1. The Ecosytems of Turkey
Cagribey Anatolian High School

2. Biogeography of Turkey
TURKEY’S NATURE IS VERY RICH
WHY??
It is a land of transition between three continents (Asia,Europe and Africa). That’s why it has critical natural and biological reservoirs at global level

4. There are 34 global high diversity “hotspots” in the world
There are 34 global high diversity “hotspots” in the world. 3 of which are located in Turkey

5. Caucasus
Irano-Anatolian Hotspot
Mediterranean

6. Turkey has a diverse ecology
It hosts plant and animal species

7. Turkey’s Major Ecosystems
Major ecological communities include
Forest
Shrubland
Wetland
River
Mountain
Steppe
Marine ecosystems

8. Wetlands of Turkey
There are 135 important wetlands in Turkey

10. Importance of Turkey’s Wetlands

11. Manyas Bird Paradise

14. Forests of Turkey Over a quarter of Turkey is covered with forests.
Turkey’s forests cover 27.3% (21.4 million ha)
There are different types of forests in different regions of Turkey.
coniferous (60.8% of total forested area) and broad-leaved deciduous (39.2%) forests

15. Coniferous forests around the Mediterranean range from sea level to 2000 m
Black Sea region conifers are found between 1000 and 1200 m
Broad-leaved deciduous forests prevail at lower elevations across the Anatolian plain.

18. Shrublands of Turkey
Shrublands (maquis) cover 8.1 million ha of Anatolia , but are most common in the Mediterranean phytogeographical region, extending up to 400 m above sea level in the Marmara region, 600 m in the Aegean region, and 1000 m in the Mediterranean region
Turkey’s Mediterranean region hosts approximately 5000 plant species, of which
30% are endemic

21. Grasslands of Turkey Steppe grasslands cover 21.2 million ha of Turkey
Grassland PAs are mostly established to protect cultural heritage or geomorphologically unique areas (e.g. Cappadocia).
No national parks exist in steppe vegetation, and only the steppes around Lake Tuz are part of a special PA.

24. Rivers of Turkey
Turkey has 107 major rivers and 26 main drainage basins
These include the Dicle and Fırat, the defining rivers of Mesopotamia.
Other major rivers include the Aras,Kızılırmak and Kura

25. Some important rivers

26. Mountains of Turkey Four major mountain belts run through Turkey
The Western Anatolian Mountains, the Toros (Taurus) ranges in the south, the Northern Anatolian Mountains, and the Anatolian Diagonal running from the northeast to the Mediterranean.
Turkey also has several smaller ranges and volcanic mountains
The highest peak in Turkey is the volcanic Mount Ağrı(Mount Ararat)

28. Toros Mountain

29. Ağrı (Ararat) Mountain

30. The Toros range harbors 950 plant species, many of them are endemic
Sandras Mountain in southwest Turkey contains 650 plant species, with 76 endemic species and 11 species that are found only on this mountain

31. Turkey’s mountains also harbor high vertebrate diversity, particularly among amphibians , including two globally Vulnerable and endemic newt (Neurergus) species.

32. Vulnerable and endemic newt

33. Marine Habitats of Turkey
The Black Sea, an isolated and unique inland sea, contains the Earth’s largest permanent anoxic-sulfidic water body as well as the world’s only known active undersea river
Seagrasses are key marine biogenic species in Turkey
Many of Turkey’s marine plant and animal species are severely threatened by habitat degradation and destruction, pollution, and overexploitation

35. Some Endangered Species of Turkey
Anatolian wild sheep

36. Caucasian black grouse
viper

37. Turkish viper
Pearl mullet

38. Cornflower

39. Thank you