The Department of Basic Sciences of Aquaculture participates in undergraduate and graduate level education and training activities in the Department of Aquaculture Engineering with its academic staff consisting of 3 Professors, 2 Associate Professors, 2 Assistant Professors, 2 Assistant Professors, 5 Research Assistants and 1 Lecturer. In the Department of Basic Sciences, there are 2 departments: Department of Inland Fisheries Biology and Department of Marine Biology. In the Department of Basic Sciences, courses are carried out theoretically and practically. Water pollution and control, Fish systematics and bio-ecology, Limnology, Plankton information, Aquatic invertebrates, Aquatic plants and Oceanography etc. courses are given within the department and there are 4 research laboratories, namely Water Chemistry, Genetics, Fish Museum and Aquatic Toxicology, which are used to carry out these courses and various researches.
In our department, original studies are carried out in the fields of Marine Biology and Inland Water Biology. In general, studies are carried out on the systematics and ecology of plant (flora) and animal (fauna) organisms living in the marine areas and rivers of the Eastern Black Sea Coast. In addition, while increasing the capacity of existing enterprises related to aquaculture in the seas and rivers in the Eastern Black Sea Region, water quality, water pollution and environmental issues are assisted to the enterprises that are planned to be established. In addition, physico-chemical and microbiological water quality parameters are determined in determining drinking water resources in the region and monitoring water quality. In addition to these, Hydro-Electric Power Plants planned to be established both in the region and outside the region are subject to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) reports and Hydrobiological and Ecological Assessment studies are carried out. Projects supported by national (BAP, TUBITAK) and international (EU) organizations are carried out in our department.
Department of Inland Waters Biology
As the Department of Inland Water Biology under the Department of Basic Sciences in our faculty, scientific studies are carried out for the protection of our aquaculture stocks, efficient operation and regulation of fisheries, systematic examination of existing stocks. In addition, studies such as determination of fauna and flora in these water resources, determination of planktonic and benthic organisms, water quality and pollution, eutrophication are the subjects of our department. Applications related to inland water biology are carried out in all rivers and lakes of the country. In addition, molecular taxonomic studies of freshwater species, the collection of these species and the creation of DNA data banks, aquatic microbiology are among the studies of the department. In addition, enzymes used in the industrial field are discovered from microorganisms living in thermophilic waters (hot springs) and these enzymes are characterized.
Marine Biology Department
In the Department of Marine Biology, determination of biological diversity in our seas, oceanographic monitoring studies, revealing the structure of fauna and flora, phytoplankton dynamics, marine macroalgae systematics, ecology and distribution, identification of economically important and endangered species, In order to develop marine recreational areas and sensitive areas that need to be protected, underwater reef studies, all kinds of underwater research with diving activities, underwater photography, detection of marine pollution using physicochemical, microbial and molecular biotechnological techniques are carried out. Marine biology applications are carried out by collecting samples from various sites in the Black Sea and other coasts of Turkey by means of the 25 m research vessel of our faculty and examining them in the laboratories of our faculty.
Genetic Laboratory
In the genetics laboratory, especially marine and freshwater fish taxa, lower vertebrates (freshwater lobsters, crabs, etc.) and other invertebrate organisms (Isopods, Copepods, etc.) are genetically diagnosed by increasing specific DNA sequences with total DNA and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) techniques respectively, and genetic identification of population structures and phylogenetic relationships. ), mitochondrial DNA (COI-II-III, Cytb, 16S rRNA, NDI-III, Control region, etc.) and nuclear DNA (5S rRNA, NDI-III, Control region, etc.), which are used as genetic markers for genetic diagnosis, determination of population structures and phylogenetic relationships following the increase of total DNA and specific DNA sequences by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technique, respectively. ) and nuclear DNA (5S rRNA, RAG1-2, S1-2 etc.) gene regions are analyzed based on molecular techniques such as PCR-RFLP, DNA-DNA hybridization, RAPD, SNP and DNA Sequencing Analysis. The species that have been studied so far are horse mackerel, kingfish, trout, red snapper, red snapper, catfish, catfish, black sea bream, and red snapper. In addition to these, the improvement of the glucose isomerase of Anoxybacillus gonensis, a thermophilic bacterium, by genetic mutations is being studied.
