Biology Department

In recent years, with its lack of pollutant emissions
wind energy has come forward from among other
renewable energy sources. As all man-made objects,
wind farms have impacts on nature too. Among these
impacts, the ones affecting birds are loss of habitat,
displacement due to disturbance, barrier effect and
death by collision. Despite the negative impacts,
wind farms might also become a shelter for certain
species since the wind farm ranges are protected
by private security contractors and/or fences and
alike. Animals facing danger of being hunted by
indigenous people, such as deer, fox and chukar
use these ranges as shelters against the pressure.
Moreover, constructions change indigenous habitats
creating new ones (especially rocky fields and open
lands) allowing species like wheatear, rock nuthatch,
rock sparrow and rock thursh to domicile in the range.
In this content, wind farms have positive impacts on
surrounding environments as well as negative ones.
Despite the possible pros of these energy facilities
constructions should be avoided from siting near
raptors’ nesting-breeding sites at all costs. Besides,
avoiding ecological hotspots, BACI (Before and After
Construction Impact) control procedures should be
implemented. These procedures should involve 2
year monitoring processes divided into 6 months
periods yielding the results determining ornithofauna, target species and possible flight corridors in
the surrounding environment.

Isolation and molecular determination of blue-green algae (Cyanobacteria) which grow in thermal waters in Izmir. The aim is the isolation and identification of blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) obtained from thermal waters of Izmir and around by using molecular methods in laboratory. The four types of blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) were collected from 3 centers which are Zeytindalı kaplıcaları, Sifne Termal Otel ve Balcova Termal Otel. The obtained four types of blue green algae (cyanobacteria) are isolated by purifying in culture medium at laboratory. Then DNA from the cells is isolated and amplified by PCR. Afterwards using the primers that are specific for blue green algae (cyanobacteria), 16S rRNA gene spaces are amplified by PCR and the resulting sequence was analyzed filogenetically in order to determine the species. According sequence analysis, three of the species was Geitlerinema sp. and the other one species is uncultured.

The ability of ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) to modulate the genotoxic action of several mutagens was investigated in the wing spot test of Drosophila melanogaster. In this assay, 3-day-old transheterozygous larvae for the multiple wing hairs (mwh, 3-0.3) and flare (flr, 3-38.8) genes were treated with three reference mutagenic compounds, namely cobalt chloride (CoCl2), 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide (4-NQO) and potassium dichromate (K2Cr2O7). The results obtained show that the three reference mutagens tested were clearly genotoxic in the Drosophila wing somatic mutation and recombination test (SMART). None of the three concentrations tested of ascorbic acid (25, 75 and 250mM) induced significant increases in the frequency of the mutant clones recorded. When co-treatment experiments with ascorbic acid were carried out, different results were found. Thus, ascorbic acid was effective in reducing the genotoxicity of K2Cr2O7 virtually to the control level; on the contrary, it did not show any ant...

A literature review suggests an interaction between an anomaly of the inferior vena cava and thrombophilia in the pathogenesis of deep vein thrombosis. Genetic thrombotic abnormalities have been found in some of the subjects having venous thromboembolic diseases. We report a case of a young man presenting with venous thrombosis of the upper and lower extremities, left-sided vena cava inferior and with combination of heterozygosity of the mutation of the genes Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase 677 and Factor V 1691.