18 Turkey
H. GUNER and V. AYSEL
18.1 Introduction
In Turkey most investigations on marine plants have mainly concentrated on the floristic, taxonomic or systematic aspects of the subject. In
comparison, the number of vegetational or phytobenthic studies is small.
It was only during 1978 that attention was bent towards the benthic flora
and fauna in Turkey. So far, approximately 30 vegetational studies exist
on algal groups, representing the coastal zones of the Aegean, Marmara
and Turkish Mediterranean seas. Studies on the benthic vegetation in the
Black Sea are still lacking.
This chapter includes mainly information on our own research activities during the years 1974-1993, as well as a general review of observations collected recently.
18.2 Hydrological and Hydrochemical Characteristics
of Turkish Seas
Turkey is surrounded by four different seas: the Black Sea in the north,
the Marmara Sea in the northwest, the Aegean Sea in the west, and the
Mediterranean Sea in the south {Fig. 18.1}. The total length of the shoreline of the country is 8333 km; 6480 km in Asia Minor (Anatolian shore),
786 km in Thrace (Europe) and 1067 km shoreline surrounding islands.
Faculty of Science, Ege University, 35100 Bornova, Izmir, Turkey
Ecological Studies, Vol. 123
Schramm/Nienhuis (eds) Marine Benthic Vegetation
© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 1996
H. GUNER and V. AYSEL
18.1 Introduction
In Turkey most investigations on marine plants have mainly concentrated on the floristic, taxonomic or systematic aspects of the subject. In
comparison, the number of vegetational or phytobenthic studies is small.
It was only during 1978 that attention was bent towards the benthic flora
and fauna in Turkey. So far, approximately 30 vegetational studies exist
on algal groups, representing the coastal zones of the Aegean, Marmara
and Turkish Mediterranean seas. Studies on the benthic vegetation in the
Black Sea are still lacking.
This chapter includes mainly information on our own research activities during the years 1974-1993, as well as a general review of observations collected recently.
18.2 Hydrological and Hydrochemical Characteristics
of Turkish Seas
Turkey is surrounded by four different seas: the Black Sea in the north,
the Marmara Sea in the northwest, the Aegean Sea in the west, and the
Mediterranean Sea in the south {Fig. 18.1}. The total length of the shoreline of the country is 8333 km; 6480 km in Asia Minor (Anatolian shore),
786 km in Thrace (Europe) and 1067 km shoreline surrounding islands.
Faculty of Science, Ege University, 35100 Bornova, Izmir, Turkey
Ecological Studies, Vol. 123
Schramm/Nienhuis (eds) Marine Benthic Vegetation
© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 1996