Paleobiogeography and paleoecology analysis of Bovids of the anatolia miocene period

Numerous factors, especially geographic and climatic parameters, have influenced mammalian migration for millions of years. Global or regional migration waves are important in understanding the faunal changes and migration paths during the Neogene period. In this background, the Anatolian bovid fauna has been observed to increase its diversity due to paleobiogeographic geological and ecological changes during the Cenozoic period. While bovids can travel long migration distances during their lifetime, micromammals need more generations to close the same distance. The evolution of bovids as well as the factors of migration should be possible. For this reason, analysis of migration and distribution is an important factor in determining taxonomy of bovid fossils. Ecometric analysis methods based on hypsodonty tooth categories and developed by Fortelius are very useful in estimating paleo-environmental conditions and their results provide important information about the humidity and drought levels of habitats. The average hypsodonty map in the Early Miocene period shows a homogeneous distribution of humid and forested environmental conditions. In this period, paleobiogeography can be considered to be more humid and forested conditions, and Middle Miocene has a more suitable environment for the proliferation of ecosystem, terrestrial areas and bovid species than Early Miocene. In the Late Miocene, considering the great impact of the Mesinien salinity crisis, it can be concluded that the living spaces of the bovids are further increased and in parallel the diversity increases. The origin, distribution, propagation, climatic differences and vegetation structure of Bovid species have shaped the geographic boundaries by affecting the short and long term major environmental changes during Miocene. Anatolia played an important role in mammalian migration due to its geographical location. Specifically in the mammals, the morphological features of the bovids that share the same paleobiogeography gave important clues in the paleoecological sense in the literature. Despite the limited number of paleontological studies, important data have been obtained about the bovid fauna of the Anatolian Miocene period. The analysis was carried out by comparing with breed and species levels 53 bovid in 22 localities in Anatolia, 19 bovid in 2 localities in Iran and 52 bovid in 30 localities in Greece. Comprehensive literature study reveals that 8 different bovid (Gazella capricornis, Gazella sp., Miotragoceros sp., Oioceros rothi, Palaeoreas sp., Prostrepsiceros houtumschindleri, Prostrepsiceros rotundicornis ve Tragoportax amalthea) breed and species obtained from localities in Anatolia-Iran-Greece provine have paleoecological and paleobiogeographical similarity between these localities. When the characteristics of the fauna elements are evaluated in the paleoecological context, specific results have been obtained in the similarity index diagram of bioprovense of Anatolia, Greece and Iran. It is understood that the subtropical forest cover, in view of the morphological structures, diets and habitats of these genera and species in the Miocene period, turned into green savanah and sometimes completely drying steppes in the summer. At the same time, it can be concluded that these species serve as a bridge between the continents of Anatolia and that the Asiatic species are as high as Europe during the Miocene period.