Phylogenetic and phylogeographic relationships of populations of Meriones tristrami Thomas, 1892 (Rodentia: Gerbillinae) in Turkey as inferred from Cytochrome-b and RFLP analysis

Abstract

The present study aimed to reveal the relationship between the genetic diversity of Tristram’s jird Meriones tristrami subpopulations by using cyt-b sequences, the amplified fragments of cyt-b produced by restriction endonuclease (RFLP; Msp I, Rsa I, Noc I and Hae III were used) and the distribution on the Anatolian Peninsula. Eighteen haplotypes were identified in the subpopulations of this species, with the highest nucleotide diversity in the Central Anatolia. The haplotype diversity was determined to be 0.970 among subpopulations. The fixation index (Fst) and the gene flow parameter (Nm) based on cyt-b sequences showed the effective gene flow between the western and south-eastern subpopulations. Both cyt-b sequences and RFLP analyses produced almost similar topology in the Bayesian and UPGMA trees, indicating a gene flow from subpopulations of the South-east to Central Anatolia and the Western Black Sea coast. The main factor for the genetic diversity is considered to be the intermittent distribution from west to east as a result of the great altitude of the Eastern Anatolian Plateau as well as the sea and lake system fragmenting the territory of Anatolia in the Pliocene – Pleistocene Age