Verbascum scamandri Murb. known as "Kazdağı Mullein" is an endemic species in Türkiye and is classified as an endangered (EN) species. The aim of this study is to establish an efficient callus culture for V. scamandri and analyze the amounts of verbascoside, luteolin, and aucubin metabolites of calli samples. Leaf explants were cultured on MS medium with cytokinin (BAP, Kin, 0, 0.5, 1, 2, 3 mg/L) and auxin (NAA, 2,4-D, 0, 0.1, 0.5, 1 mg/L), 1 g/L PVP, 3% sucrose, and 0.7% agar for callus induction. Callus tissue in MS with 2 mg/L Kin, 0.5 mg/L Kin+0.5 mg/L 2,4-D, 2 mg/L Kin+0.5 mg/L 2,4-D, and 3 mg/L Kin+0.5 mg/L 2,4-D was proliferated in MS basal medium containing PGR at the same concentrations and combinations as the callus induction media. Verbascoside, luteolin, and aucubin were quantified in leaf samples of the in vivo collected plants, leaf samples of in vitro growing plants, and calli using HPLC-DAD. According to the results, the verbascoside content in the leaf of collected plants was 7.03 mg/g, luteolin was 0.66 mg/g, and aucubin was 2.99 mg/g. The leaf of in vitro plants had 1.62 mg/g verbascoside, 0.18 mg/g luteolin, and 1.32 mg/g aucubin. Whereas, the maximum content of secondary metabolites in the callus samples was observed 13.77 mg/g verbascoside in MS medium with 2 mg/L Kin, 0.51 mg/g luteolin in MS medium with 2 mg/L Kin+0.5 mg/L 2,4-D, and 9.32 mg/g aucubin in 0.5 mg/L Kin+0.5 mg/L 2,4-D.

The effects of environmental pollution on three populations of the Balkan terrapin [Mauremys rivulata (Valenciennes, 1833)] from the Bozcaada, Gökçeada and Dardanos regions were evaluated. The morphological parameters of Balkan terrapins collected on each site were measured and blood samples were taken for haematological analysis and micronucleus detection. The physicochemical, microbiological and microelement analyses of the water samples from each region were conducted by standard methods. The highest red blood cell, white blood cell and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration values were seen in the samples from Gökçeada. The highest haemoglobin value was found in the samples originating from Bozcaada, whereas the highest haematocrit and mean corpuscular volume values were found in the animals from Dardanos. Based on the microbiological analysis of the water samples, the most polluted site was Gökçeada. The microelement contents of the water and blood samples were different at the three sites, the lowest being in the Gökçeada area. It was revealed that the percentage of red blood cell micronuclei and other nucleus abnormalities in the M. rivulata blood samples was the lowest also in the animals living in the region of Gökçeada.

The Balkan terrapin, Mauremys rivulata, is a freshwater turtle. This reptile is exposed to many environmental pollutants and some infectious agents, including Haemogregarina stepanowi parasite. This study was conducted to determine the microscopic prevalence of haemogregarine infection in M. rivulata caught in three different localities (Bozcaada, Gökçeada, and Dardanos) in Çanakkale province of Turkey, and assessment of some risk factors. Twenty-four blood samples were collected, thin blood smears were prepared, and the presence of haemogregarine parasites microscopically was screened. Water samples were also taken from the habitats, and these samples were analyzed physiochemically and microbiologically. Morphological identification was made by detecting the sausage-shaped intra-cytoplasmic developmental stages of H. stepanowi, and thirteen of twenty-four turtles (54.2%) were found to be infected. The prevalence of H. stepanowi was detected as the highest (90.0%) in the Gökçeada district, where the water pollution is higher than in the other localities. A statistically significant relationship was observed between the distribution of the infection and the gender of the turtles, the temperature of the water, the number of faecal coliforms in water and the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water. A statistically significant difference was found between the localities in terms of the prevalence of H. stepanowi infection, and the infection was primarily detected in the Gökçeada district. This study has significance in providing information regarding haemoparasitic diseases of freshwater turtle, M. rivulata, in Turkey.

Bu çalışmada, flow sitometri analizi ile in vitro yetiştirilmiş A. caricum bitkilerinin çekirdek DNA içeriğinin belirlenmesi, ayrıca in vitro çoğaltılan bitkilerin genetik stabilitelerinin değerlendirilmesi amaçlanmıştır. Bitkinin tohumları, 3% sukroz ve 0.7% fitoagar içeren Murashige ve Skoog besin ortamında çimlendirilmiştir. Çimlenen fideler kontrollü bir ortamda in vitro olarak büyütülmüştür. In vitro çoğaltım için nodal eksplantlar üç farklı sürgün indüksiyon ortamında 3-4 hafta kültüre alınmıştır. Adventif sürgünler sürgün indüksiyon ortamı ile aynı formülasyonlara sahip MS besin ortamına çoğaltılmaları için aktarılmıştır. Çoğaltılan adventif sürgünler, daha sonra bitki büyüme düzenleyicileri içermeyen MS ortamına aktarılmıştır. In vitro yetiştirilen bitkiler ve in vitro çoğaltılan bitkiler flow sitometri ile analiz edilmiştir. Yapılan flow sitometri analizleri, in vitro yetiştirilen bitkilerin 1.75 pg/2C±0.01 DNA içeriğine sahip olduğunu göstermiştir. Sonuçlar, çoğaltılan bitkilerin tohumdan çimlenen bitkiler ile benzer DNA içeriğine sahip olduğunu göstermiştir. Bu sonuçlar, analiz edilen bireylerin genetik olarak stabil olduğunu önermektedir. Bununla birlikte, A. caricum hakkında daha kapsamlı bilgilere ulaşmak için ek çalışmalar gerekmektedir.

Hypericum aucheri is a Hypericum species distributed in Türkiye as well as Greece and Bulgaria with notable pharmacological potential. Its medicinal importance underlines the need for effective propagation strategies. This study developed an in vitro micropropagation protocol using nodal explants cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with different concentrations of cytokinins—6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) (0, 1, 2 mg L⁻¹) or kinetin (KIN) (0, 1, 2 mg L⁻¹)—combined with 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) (0, 0.5, 1 mg L⁻¹) for shoot induction. The highest shoot induction and multiplication (100% and multiplication coefficient of 10.0) were achieved with KIN (2 mg L⁻¹). Rooting was most successful on MS medium supplemented with α-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) (1 mg L⁻¹) and activated charcoal (AC) (1 mg L⁻¹), resulting in 100% rooting. Acclimatized plantlets showed an 80% survival rate under ex vitro conditions. This study presents the first efficient micropropagation system for H. aucheri, contributing to its ex situ conservation and providing a foundation for future pharmacological and biotechnological research.