Projects

The Eleonora's Falcon (Falco eleonorae) is among the priority species for conservation due to its limited breeding colonies along the Mediterranean and Aegean coasts. This project aims to investigate the feeding ecology of the Eleonora's Falcon using environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding. DNA isolated from pellet samples collected from individuals will be amplified with universal primers and analyzed using high-throughput sequencing technologies. The resulting dietary data will form the basis for understanding the species' habitat use, trophic relationships, and developing conservation strategies.

This project, which investigates the microbial effects of fires on the ecosystem, aims to reveal how soil microbiota changes with fire intensity. Biodiversity analyses will be conducted using microbial DNA sequencing from soil samples.

In Mogan Flood Barrier, located within the borders of Ankara province and an important wetland for migratory birds, a biodiversity assessment was carried out during the migration period using both classical bird observation methods and molecular analyses based on environmental DNA (eDNA).

Caves, as isolated ecosystems, are areas where evolutionary processes can be observed due to their unique species diversity. In this study, microbial, protist, animal, and fungal community structures are analyzed via metabarcoding techniques using environmental DNA (eDNA) obtained from water, soil, and swab samples taken from caves, across the 18S, 16S V3, 12S V5, and ITS regions.

This project, which examines plant-pollinator relationships at the molecular level, aims to develop ecosystem conservation strategies by comparing the effects of plant species in different habitats on insect diversity.

This project aimed to determine the species diversity of birds (Aves) in Uyuz Lake, located in the Central Anatolia Region of Türkiye and classified as an important wetland, using eDNA metabarcoding. To overcome the limitations of traditional observation-based methods and develop a non-invasive biological monitoring approach, eDNA samples obtained from the lake water were analyzed using highly sensitive molecular techniques.

Within the scope of this project, ancient DNA (aDNA) analyses were carried out on ancient aquatic remains (fish, shellfish, etc.) recovered from excavations at Liman Tepe (Izmir) and Çeşme-Bağlararası (Çeşme), two important Bronze Age settlements located on the western Anatolian coast.

The Joint Danube Survey 4 (JDS4), coordinated by ICPDR, is the largest-scale monitoring program assessing the ecological status and biodiversity of the Danube River basin. The project involved standardized eDNA sampling along the river through six countries, passing through the Balkans; the data obtained were compared with conventional methods, providing a comprehensive assessment of the river's biodiversity, habitat structure, and ecological health.

This project aims to integrate artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques into biotechnological applications for the processing and interpretation of genomic data. Within the scope of the project, customized bioinformatics workflows and algorithms will be developed for the analysis of large datasets obtained from high-throughput next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies.

This project aims to identify microbial functional genes that operate under extreme conditions through shotgun metagenomic data obtained from environmental DNA (eDNA) samples found in microbial habitats on the Antarctic Peninsula.

Bats are the most diverse mammals after rodents and provide important ecosystem services such as insect control, pollination, and seed dispersal. Using a "One Health" approach, viral profiles of species interacting with humans will be examined to identify zoonotic risks and develop public health strategies. The data obtained will guide future studies on potential virus isolation, vaccine and biological product development, and immunity screening in bats.

This project, which investigates the biodiversity impacts of mucilage formation on the water column and seabed in marine ecosystems, aims to enhance environmental monitoring capabilities by developing biological monitoring indicators through eDNA metabarcoding.

The project, which aims to identify copper conductors used in electricity transmission with unique DNA barcodes, develops industrial traceability and counterfeiting prevention applications.

This project, which enhances security in meter sealing technology through the integration of DNA barcodes, aims to provide more effective and sustainable solutions at industrial standards by using advanced materials science and engineering designs.

The project, which develops mycovirus-based, environmentally friendly biomaterials to control Candida auris contamination originating from healthcare facilities, offers sustainable biotechnological solutions for pathogen decontamination.