Amphibian and reptile diversity, habitat use and biogeographical patterns in Eastern Anatolia: implications for wildlife conservation
BIOLOGIA, cilt.1, ss.1-15, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 1
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Dergi Adı: BIOLOGIA
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO), Natural Science Collection (ProQuest), Biological Science Database (ProQuest), Health Research Premium Collection (ProQuest), Scopus, Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), BIOSIS, CAB Abstracts, Zoological Record
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.1-15
- Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Determining
regional biodiversity is a fundamental step in understanding faunal composition
and supporting conservation planning. Although herpetological research in
Türkiye has been ongoing for more than a century, several provinces remain
insufficiently explored. Elazığ Province, located in
Eastern Anatolia and characterized by pronounced
elevational gradients, complex landforms, and contrasting climatic zones,
represents one such environmentally diverse region. This study provides a
comprehensive inventory of the amphibian and reptile fauna of Elazığ Province
based on field surveys conducted over 40 days between 2017 and 2018,
complemented by an extensive literature review. Survey sites were selected
using 1:25,000 grid maps. Multiple
habitat types identified using Google Earth—including wetlands, forests,
steppes, and mountainous areas—were systematically examined to ensure
representative coverage across the province. A total of 220 localities
were surveyed, resulting in the identification of 36 species belonging to 18
families, including six amphibians and 30 reptiles. Fourteen species were
recorded for the first time at the provincial level, and three taxa were
confirmed as endemic to Türkiye. Conservation assessments based on
international criteria (IUCN, CITES, and BERN) revealed the presence of
critically endangered, endangered, and vulnerable species within the study
area. Chorotype analysis indicated a predominance of Southwest Asian elements,
followed by Mediterranean and Turano-Mediterranean components, reflecting the
province’s transitional biogeographical character. Similarity analyses using
the Jaccard Index demonstrated higher faunal affinity with Bingöl Province and
lower similarity with Tunceli Province, largely associated with altitudinal and geomorphological
differences. These findings substantially expand current
knowledge of species distributions, highlight the ecological importance of
steppe and agro-natural mosaic habitats for herpetofaunal diversity, and
provide baseline data for wildlife conservation and habitat management in
Eastern Anatolia.