Role of the anatolian altitudinal chains on distribution and speciation of the cold adapted lineages: Phylogeography and speciation of psorodonotus brunner von wattenwyl 1861

Conservation biology is an interdisciplinary field integrating data from population genetics to evolution, taxonomy to ecology and from climatology to biogeography. One of the main fields providing data for conservation programs and actions is biogeography since determining which organism is where and how it managed to be there are the fundamental issues and can be answered by phylogeographic studies. Anatolia, unique by its biodiversity patterns, is located in Mediterranean Basin where impact of global warming assumed to be severe. It is reported that the temperate species with restricted range will go extinct first and this is a characteristic of Anatolian endemics. That's why an area specific conservation perspective is necessary. Since most of the present day endemics are cold adapted mountainous species possibly evolved during climatic shifts in Quaternary establishing an analogy between interglacial warming and present day warming may provide effective tools in developing conservation plans. Genus Psorodonotus (Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae) live in summits of Anatolia, Caucasus and Balkans by 13 species. They present patchy distribution in meadows at 1500 m or higher altitudes, so it is a candidate model lineage to examine the effects of past climatic changes and to estimate that of the future. Using qualitative and quantitative morphology, male calling and DNA sequences of cytochorome C oxidase subunit I, the following results were aimed: (i) to test the morpho-species by genetic and other phenotypical data, (ii) to determine genus level speciation pattern, (iii) to estimate the degree of divergence between the local populations belonging to the same species, (iv) to calculate the divergence time for the species and the populations belonging to the same species, (v) to estimate the place of ancestral stock (either for the genus or for the internal phylogroups) and the possible dispersal corridors, (vi) to test the "Taurus Way" assumption as a dispersal corridor, (vii) to test the analogy assumption between interglacial and present day warming, and (viii) from all these to suggest a conservation perspective for the cold adapted species/populations of Anatolia. We sampled 35 populations representing Anatolian taxa of the genus Psorodonotus. For the structures commonly used in taxonomy of the genus such as male and female pronotum, male cerci and female ovipositor adequate number of photos were taken to be used in linear and geometric morphometric analyses. Additionally linear metric data of hind femur and tegmina were analysed. Phylogentic, phlogeographic and population genetic analyses were made using a data matrix of COI sequences obtained from members of Psorodonotus. Combination of fenotypic and genetic data indicated that there are 13 species of Psorodonotus. These are; P. specularis, P. davisi, P. soganli, P. giresun sp. n., P. caucasicus, P. salmani, P. ebneri, P. suphani, P. venosus, P. rugulosus, P. tendurek and P. hakkari. P. salmani and P. soganli were described during the study period and P. tendurek, P. hakkari and P. giresun using data of this study. There were no sequences of P. anatolicus and P. salmani, but the phylogenetic tree obtained using sequences of COI sugegsted intra-generic relationships as P. specularis + (P. davisi + ((P. soganli + P. giresun) + (P. caucasicus + P. ebneri) + (P. venosus + P. rugulosus + (P. tendurek + P. hakkari)). Molecular clock time estimation suggested the time to most recent common ancestor of the genus as around 5 Myr ago, radiation of the phylogroup including (P. davisi + ((P. soganli + P. giresun) + (P. caucasicus + P. enberi) in Late Pliyocene and Early Pleistocene and that of the phylogroup comprising P. venosus + P. rugulosus + (P. tendurek + P. hakkari) in Middle and Late Pleistocene. Genetic diversity indices calculated using the same data matrix indicated a poor diversity for P. tendurek and P. hakkari which are represented by a single population and a rich diversity for remaining populations. Demographic analyses suggested a bottleneck for Ağrı Taşlıçay (P. venosus) and Ardahan Hanak (P. specularis) populations, and an expansion for Giresun, Avşar (P. rugulosus) and Artvin, Şavşat (P. specularis) populations around 50-25 Kyr ago. The Approximate Bayesian Computation analysis applied to the phylogroup including P. giresun + P. fieberi +P. anatolicus+ P. ebneri + P. caucasicus suggested that the ancestral stock in Northeast part of the Anatolian Black Sea region first extended to west Anatolia (possibly to Balkans also) and from here to Southwest Anatolia along Aegean altitudinal chains and to Caucasus using the Taurus Way corridor. Using these results the following conclusions were arrived; (i) Anatolia contain a rich and unique biodiversity, (ii) this diversity can be documented by using contemporary approaches and inclusive data, (iii) Psorodonotus exhibits model characteristics to study the distribution and speciation pattern of the cold adapted lineages of Anatolia, (iv) Psorodonotus originated from an ancestral stock present in Northeast Anatolia + Caucasus and radiated across Pliocene and Pleistocene, (v) the climatic fluctuations of the Quaternary are the main evolutionary driver mediated speciation of the genus, (vi) Anatolian altitudinal chains played distribution corridor role and the present range of present intra lineages correspond to geographic proximity, (vii) the historical and present range patterns differs in east and west half of Anatolia, (viii) The Taurus Way corridors seems as an important biogeographic entity providing faunal communications either between east and west of Anatolia and between Balkans and Caucasus, (ix) Anatolian highlands play a "Noah Arch" role for cold adapted Anatolian endemics, and (x) Northeast Anatolian Plateau is the main ecosystem for the cold adapted taxa and an area based conservation plan expected to be effective here.