Aim of study: Forest geneticists developed various methods to predict an early selection age for forest tree species in order to shorten the breeding cycles. This study aims to estimate age-age correlations among diameter growth of trees at different ages and predict early selection age for Pinus brutia Ten. Area of study: P. brutia populations in the study were sampled from the most productive distribution range of the species, which is an important forest tree in the eastern Mediterranean Basin. To understand genetic variation and determine early selection age for the species, a common garden experiment was established in two test sites near Antalya city, Turkey, in 1979. Material and methods: Wood increment cores at breast height were collected at age 30 years, and diameters (dbh) were measured for the ages 13, 15, 19, 21, 23, 25, and 27 years on the cores. Diameters at ground level (dgl) and dbh were also measured on live trees at age 35. Variance components, age-age correlations, heritability and selection efficiency were estimated for the diameters. Main results: Age-age genetic correlations for diameters were high (mostly > 0.90). Genetic correlations between dgl (at age 35) and dbh (at all measurement ages) ranged from 0.84 to 0.99. Regressions of genetic correlation on natural log of age ratio (LAR) of juvenile age to older age were significant (P < 0.0001). Selection efficiencies estimated by employing the prediction equation indicated that for rotation age 40, the optimum selection age would be between 3 to 5 years, and for rotation age 100 it would be between 5 to 9 years. Research highlights: The results of this study provide information that can be used to find early selection ages in P. brutia. On relatively poor test sites most trees may not attain enough height growth to have measurable dbh trait. In such cases, dgl and/or tree height traits (both of which are highly correlated with dbh traits of all ages) can be measured and used instead of dbh trait for evaluations. Keywords: Correlated response; selection efficiency; trait-trait correlations; brutian pine.

Lamiaceae/Labiatae family includes the highest number of commercially used species such as mint, rosemary, thyme, oregano, lavender, marjoram and sage. These species are generally used as flavoring additives in meat dishes, sausage products, seafood, stews, salads, canned foods, sauces and soups. In this study, the species diversity of Lamiaceae family members in Akseki-İbradı-Manavgat districts of Antalya in southern Turkey and their ethnobotanical utilization in the region and in the literatures were presented. 149 taxa (131 at species level) belonging to 27 genera of Lamiaceae were identified in the study area. Of these, 50 taxa (33.56%) are endemic to Turkey. The native people harvest species from wild populations and generally air-dry them under sun or on shadow places. They consume and sell mainly air-dried Origanum onites (Turkish oregano) leaves. They obtain essential oil traditionally by steam distillation from Origanum majorana (white marjoram) due to its high oil yield and efficiency. Herbal treatments are used for cure various diseases such as strong cough, chronic cold, wounds, gastrointestinal disorders and skin problems. Wild-crafting of populations may cause genetic erosion of the species. The sustainability of these species should be maintained by genetic resource conservation programs by in situ and ex situ conservation strategies.

The sweet taste and bitter taste genes are thought to have an influence on obesity and caries, which are chronic diseases. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of the polymorphisms of TAS2R38 (the bitter taste gene) and TAS1R2 (the sweet taste gene), which are the most important members of the taste gene family, on the dental status of obese and normal-weight children. The study included 78 healthy children and 100 children diagnosed with obesity (5-16 years old). The anthropometric measurements and dental status of the children were evaluated. The decayed, missing and filled permanent/primary teeth (DMFT/dmft) index was determined using the standard methods recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). Blood samples were collected from all subjects and were analyzed via the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, with the use of specific primers for the genetic analysis. Five single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the TAS2R38 and TAS1R2 genes were investigated. The truncated Poisson and truncated negative binomial modeling approaches were used with regard to the data. The DMFT/dmft scores were low in obese children and high in children who did not sense the bitter taste (non-tasters). While obese non-taster children had increased DMFT/dmft scores, normalweight non-taster children had decreased DMFT/dmft scores. The alanine, valine and isoleucine (AVI) as well as proline, alanine and valine (PAV) haplotypes of the TAS2R38 gene are associated with the DMFT/dmft index and obesity. This study showed that the DMFT/dmft scores were decreased in obese children. According to the haplotype analysis of the TAS2R38 gene, the DMFT/dmft scores were increased in non-tasters. When differentiating obese nontasters and control non-tasters, DMFT/dmft increased in obese non-taster patients, while it decreased in control non-taster patients.

Aim of study: To characterize and compare the genetic resources and gain some insights into the evolutionary history of Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis Mill.) and Brutia pine (Pinus brutia Ten.) species which are both distributed across more than 8 million hectares of area in the Mediterranean Basin. Study area: Fifty-six populations from eight Mediterranean basin countries where P. halepensis and P. brutia species are located. Materials and methods: We analyzed 1344 seeds belonging to 56 populations using five cpSSR primers (Pt15169, Pt30204, Pt41093, Pt87268, and Pt110048). Main results: The analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed that the genetic diversity among the Brutia pine populations was slightly higher than that of Aleppo pine (27.06% and 24.27%, respectively). The Aleppo pine populations separately displayed a clear east-west differentiation across the Mediterranean Basin, confirming previous results using other markers. Although the Brutia pine populations showed no spatial genetic pattern, geographically close populations and/or populations from their continual distribution range were genetically closer than the fragmented and/or ecologically marginal populations. Research highlights: The seven Aleppo pine populations from the eastern range (Türkiye, Greece, and Italy) were more than two-fold diverse than the 13 populations from the western range (Spain and Morocco). The eastern range of Aleppo pine and Brutia pine populations had similar levels of genetic diversity parameters. These results suggested that the Eastern Mediterranean Basin is a possible genetic diversity center for the two pine species.

Population genetic studies can be useful in understanding invasion scenarios of non-native species. Carassius gibelio is an invasive species that can be found in various river and lake systems around the world. In this study, species identification was made by mtDNA COI sequence analysis for C. gibelio populations along the Euphrates River system and the genetic diversity of the populations was revealed using mtDNA D-loop and microsatellite markers. A total of 19 alleles were detected as a result of four microsatellite markers. It has been determined that fish populations are not in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium because they show inbreeding reproduction and gynogenetics. According to microsatellite data, there is no genetic structure that coincides with the geographical distribution of the populations. The Euphrates River ecosystem is exposed to the effects of invasive species as well as anthropogenic activities and the survival and diversity of natural fish populations in the rivers are endangered. If necessary precautions are not taken, natural and endemic species will not be able to compete and there will be a high probability that they will be replaced by the invasive species C. gibelio in the future.