Avrupa Filocoğrafi Örüntülerinde Anadolu'nun Rolü

Abstract

That the glacial and interglacial periods in the past have been quite influential in today’s distribution ranges of species is demonstrated by many studies. The response of species in temperate zones to climate change is one of the most fundamental inquiries of phylogeographic studies. Although the phylogeographic patterns of species that are distributed across the Western Palearctic region have been widely studied, Anatolia constitutes an underresearched part of these studies. This study aims to scrutinize comparatively three different taxa (Lepus europaeus, Dendrocopos major, Lacerta viridis) that are distributed in Europe and Anatolia, and to discuss the role of Anatolia in climate changes. For this, ecological niche modelling and molecular phylogeography are used as methods, which are also different from one another. The suitable habitats for these species in the Last Glacial Maximum are determined by means of ecological niche modelling, and phylogeography has enabled us to reveal the relationship between the historical demography of the species and climate change. Both previously published data and the new data acquired through this study are used for the analyses. The analyses show Anatolia could have not only been an important refugium for European biota during the climate changes but has had complex phylogeographic patterns within itself as well.