Spawning water bodies and their role in conservation of rare amphibian species in the foothills of the Republic of Dagestan (Russia)

Environmental conditions in spawning waters are determined by a variety of abiotic and biotic factors. They are the most significant and therefore limiting in the selection of breeding sites and spawning grounds for amphibians. For conservation of the various amphibian populations it is necessary to establish an ecological optimum of specific species. The study has been conducted in a wide range of environmental conditions typical for the mountainous regions of the Caucasus. We studied 358 water bodies in the foothills of Dagestan. There are eight species of amphibians spawning here. Bufotes variabilis and Rana macrocnemis to adverse abiotic and biotic conditions in spawning waters are resistant. Lissotriton lantzi, Triturus karelinii, Pelobates fuscus, and P. syriacus are sensitive to different adverse environmental conditions in spawning waters. Lissotriton lantzi prefers non-flowing ponds, shaded areas, depth of reservoirs 50–100 cm and lots of aquatic vegetation, but Triturus karelinii prefers flowing ponds. Pelobates fuscus prefers unshaded ponds, but Pelobates syriacus prefers deep waters. Hyla arborea and Pelophylax ridibundus prefer flowing, shaded ponds with lots of aquatic vegetation. Bufotes variabilis and Rana macrocnemis are very tolerant to the environment. On the basis of the method of multivariate statistics, the main environmental factors significantly (p = 0.001) affecting the choice of spawning grounds by different types of amphibians: shading, depth, flow and overgrowing were established. It was revealed that the spawning grounds, which are of great importance for the conservation of rare amphibian species in the foothills of Dagestan is limited, this is due to the arid climatic conditions of the region. Recommendations for the conservation of amphibians and the development of protected areas in the foothills of the Republic of Dagestan are given

Conservation genetics and phylogeography of the poorly known Middle Eastern terrapin Mauremys caspica (Testudines: Geoemydidae)

WOS: 000314535200006The West Asian stripe-necked terrapin Mauremys caspica is widespread throughout the Middle East-a region for which only few phylogeographic studies are available. Due to landscape alteration, pollution and intensification of water management, M. caspica is increasingly threatened. However, genetic diversity among and within populations is poorly known, impeding the identification of management units. Using a nearly rangewide sampling, we analyzed 14 microsatellite loci and mtDNA sequences in order to gain insight into the population structure and history of M. caspica. In agreement with a previous study, we found two clusters of mitochondrial haplotypes, with one cluster distributed in the east and the other in the west of the range. However, our microsatellite data suggested a more pronounced geographical structuring. When null alleles were coded as recessive with structure 2.3.2, three clusters were revealed, with one cluster matching roughly the range of the western mitochondrial cluster, and the composite ranges of the two other microsatellite clusters correspond to the distribution of the eastern mitochondrial cluster. Na < ve structure analyses without correction for null alleles were congruent with respect to the two eastern microsatellite clusters, but subdivided the western cluster into two units, with an additional geographical divide corresponding to the 'Anatolian diagonal'aEuro"a well-known high mountain barrier impeding exchange between western and eastern taxa. In na < ve analyses, the westernmost microsatellite cluster (from Central Anatolia) is quite isolated from the others, and its distinctness is also supported by fixation indices resembling the values among the other three clusters. One of the two eastern clusters is distributed in the Caucasus region plus Iran, and terrapins from Saudi Arabia and Bahrain constitute the second eastern cluster, supporting the view that these endangered populations are native. Coalescent-based analyses of our microsatellite data reveal for all four clusters bottlenecks 4,000-20,000 years ago, suggesting that climatic fluctuations of the Late Pleistocene and Holocene played an important role in shaping current genetic diversity. We propose that each of the four identified clusters, including the Central Anatolian one, should be treated as a distinct management unit. The presence of non-native terrapins in the animal trade of Bahrain highlights the danger of genetic pollution of the endangered Arabian populations. Further sampling is needed to elucidate the situation in southern and central Iran and Iraq. Our results confirm that genetic data do not support the validity of any of the three morphologically defined subspecies of M. caspica, and we propose that their usage be abandoned.German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst (DAAD) [A/09/91179]; German Research Foundation (DFG)German Research Foundation (DFG) [FR 1435/7-1]; Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK)Turkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK) [TBAG-2402 103 T189]Thanks for support go to Matjaz Gregoric, Michael Mende, Anke Muller, Ole Reuter, and Mario Vargas-Ramirez. Markus Auer, Daniel Frynta, Mario Herz and Pavel Siroky donated samples. We are indebted to His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, and Hana Al Suwaidi, Chief Executive Officer of EPAA, Sharjah, for the opportunity to study Arabian terrapins. M. V. was funded by a PhD fellowship of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD; A/09/91179). Laboratory work was funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG; FR 1435/7-1) and field work in Turkey by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK; TBAG-2402 103 T189)

Mitochondrial phylogeography of European pond turtles (Emys orbicularis, Emys trinacris) - an update

Based on more than 1100 samples of Emys orbicularis and E. trinacris, data on mtDNA diversity and distribution of haplotypes are provided, including for the first time data for Armenia, Georgia, Iran, and the Volga, Ural and Turgay River Basins of Russia and Kazakhstan. Eight mitochondrial lineages comprising 51 individual haplotypes occur in E. orbicularis, a ninth lineage with five haplotypes corresponds to E. trinacris. A high diversity of distinct mtDNA lineages and haplotypes occurs in the south, in the regions where putative glacial refuges were located. More northerly parts of Europe and adjacent Asia, which were recolonized by E. orbicularis in the Holocene, display distinctly less variation; most refuges did not contribute to northern recolonizations. Also in certain southern European lineages a decrease of haplotype diversity is observed with increasing latitude, suggestive of Holocene range expansions on a smaller scale.nul

Mitochondrial phylogeography of European pond turtles (Emys orbicularis, Emys trinacris) - an update

Based on more than 1100 samples of Emys orbicularis and E. trinacris, data on mtDNA diversity and distribution of haplotypes are provided, including for the first time data for Armenia, Georgia, Iran, and the Volga, Ural and Turgay River Basins of Russia and Kazakhstan. Eight mitochondrial lineages comprising 51 individual haplotypes occur in E. orbicularis, a ninth lineage with five haplotypes corresponds to E. trinacris. A high diversity of distinct mtDNA lineages and haplotypes occurs in the south, in the regions where putative glacial refuges were located. More northerly parts of Europe and adjacent Asia, which were recolonized by E. orbicularis in the Holocene, display distinctly less variation; most refuges did not contribute to northern recolonizations. Also in certain southern European lineages a decrease of haplotype diversity is observed with increasing latitude, suggestive of Holocene range expansions on a smaller scale.nul

Fifteen shades of green: The evolution of Bufotes toads revisited

The radiation of Palearctic green toads (Bufotes) holds great potential to evaluate the role of hybridization in phylogeography at multiple stages along the speciation continuum. With fifteen species representing three ploidy levels, this model system is particularly attractive to examine the causes and consequences of allopolyploidization, a prevalent yet enigmatic pathway towards hybrid speciation. Despite substantial efforts, the evolutionary history of this species complex remains largely blurred by the lack of consistency among the corresponding literature. To get a fresh, comprehensive view on Bufotes phylogeography, here we combined genome-wide multilocus analyses (RAD-seq) with an extensive compilation of mitochondrial, genome size, niche modelling, distribution and phenotypic (bioacoustics, morphometrics, toxin composition) datasets, representing hundreds of populations throughout Eurasia. We provide a fully resolved nuclear phylogeny for Bufotes and highlight exceptional cyto-nuclear discordances characteristic of complete mtDNA replacement (in 20% of species), mitochondrial surfing during post-glacial expansions, and the formation of homoploid hybrid populations. Moreover, we traced the origin of several allopolyploids down to species level, showing that all were exclusively fathered by the West Himalayan B. latastii but mothered by several diploid forms inhabiting Central Asian lowlands, an asymmetry consistent with hypotheses on mate choice and Dobzhansky-Muller incompatibilities. Their intermediate call phenotypes potentially allowed for rapid reproductive isolation, while toxin compositions converged towards the ecologically-closest parent. Across the radiation, we pinpoint a stepwise progression of reproductive isolation through time, with a threshold below which hybridizability is irrespective of divergence (15My). Finally, we clarified the taxonomy of Bufotes (including genetic analyses of type series) and formally described two new species, B. cypriensis sp. nov. (endemic to Cyprus) and B. perrini sp. nov. (endemic to Central Asia). Embracing the genomic age, our framework marks the advent of a new exciting era for evolutionary research in these iconic amphibians.status: publishe

Rarely naturalized, but widespread and even invasive: the paradox of a popular pet terrapin expansion in Eurasia

The North American terrapin, the red-eared slider, has globally recognized invasive status. We built a new extensive database using our own original and literature data on the ecology of this reptile, representing information on 1477 water bodies throughout Eurasia over the last 50 years. The analysis reveals regions of earliest introductions and long-term spatio-temporal dynamics of the expansion covering now 68 Eurasian countries, including eight countries reported here for the first time. We established also long-term trends in terms of numbers of terrapins per aquatic site, habitat occupation, and reproduction success. Our investigation has revealed differences in the ecology of the red-eared slider in different parts of Eurasia. The most prominent expression of diverse signs of invasion success (higher portion of inhabited natural water bodies, higher number of individuals per water body, successful overwintering, occurrence of juvenile individuals, successful reproduction, and establishment of populations) are typical for Europe, West Asia and East Asia and tend to be restricted to coastal regions and islands. Reproduction records coincide well with the predicted potential range based on climatic requirements but records of successful wintering have a wider distribution. This invader provides an excellent and possibly unique (among animals) example of wide alien distribution, without the establishment of reproducing populations, but through the recruitment of new individuals to rising pseudopopulations due to additional releases. Therefore, alongside the potential reproduction range, a cost-effective strategy for population control must take in account the geographical area of successful wintering. Graphical abstrac