Evaluation of Antimicrobial Effects of Four Selected Marine Macroalgae from Iskenderun Bay

In the present study, the seaweeds belong to Phaeophyaceae (Cystoseira elegans Sauvageau 1912, Cystoseira amentacea (C.Agardh) Bory 1832, Padina crassa Yamada 1931) and Florideophyceae (Corallina elongata J.Ellis & Solander 1786) collected from nearby Iskenderun-Turkey of Mediterranean Sea were detected for their antimicrobial activities against seven bacterial strains (Escherichia coli ATCC 35218, Bacillus cereus NRRL B-371, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853, Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 13883, Salmonella typhimurium ATCC 14028, Proteus vulgaris RSKK 96029). The antimicrobial activities were expressed as minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs). According to the results obtained from MICs and MBCs values of the extracts on pathogenic microorganisms were between 0.78 to 50 mg/mL. The lowest MICs and MBCs values were recorded for C. elegans extract against B. cereus with a MIC value of 0.78 mg/mL. These results suggest that secondary metabolites of brown and red algae are important sources that could be used as broad spectrum of biological and pharmaceutical activities.

Analysis of heavy metal contamination in surface sediments of Iskenderun Bay, Turkey

The ecological risk resulting from the accumulation of some heavy metals in the sediments of Iskenderun Bay was assessed using the following measures: enrichment and contamination factor, pollution load index (PLI), and potential ecological risk index (RI). The concentrations of the studied heavy metals were in the following order: Fe > Ni > Mn > Cr > Zn > Cu > As > Pb > Cd > Hg. Ni and As had the highest EF values. This situation is most likely due to the presence of iron, pesticide, and fertilizer plants in the region. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Ni, As, Mn, and Cr may have harmful effects on faunal communities in sediments. According to the RI, Site 4 was more contaminated and toxic than the other seven study sites, with “moderate” ecological risk. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was determined by multivariate methods – cluster and principal component analysis. As can be inferred from the RI values, the potential toxic effect of As and Ni in the sediments is moderate.

First Observation of the Nocturnal Cleaning Relationship between Common Octopus Octopus vulgaris (Cuvier, 1797), and Indo-Pacific Palaemonid Shrimp, Urocaridella pulchella Yokeş & Galil, 2006 from the Iskenderun Bay, Eastern Mediterranean Coast of Turkey

During a Scuba survey in Iskenderun Bay at night time on November 2018, a female Urocaridella pulchella individual was observed with nocturnal cleaning on Octopus vulgaris at 16 m in depth. Some photos of the shrimp and its symbiont were taken. Although the nocturnal cleaning relationship between U. pulchella and various marine species has been reported in some studies, the nocturnal cleaning relationship between O. vulgaris and U. pulchella has been observed for the first time. In addition, in the present study, we first reported Indo-Pacific palaemonid shrimp U. pulchella which was encountered in its natural habitat during an underwater observation from Iskenderun Bay, and this report is the first observation for this area and fills a gap in the distribution range of this species.Keywords: eastern Mediterranean, Iskenderun coast, nocturnal cleaning, Palaemonidae, Turkey.

Heavy metal and Al bioaccumulation in the anemone Actinia equina Linnaeus, 1758 (Cnidaria: Actiniidae) from İskenderun Bay, North-Eastern Mediterranean, Turkey

The purpose of this study was to determine the accumulation levels of ten metals (Fe, Zn, Cd, Cu, Co, Ni, Al, Mn, Pb, and Cr) in the muscle tissues of Actina equina indvduals. A total of 120 individuals of A. equina were collected at six different stations in İskenderun Bay in spring 2013. The accumulation levels of heavy metals in the tissues were found to vary significantly among stations. The mean concentrations of Fe were the highest at Samandağ station (105.11 ± 74.28 mg/kg) whereas the lowest average value of Co (0.84 ± 0.10 mg/kg) was obtained at Dörtyol station. Heavy metal concentratıons in muscle tissue of A. equina were ordered as Fe>Zn>Mn>Al>Cr>Cu>Pb>Ni>Cd>Co, respectively. This study is the first detailed bioaccumulation study conducted with A. equina in İskenderun Bay.

Antimicrobial Activities of Some Marine Macroalgae Species from Iskenderun Bay

In the present study, the seaweeds belong to Phaeophyaceae (Halopteris scoparia (Linnaeus) Sauvageau 1904, Cystoseria mediterranea Sauvageau 1912), Rhodophaceae (Liagora viscida (Forsskål) C.Agardh 1822, Laurencia nidifica J.Agardh 1852) and Chlorophyceae (Enteromorpha multiramosa Bliding, nom. inval. 1960) collected from nearby Iskenderun-Turkey of Mediterranean Sea were detected for their antimicrobial activities against seven bacterial (Escherichia coli ATCC 35218, Bacillus cereus NRRL B-371, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853, Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 13883, Salmonella typhimurium ATCC 14028, Proteus vulgaris RSKK 96029) and three fungal strains (Candida albicans ATCC 10231, C. krusei ATCC 6258, C. tropicalis Y-12968). The antimicrobial activities were expressed as minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs), minimum bacterial concentrations (MBCs) and minimum fungicidal concentrations (MFCs) were determined. According to the results obtained from MIC values of the extracts on pathogenic microorganisms were between 50 and 50 and