Thirty-year recovery trend in the once depleted Hawaiian green sea turtle stock

The green sea turtle is one of the long-lived species that comprise the charismatic marine megafauna. The green turtle has a long history of human exploitation with some stocks extinct. Here we report on a 30-year study of the nesting abundance of the green turtle stock endemic to the Hawaiian Archipelago. We show that there has been a substantial long-term increase in abundance of this once seriously depleted stock following cessation of harvesting since the 1970s. This population increase has occurred in a far shorter period of time than previously thought possible. There was also a distinct 3-4 year periodicity in annual nesting abundance that might be a function of regional environmental stochasticity that synchronises breeding behaviour throughout the Archipelago. This is one of the few reliable long-term population abundance time series for a large long-lived marine species, which are needed for gaining insights into the recovery process of long-lived marine species and long-term ecological processes. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Archaeological Identification and Significance of ÉSAG (Agricultural Storage Pits) at Kaman-Kalehöyük, Central Anatolia

Evidence for the presence of storage pits described in Hittite texts by the Sumerogram "ÉSAG" is presented from Kaman-Kalehöyük, a multi-period tell site in central Turkey occupied during the second and first millennia BC. Small earthen pits matching the description of "ÉSAG" were part of the normal suite of domestic installations at the site throughout the period. Similar to pits seen across western Eurasia, they were probably used to store seed corn or seed for trade. Large earthen pits (>7m in diameter) were also present that matched the description of the "ÉSAG" form, and in some cases contained archaeological cereal remains. Evidence from Kaman shows "ÉSAG" were part of Anatolian life for at least 4,000 years and suggests that the term was generic for lined, earthen storage pits. The presence of so many small pits at Kaman-Kalehöyük showed that it was an agricultural production site for much of its existence. The appearance of the large pits, confined to the Hittite period, reflects centralised control of grain supply, probably by the Hittite Kingdom, and fits a pattern seen at other sites in the region during the second millennium BC. /// Hitit metinlerinde Sumerogram "ÉSAG" ile tanimlanan depo çukurlarinin varliğina dair kanit, Orta Anadolu'da M.Ö. İkinci ve Birinci binde iskan edilmiş çok dönemli bir yerleşim alani olan Kaman-Kalehöyük'ten taninmaktadir. Küçük toprak çukurlar "ÉSAG" in tanimlamasina uygun olarak bu dönem süresince normal ev düzeninin bir parçasi olarak karşimiza çikmiştir. Çukurlar, Bati Avrasya'daki benzer çukurlar gibi olasilikla ticaret maksadi ile misir tohumu ya da tohum muhafaza etmişlerdir. "ÉSAG" formunun tanimina uyan büyük toprak çukurlara (çapi 7m. den büyük) rağmen bunlarin tahil depolama ile ilgili bağlantilari tam olarak belirlenmemiştir. Kaman'daki delil, "ÉSAG" in en az 4,000 yildir Anadolu yaşaminin bir parçasi olduğunu ve bu sözcüğün sivanmiş toprak çukurlar için kullanildiğini işaret etmektedir. Kaman-Kalehöyük'te ele geçen birçok küçük çukur, yerleşimin varliğini sürdürdüǧü sürecin büyük bir bölümünde zirai üretim yapildiğini göstermektedir. Hitit Döneminde büyük çukurlarin ortaya çikmasi muhtemelen Hitit Kralliği tarafindan gerçekleştirilen tahil tedarikinin merkezi kontrolünü yansitmakta ve M.Ö. İkinci binde bu bölgedeki diğer yerleşim alanlarinda görülen şekle uymaktadir.