Nurhayat Özdemir

Body size and age structure of Pelophylax ridibundus populations from two different altitudes in Turkey

We estimated differences in body size and age structure of two populations of Pelophylax ridibundus living at different altitudes in Turkey, one from Dortyol (6 m a.s.l.) and the other from Karagol (1480 m a.s.l.). Their age structure was determined by skeletochronology performed on the LAGs (lines of arrested growth) of the phalanges. While ages ranged from 2 to 8 years for males and from 2 to 7 years for females in Karagol, in Dortyol the ages ranged from 4 to 11 years for males, and 3 to 7 years for females. Sexual size dimorphism was only found in the Dortyol population. Larger females tend to be found in hotter climates (Dortyol) but reach maturity later (3-4 years) than the highland population (2 years). A significant relationship between age and snout-vent length (SVL) was found for both sexes and populations with the exception of females in Dortyol.

A skeletochronological study of the smooth newt Lissotriton vulgaris (Amphibia: Urodela) from an island and a mainland population in Turkey

Abstract To understand the effects of island and mainland on life history traits (e.g. longevity, age at maturity, body size and body mass) of the smooth newt Lissotriton vulgaris (Linnaeus, 1758), we generated data on age and body measurements for an island (Bozcaada) and a mainland (Çanakkale) population in northwestern Turkey. Age was determinated by skeletochronology. The maximum life span was 4 years in the island population and 5 years in the mainland population. Age at maturity was estimated to be 2–3 years for both sexes and the populations. While mean snout-venth length (SVL) was calculated as 35.56 mm for females and 31.95 mm for males in the mainland population, it was found to be 32.83 mm for females and 31.78 mm for males in the island population. Females from the mainland population were found to be significantly larger and heavier than those of the island population. A significant positive correlation was found between SVL and age for only males in the mainland population. Unexpectedly, age was not correlated with body size for the island individuals. Since there were hardly any demographic studies on any Urodela species comparing island and mainland populations, in this paper we contribute to the literature on this subject.

Body size and age structure of a breeding population portion of the Urmia salamander, Neurergus crocatus Cope, 1862 (Caudata: Salamandridae)

Abstract Recently, the Urmia salamander, Neurergus crocatus Cope, 1862 was classified as a vulnerable species. The age structure of a breeding population portion of N. crocatus from Turkey was studied by using skeletochronology performed on the phalanges. According to the analysis of the age structure based on counting lines of arrested growth (LAGs), ages ranged from 5 to 14 years (mean = 9.4 ± 2.3 years) for males and from 8 to 17 years (mean = 11.6 ± 2.2 years) for females in N. crocatus. The mean snout–vent length was 69.2 ± 3.6 mm in males and 76.2 ± 3.8 in females. The sexual dimorphism index was 0.10. The difference between the sexes in age and size was statistically significant.

A skeletochronological study of age, growth and longevity of Rana macrocnemis populations from four locations at different altitudes in Turkey

We examined life-history traits such as population age structure, growth and longevity of Iranian Long-Legged frogs (Rana macrocnemis) from 4 different locations at different altitudes in Turkey by skeletochronology performed on the phalanges. The maximum lifespan was 5 years in Macka (350 m a.s.l.), 6 years in Hodornebi (1430 m a.s.l.), 8 years in Sarokamo¸ s (2276 m a.s.l.) and 10 years in Ovit (2850 m a.s.l.). Age at sexual maturity of both males and females was 2-3 years in the Macka, Hodornebi and Sarokamo¸ s populations, while 3-4 years for males and 3-5 years for females in the Ovit population. In all populations, males and females did not exhibit any differences in terms of mean age and SVL except for Sarokamo¸ s where the males were significantly larger than the females. A positive correlation was observed between age and SVL for both sexes in all populations except for the males of the Macka population.

Patterns of distribution of tree frogs in Turkey based on molecular data

Despite previous work on the phylogeny of Palearctic Hyla, several problems still exist regarding systematics of Hyla in Turkey. The systematics of tree frogs (Hyla orientalis and Hyla savignyi) in Turkey was studied using combined mitochondrial genes (12S ribosomal RNA and cytochrome b) and a nuclear gene (H3), and sampling a total of 102 individuals from 51 localities. We find that Hyla orientalis is represented by a single lineage, whereas Hyla savignyi was divided into two lineages by the mitochondrial genes, but not the nuclear gene. We also confirm that Hyla arborea schelkownikowi is a junior synonym of Hyla orientalis.

Molecular systematics and phylogeography of Bufotes variabilis (syn. Pseudepidalea variabilis) (Pallas, 1769) in Turkey

Nurhayat ÖZDEMİR, Serkan GÜL*, Nikolay A. POYARKOV JR., Bilal KUTRUP, Murat TOSUNOĞLU, Stefano DOGLIO Department of Biology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University, Rize, Turkey Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Biological Faculty, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia Department of Biology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon, Turkey Department of Biology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Çanakkale, Turkey Roman Society of Natural Sciences (SRSN), Rome, Italy