Bilgin Lab of Biodiversity and Conservation

 

Department of Biology

Middle East Technical University

 

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Ringing in Turkey

Birds of Turkey

KAD

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My research interests are varied but conservation biology, ornithology and wildlife biology are prominent among them. You can contact me by e-mail or through fax (+90-312-210 1289). 

TÜRKÇE

 

 

On September 8th, Hüseyin has succeeded to capture, tranquilize and radio collar a wild bear at Yusufeli (Artvin) - a first for Turkey (click for a bigger picture).

 

ONGOING RESEARCH

Protected area site selection based on abiotic data: How reliable is it? (Ph.D. project 2004-2008) Banu Kaya 

 

Determining species boundaries in Rana bedriagae and R. caralitana using molecular and morphometric approaches (M.Sc. project 2004-2005) Çiğdem Akın studies mitochondrial DNA polymorphism to reveal species boundaries at the Lakes Region (southwestern Turkey). Her work so far revealed a far more complex situation than known before, with haplotypes belonging to two separate forms occuring mixed over a a large area in southwestern Turkey.

 

Population status, threats and conservation approaches for a highly threatened endemic plant, Centaurea tchihatcheffii (Fisch. & Mey.) Yasemin (Ergüner) Baytok (Ph.D. project 2003-2007) 

 

 

 

Breeding biology, population dynamics and spatial organization of an isolated Luscinia megarhynchos population (M.Sc. project 2003-2005) İlker Özbahar studies the small population at Yalıncak (METU) with the help of various techniques, including radio telemetry.   

(Right) Fidel, the male nightingale, has migrated to its winter quarters, probably in East Africa, and came back to the exact territory at METU for the last five years.

Spatial and Temporal Analysis of Human-Brown Bear Conflicts at Yusufeli (northeastern Turkey) (M.Sc. project 2004-2006) Hüseyin Ambarlı is mostly in the field either following bears or documenting conflicts by talking to people. This project is partly supported by the Wildlife Conservation Society.

A vegetation classification based on satellite imagery and an application at the alliance level for the Mediterranean Region Uğur Zeydanlı (Ph.D. project 1999-2005) Uğur currently works for TEMA in the "Gap Analysis of Lesser Caucasus Forests" project.

 

RECENTLY COMPLETED RESEARCH PROJECTS

Conflicts between people and wolves: A study in Bozdağ, Konya
Senem Tuğ had to change the scope of her M.Sc. project after the wolves she hoped to follow by radio telemetry suddenly disappeared. She got her degree
in September 2005 and plans to study further on the human-wildlife conflict. This project was partly supported by the Rufford Small Grants Fund.

 

(Right) This photo was recently taken at the study site with a camera trap. Note the second wolf lying on the right with its eye shining just at the edge of the frame

Camera trap photo taken at Bozdag

 

The population biology of a narrow endemic, Centaurea tchihatcheffii (Fisch. & Mey.) (Compositae), in Ankara, Turkey  Didem Çakaroğulları received her M.Sc. degree in September 2005. She hopes to continue working with plants but at a different scale.

Population biology of the threatened Cinerous Vulture (Aegypius monachus) population at Türkmen Dağı, Eskişehir Elif Erdoğdu Yamaç has got her Ph.D. degree in 2004. Her research project was a collaboration with Dr. Y. Kılıç (Anadolu University). 

Passerine migration at METU Özge Keşaplı Can got her M.Sc. in early 2004. Her research - the first based on ringing in Turkey - was in collaboration with National Parks & Wildlife Authority and Turkish Bird Research Society (KAD). 

Butterfly composition and abundance at three different habitats in Kayseri, Turkey Evrim Karaçetin (M.Sc. earned May 2002) Evrim is now at Oregon State University for her Ph.D. degree. 

Soaring bird migration at Belen Pass, Hatay Okan Can finished his M.Sc. project in 2001 while working for KAD in the meantime.

Introduction of exotic vertebrates in Turkey: A review and an assessment of their impact Hüseyin Çildir received his M.Sc. in 2001. Collaboration with Dr. F. Erk'akan (Hacettepe University) proved very fruitful for this project. 

Carabid assemblages at open and wooded fragments at METU Zeren Gürkan (1999-2001) Dr. B. Gueorguiev (National Museum of Natural History, Bulgaria) kindly identified specimens. 

Population viability analysis for reintroduction and harvesting of Turkish Mouflon Ovis gmelini anatolica Zeynep Yüksel Sezen completed her M.Sc. in 2000, and is now pursuing a Ph.D. degree at Penn State. This project was a collaboration with Dr. R. Akçakaya (Applied Biomathematics, New York).

Marine coastal community at Bodrum, Turkey Çağatay Çelik got his M.Sc. in 2000, and is now in İstanbul, working for a pharmaceutical company, and possibly dreaming of scuba diving occasionally. 
 

Population structure, habitat use and reintroduction of Turkish Mouflon Ovis gmelini anatolica; Okan Arıhan finished his M.Sc. in 2000 while working for the National Parks and Wildlife authority. He has now successfully earned a second M.Sc. degree in pharmaceutical botany!

Taxonomy of the water frog (Rana ridibunda) complex in Turkey: morphometric, bioacoustic and electrophoretic polymorphisms Tarek Jdeidi finished his Ph.D. research in 2000 and is now a lecturer at Al-Fateh University, Libya. This was a collaboration with Dr. M. Kence (METU). 

Evaluation of conservation efforts and identification of priority areas for biodiversity management Ayşe Turak - who happens to be my wife - finished her Ph.D in 2000. This was a collaboration with Dr. A. Kence (METU). 

Studies on the carnivores of Düzlerçamı Game Reserve, Antalya Ayşegül Birand finished her M.Sc. in 1999 and then moved to India for a couple of years. This project was a collaboration with Dr. O. Adalı (METU). Ayşegül is now studying for her Ph.D. at New Mexico State University at Las Cruces. 

Breeding biology and habitat use in Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca) Mehmet Gürsan finished his M.Sc. in 1999.

Last updated 25 September 2005