In honour of Professor Ali Demirsoy

This special issue of Hacettepe Journal of Biology and Chemistry is dedicated to Prof.Dr. Ali Demirsoy on the occasion of his retirement in February 2012. It honours the many and outstanding contributions of Ali Demirsoy covering a wide range of topics. 

Dear readers of the Hacettepe Journal of Biology and Chemistry,

In honour of Professor Ali Demirsoy

This special issue of Hacettepe Journal of Biology and Chemistry is dedicated to Prof.Dr. Ali Demirsoy on the occasion of his retirement in February 2012. It honours the many and outstanding contributions of Ali Demirsoy covering a wide range of topics.

Ali Demirsoy was born in Erzincan, Turkey, studied geology and biology at the Ankara University and finished his doctorate in biology department at the Atatürk University in 1971. He worked as a visiting scientist with different Research Scholarships for several months between 1969 and 1984. In this time for working he received many new impulses for his scientific career what was determining for his life’s work in research. He then moved to and became a professor at the Hacettepe University, School of Sciences, Department of Biology in 1978.

Ali Demirsoy spent many years in research and teaching. A key for understanding the scientific success and achievements of Ali Demirsoy is clearly that he is among those few Turkish scientists of biology who are able to understand and contribute in depth fundamental work about Turkish Fauna (vertebrates, scorpions, leeches especially insects: Caelifera, Dermaptera, Mantodea, Blattodea and Odonata), protection of environment, zoogeography. In all these areas his work is still making a significant impact. He published numbers of research papers and is the author of some major text books in Turkish. The Foundations of Life, an eight volumes work, and Heredity and Evolution are the two most widely known and extensive ones. Many new subfamily, genera, subgenera, species and subspecies are named by him.

Ali Demirsoy received many honours: his name was given to a History of Nature Museum of Erzincan University by the University Senate. The establishment of museum was performed by Prof. Dr. Ali Demirsoy and many co-workers. He also constituted a natural park at Kemaliye, Erzincan where he was born.

It is a pleasure for me to edit this special issue. On behalf of his friends, colleagues, former students and especially the authors contributing to this special issue, I express our best wishes to Ali Demirsoy and hope that he will enjoy health and happiness for many years to come.

Adil Denizli, PhD

Editor