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The current study targeted to perform qualitative and quantitative analysis of medicinal plant taxa used in folk medicine in Trabzon. Due to its historical significance, diversity of plant species, and hosting a wide range of cultures, the Turkish city of Trabzon has significant ethnobotanical potential. Ethnobotanical data including family name, scientific name, local name, used parts, therapeutic uses, preparation methods, administration routes, and cited locations were gathered by face-to-face interviews with 645 participants mostly over 50 years old. The quantitative analyses were executed by the determination of frequency values of citation (FC), use value (UV), fidelity level (FL), and informant consensus factor (ICF). A total of 119 medicinal plant taxa belonging to 55 families were recorded with therapeutic uses for more than 100 different diseases. The most commonly used plant part and administration routes were detected as leaves (32.43%) and oral application (51.58%), respectively. The highest ICF value was assigned for the skin diseases (ICF: 0.96). Piceae orientalis possessed the highest value of FC (82.326%), while Plantago major owned the highest value of UV (0.873). Tilia rubra subsp. caucasica, Vaccinium myrtillus, and Nicotiana tabacum were the remarkable taxa due to their FL value (100%), besides the high number of user reports. The present study supplies comprehensive ethnobotanical qualitative and quantitative data (FC, UV, FL, and ICF) from 80 villages in Trabzon. The obtained ethnobotanical data are expected both provide the preliminary information to discover novel herbal drugs and passing on to next generations as an important heritage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hygrophorus yadigarii (Hygrophoraceae/Basidiomycota) is described as a new species for science based on basidiomata collected from Maçka, Trabzon, Turkey. The new taxon is quite different even from the closest relatives, easily distinguished by the other species because of its grayish to ash-colored, gregarious to subcaespitose, sticky basidioma; a slightly umbonate to depressed pileus; a cylindrical to clavate, grayish stipe; ellipsoid and smooth basidiospores; quite long basidia; clavate, cylindrical or narrowly utriform, apically pyriform or strangulated cheilocystidia; and gelatinous pileipellis. A description with field and micromorphological illustrations, a phylogenetic tree, a simple key, a comparison chart including similar species, and a short discussion are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new species of Rhodocybe, R. asanii and R. asyae (Entolomataceae), are described and illustrated from the East Black Sea coast of Turkey. The new species are known from two different localities in Trabzon Province. Diagnostic morphological and molecular (nrITS and nrLSU sequences) characters between the new species and their allies are compared and discussed. Rhodocybe asanii is easily distinguished from related species by its small, reddish beige, convex to plate, or irregular, fragile pileus; adnexed to sinuate lamellae; a pruinose stipe; small basidiospores; and unique sequences. Rhodocybe asyae is recognized well by a rather small, thin, salmon pink, smooth, dish or slightly cup-shaped pileus; decurrent lamellae; a small, pruinose stipe; and different sequences from R. asanii and allied taxa. Some notes on the ecology of the newly described species, a key to the thus far known Turkish Rhodocybe taxa, and phylogenetic trees are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Basidiomata were collected from Trabzon, Tokat, and İstanbul provinces between 2011 and 2015. Standard methods were used during collecting and microscopic investigations. Cantharellus ianthinoxanthus (R.Maire) Kühner, Cortinarius humicola (Quél.) Maire, Cortinarius obtusorum Rob. Henry, Cortinarius rubicundulus (Rea) A.Pearson, Cortinarius sordescens Rob. Henry, Crinipellis subtomentosa (Peck) Singer, Macrotyphula juncea (Alb. & Schwein.) Berthier, Pluteus chrysophaeus (Schaeff.) Quél., Pseudoomphalina kalchbrenneri (Bres.) Singer, and Suillellus pulchrotinctus (Alessio) Blanco-Dios were identified and recorded for the first time for the Turkish fungal biodiversity. Field and laboratory images, descriptions, and a brief discussion about the new records are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phosphorus (P), nitrogen (N), carbon (C), and sulfur (S) contents of the leaves and specific leaf area (SLA), leaf mass per area (LMA), and N and P resorption were researched in Vaccinium arctostaphylos L. and Vaccinium myrtillus L., economically important for the East Black Sea region of Turkey. The leaves samples were collected from Solaklı Valley in Trabzon at 60 to 1800 m for V. arctostaphylos L. and 2100 to 2300 m for V. myrtillus L. The N, C, and S contents were determined by Dumas method and P concentration by the stannous chloride method. Nutrient contents, SLA, and LMA in leaves and N, P, organic matter, and pH in soil were measured. The foliar N, P, C, and S contents of the plants depending on the altitude gradient were statistically significant. N and S contents were significantly important during the growing season for both species. There were significant differences in terms of N and P proficiency for both species. Resorption values of V. myrtillus L. were found to be within the normal limits and the resorption efficiency values increased in parallel with the altitude changes. N resorption levels of V. arctostaphylos at lower (60 m) and higher (1800 m) altitudes were below the declared limits. It was also seen that while N proficiency showed significant increase, P proficiency decreased depending on the altitude. Both N and P proficiency for V. myrtillus decreased with the altitude increase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fungal specimens were collected in Trabzon Province in 2010 and 2012. Taxonomical studies were performed in our laboratory and in the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. According to the results, Entoloma noordeloosi Hauskn., Inocybe lutescens Velen., and Tricholoma saponaceum var. squamosum (Cooke) Rea are recorded for the first time for the Turkish Mycota. The new records are illustrated, briefly described, and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To investigate the prevalence of the physical and sexual abuse of women before and during pregnancy, and to determine whether pregnancy affected the abuse of women. Materials and Methods: This study was performed at a state hospital in the Turkish city of Trabzon and included 762 women that gave birth between July and September 2004. A questionnaire was administered during a face-to-face interview to collect data on sociodemographic factors, exposure to abuse before and during pregnancy, and the women's post-abuse attitudes. Data were analyzed using the McNemar and chisquare tests. Results: It was determined that 8.8% of the women before pregnancy and 1.6% of the women during pregnancy were subjected to physical and/or sexual abuse by their husbands, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.0005). While 17.9% of the women subjected to abuse before pregnancy also suffered similar abuse during pregnancy, 0.3% of the women that were not subjected to abuse prior to pregnancy were exposed to abuse during pregnancy (P < 0.0005). It was also determined that following sexual abuse 46.5% "accepted" what had happened to them, and regarded it as "unimportant and normal", and that 20.9% were "pleased because it had made their husbands happy". No relationships between abuse and sociodemographic factors were found. Conclusions: During pregnancy, Turkish women are generally less frequently exposed to abuse; however, there is a high probability that those women exposed to abuse prior to pregnancy will also be abused during pregnancy. Another finding of note is that so many women in the study accepted physical and sexual abuse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vascular flora of forest vegetation in Altındere Valley (Macka-Trabzon) was investigated. The study was conducted between 2001 and 2002, during which time 1200 plant samples were collected. In all, 383 vascular taxa belonging to 246 genera and 84 families were identified. The richest family was Asteraceae (35, 9.1%), followed by Lamiaceae (27, 7.0%) and Fabaceae (23, 6.0%). Additionally, the richest genus was Campanula L. (7, 1.82%), followed by Trifolium L. (6, 1.56%) and Acer L. (6, 1.56%). The phytogeographical regions of 209 (54.56%) taxa were determined. The distribution of taxa within the phytogeographical regions was as follows: Euro-Siberian elements (184, 48.04%), Irano-Turanian elements (14, 3.66%), and Mediterranean elements (11, 2.87%). The number of endemic plants found was 16 (4.2%), while 7 (1.8%) rare plants, whose threat categories according to IUCN were added to floristic list, were found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The subalpine and alpine flora of Altındere Valley (Macka, Trabzon) was investigated during 2000–2002. The study area is situated in the Colchis sector of the Euro-Siberian floristic area of the Holarctic region with regard to plant geography. In this area, 384 plant taxa belonging to 61 families and 190 genera were determined. The largest family is Asteraceae (39; 10%), and the second largest is Rosaceae (35; 9%). The rates of the taxa belonging to certain phytogeographical regions are as follows: 50.27% Euro-Siberian, 5.99% Irano-Turanian and 1.04% Mediterranean. Moreover, phytogeographically unknown taxa are 42.70%. Thirty-two endemic (8.3%) and 9 rare (2.3%) taxa were determined in the study area. Endemic and rare plants were classified according to IUCN threat categories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The diet of the banded newt, Triturus vittatus ophryticus, from 3 different sites in northern Turkey was studied based on stomach contents from 180 samples (104 males + 76 females). The banded newt was found to forage on wide variety of prey organisms in the aquatic phase. Benthic invertebrates consistently made the greatest contribution to the diet, both numerically and volumetrically. Nektonic prey also appeared to be of importance in terms of volume but constituted few items. Terrestrial invertebrates contributed very little to the diet. In addition to invertebrates, a few amphibian prey items were found in the stomachs. The number of major prey taxa in the diet was significantly correlated with the seasons (Kruskal-Wallis test, P < 0.01). There were proportionally more Ostracods and Chironomids (larvae and pupae) in the diets of banded newts in spring, whereas Daphnia sp. were largely consumed in late summer and autumn. Differences in the size of newts seem to cause a corresponding significant difference in the selection of large and small prey (rmax = -0.247, P < 0.05). We also found that Triturus vittatus ophryticus consumed similar prey taxa among sites, but that the frequency of the major prey taxa in the diet was significantly different (Tukey's test: P < 0.05) due to ecological conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]