamois and compared them to previously published studies using neutral markers to provide a basis for assessing the effects of demographic processes. Our analyses have shown that alleles are likely to be maintained by balancing selection in different populations with similar frequencies and that this mechanism also works in small, isolated populations that are strongly affected by genetic drift.

Biotic interactions are expected to influence species’ responses to climate change, but they are usually not included when predicting future range shifts. We assessed the importance of biotic interactions to understand future consequences of climate and land use change for biodiversity using as a model system the brown bear ( Ursus arctos ) in Europe. By including biotic interactions using the spatial variation of energy contribution and habitat models of each food species, we showed that the use of biotic factors considerably improves our understanding of the distribution of brown bears. Predicted future range shifts, which included changes in the distribution of food species, varied greatly when considering various scenarios of change in biotic factors, warning about future indirect climate change effects. Our study confirmed that advancing our understanding of ecological networks of species interactions will improve future scenarios of biodiversity change, which is key for conserving biodiversity and ecosystem services.

The continuing debates about trophy hunting should be underpinned by an understanding of at least the basic characteristics of the practice (e.g. species, quotas, areas, prices). Whilst many countries in Asia have established trophy hunting programmes of considerable importance to conservation and local livelihoods, there remains some ambiguity over the extent of trophy hunting in Asia as its basic characteristics in each country have not been compiled. In this study, we compile information on various ecological and socioeconomic characteristics of trophy hunting of mammals for countries across Asia by reviewing published and unpublished literature, analysing trade data, and obtaining contributions from in‐country contacts. Across Asia, established trophy hunting programmes exist in at least 11 countries and target at least 30 species and one hybrid (incl., five Vulnerable and one Endangered species). Trophy hunting in these countries varies markedly in areas (e.g. >1 million km² in Kazakhstan, 37% of country, vs. 1325 km² in Nepal, <1% of country) and annual offtakes (e.g. Kazakhstan: 4500 individuals from 4 of 5 trophy species; Pakistan: 229 from 4 of 7; Mongolia: 155 from 6 of 9; Tajikistan: 126 from 3 of 6; Nepal: 22 from 3 of the 4 that are trophy hunted in practice). Permit prices also vary across species and countries, with domestic and international hunters sometimes charged different rates. Hunters from the USA appear overwhelmingly prominent among international clients. National legislations typically mandate a proportion of trophy hunting revenue to accrue locally (range: 40–100%). We provide five key recommendations for research to inform trophy hunting policy in Asia: (1) Ecological impact assessments; (2) Socioeconomic impact assessments; (3) Evaluations of the contributions of trophy hunting to conservation spending; (4) Evaluations of the contributions of trophy hunting to the post‐2020 Global Biodiversity Framework; (5) Further examinations of perceptions of trophy hunting.

Aichi Target 11 committed governments to protect ≥17% of their terrestrial environments by 2020, yet it was rarely achieved, raising questions about the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework goal to protect 30% by 2030. Asia is a challenging continent for such targets, combining high biodiversity with dense human populations. Here, we evaluated achievements in Asia against Aichi Target 11. We found that Asia was the most underperforming continent globally, with just 13.2% of terrestrial protected area (PA) coverage, averaging 14.1 ± SE 1.8% per country in 2020. 73.1% of terrestrial ecoregions had <17% representation and only 7% of PAs even had an assessment of management effectiveness. We found that a higher agricultural land in 2015 was associated with lower PA coverage today. Asian countries also showed a remarkably slow average annual pace of 0.4 ± SE 0.1% increase of PA extent. These combined lines of evidence suggest that the ambitious 2030 targets are unlikely to be achieved in Asia unless the PA coverage to increase 2.4-5.9 times faster. We provided three recommendations to support Asian countries to meet their post-2020 biodiversity targets: complete reporting and the wider adoption “other effective area-based conservation measures”; restoring disturbed landscapes; and bolstering transboundary PAs.

Previous molecular studies of the wide-ranging Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx focused mainly on its northern Palearctic populations, with the consequence that the reconstruction of this species’ evolutionary history did not include genetic variation present in its southern Palearctic distribution. We sampled a previously not considered Asian subspecies (L. l. dinniki), added published data from another Asian subspecies (L. l. isabellinus), and reassessed the Eurasian lynx mtDNA phylogeny along with previously published data from northern Palearctic populations. Our mitogenome-based analyses revealed the existence of three major clades (A: Central Asia, B: SE Europe/SW Asia, C: Europe and Northern Asia) and at least five lineages, with diversification in Lynx lynx commencing at least 28kyr earlier than hitherto estimated. The subspecies L. l. isabellinus harbors the most basal matriline, consistent with the origin of Lynx lynx in this subspecies’ current range. L. l. dinniki harbors the second most basal matriline, which is related to, and may be the source of, the mtDNA diversity of the critically endangered Balkan lynx L. l. balcanicus. Our results suggest that the Anatolian peninsula was a glacial refugium for Eurasian lynx, with previously unconsidered implications for the colonization of Europe by this species.

Phylogenetic and phylogeographic assessments of species should ideally include individuals of all known populations. However, this is difficult for species with large distribution areas. Previous molecular studies of the wide-ranging Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx focused mainly on its northern Palearctic populations, with the consequence that the reconstruction of this species’ evolutionary history did not include genetic variation present in its southern Palearctic distribution. We sampled a previously not considered Asian subspecies (L. l. dinniki), added published data from another Asian subspecies (L. l. isabellinus), and reassessed the Eurasian lynx mtDNA phylogeny along with previously published data from northern Palearctic populations. Our mitogenome-based analyses revealed that the subspecies L. l. isabellinus harbours the most basal matriline, consistent with the origin of Lynx lynx in this subspecies’ current range. L. l. dinniki harbours the second-most basal matriline, which is related to, and may be the source of, the mtDNA diversity of the critically endangered Balkan lynx L. l. balcanicus. Our results suggest that the Anatolian peninsula was a glacial refugium for Eurasian lynx, with previously unconsidered implications for the colonization of Europe by this species. Genetic variation present in southern Palearctic populations of Lynx lynx is clearly important for elucidating the evolutionary history of this species.

The acceptance of large carnivores is one of the key issues for their conservation. We analyzed the level acceptance of brown bears (Ursus arctos Linnaeus, 1758) amongst 10–18 year old school students in four European countries using anonymous questionnaires. Our aim was to characterize the drivers of species acceptance, described as a rural–urban cline, as well as fear levels and the respondents’ familiarity with bears. We found lower levels of acceptance of bears were related to fear of bears and that bear acceptance was not higher in the bear-inhabited countries, but urban inhabitants tended to better accept the species. Factor analysis revealed the importance of country-related aspects, familiarity with bears, experiences in human-wildlife conflict, gender-age differences, respondent’s relationship to nature and the origin of their knowledge of the species. We consider that bear-related education and mass media in Latvia and Lithuania could reduce fear of these animals and sustain their acceptance, while human–wildlife conflict management measures in Bulgaria and Turkey are recommended to boost the appreciation of the species.