Thesis Type: Doctorate
Institution Of The Thesis: Recep Tayyip Erdogan University, Fen Bilimleri Enstitüsü, Turkey
Approval Date: 2017
Thesis Language: Turkish
Student: TUĞBA ERGÜL KALAYCI
Supervisor: Nurhayat Özdemir
Abstract:
Anatolian mountain frogs (Rana macrocnemis, Rana camerani, Rana holtzi and Rana
tavasensis) are distributed in some regions of the Caucasus, Iran, Iraq and Anatolia. The studies
that indicate the taxonomic status of species in the literature are mostly based on morphological
characteristics and there is no population genetic study of this group. In this study, we collected
132 specimens from 31 different populations of Anatolia and phylogenetic and population
genetic analyzes were performed based on base sequences of mtDNA (cyt b and COI) and
nDNA (RAG1 and POMC) and 6 different microsatellite locus. The high bootstrap and
posterior probability values of the Maximum parsimony, Bayesian inferences and Maximum
likelihood analyzes of both mtDNA gene regions (for cyt b: 99/1.0/72; MP / BI / MB, for COI:
100/1.0/100; MP / BI / MB) shows that the while R. tavasensis species separated from other
Anatolian mountain also, no genetic difference was obtained among other Anatolian mountain
frogs R. holtzi, R. camerani and R. macrocnemis species. No distinct genetic structuring has
been identified among the members of this group in terms of the nDNA genes examined. As a
result of the population genetic analysis, a similar genetic structure was observed among
Anatolian mountain frogs in terms of microsatellite DNA locus examined. In the light of the
basic information we have obtained, including R. tavasensis species; in some of our groups,
effective population size was not sufficient and significant bottlenecks were identified in some
locus. As a result of genetic distance analysis, no significant correlation between geographical
structure and genetic structure was found. As a result, Anatolian mountain frogs are divided into
two species in terms of mtDNA. In terms of nDNA, it has not shown a genetic structuring.