A Cytogenetic Study on Spermophilus Xanthoprymnus (Bennett, 1835) in Isparta Province

This study was conducted to explain the karyological characteristics of S. xanthoprymnus from Gencali in Turkey. The chromosomes of the specimens were traditionally stained and examined according to standard procedures. The chromosomes were determined according to centromere positions by examining the photographs of metaphase cells. The karyotype of S. xanthoprymnus contained 42 chromosomes (2n=42) and fundamental number of chromosomal arms NF=81 and the number of autosomal arms NFa=78. The karyotype includes four metacentric chromosomes ranging from large to small, three pairs of large and medium-sized submetacentric autosome, twelve ranging from large to medium size subtelocentric, and a pair of acrocentric autosomes. The X chromosome was determined as large subtelocentric and Y chromosome as small acrocentric. Due to there is no karyological information and geographical distribution of existentence cytotypes in Turkey, revelation of chromosomal structure in Anatolian ground squirrel populations will provide properly assessment of taxonomy of those rodents in further studies

Genetic variations of Turkish bank vole, <i>Myodes glareolus</i> (Mammalia: Rodentia) inferred from mtDNA

<p>The bank vole, <i>Myodes glareolus</i>, lives in deciduous forests throughout the Palearctic region. In Turkey, this species is distributed only in northern Anatolia (the Black Sea region) where these forests exist. This study reveals genetic differentiation among bank vole populations based on two regions of mitochondrial DNA (<i>cytochrome b</i> and <i>D-loop</i>). Populations in northern Anatolia are divided into two genetic lineages (the “eastern” and “western Black Sea” lineages) by the Kızılırmak Valley. While the western Black Sea lineage is close to the Balkan lineage, in accordance with their geographical proximities, surprisingly, the Uludag lineage, also situated in Western Turkey appears related to the eastern Black Sea population. The divergence time analyses suggest a separation between the Balkan and Turkish groups around 0.26 Mya, whereas the split between the eastern and western Black sea lineages appeared a little bit later (0.20 Mya). Our results suggest that regional refuges existed for this species in Turkey and that small-scale habitat fragmentations led to genetic differentiations between <i>Myodes</i> populations.</p