The contribution of Anatolia to European phylogeography: the centre of origin of the meadow grasshopper, Chorthippus parallelus

Abstract

Aim Chorthippus parallelus is one of the classic model systems for studying genetic structure and phylogeography in the Western Palaearctic. Here, we investigate the regional genetic differentiation of C. parallelus and evaluate the historical and evolutionary processes responsible for such genetic structuring, test the nature of the Turkish Straits system as a barrier to dispersal, and explore the contribution of Anatolian populations to the biodiversity of the Western Palaearctic. Location Western Palaearctic. Methods We incorporated sequence data from dense sampling of the phylogeographically important Anatolian region with both previous and newly obtained data of the nuclear fragment cpnl‐1 and the mitochondrial fragment COI–tRNALeu–COII. In total, 1049 sequences of cpnl‐1 from 33 regions were analysed to investigate the genetic diversity, genetic structuring and phylogeography of C. parallelus across its distributional range. The mtDNA region was additionally used to test whether the Turkish Straits system acts as a barrier. Results The analyses revealed that not all southern refugial populations of C. parallelus have contributed equally to the post‐glacial recolonization of Europe. Four genetic clusters across the species' range were recovered: cluster A (eastern part of the Anatolian Diagonal); cluster B (western part of the Anatolian Diagonal); cluster C (Spain, Italy, southern Balkans, west part of Anatolia and Russia); and cluster D (covering the entire distributional range of the species). The Turkish Straits system has been a weak barrier to dispersal by C. parallelus, allowing gene flow from Anatolia to the Balkans. Main conclusions The current patterns of genetic structuring of C. parallelus were best explained by multiple expansion and contraction events. Anatolia has been well connected to the Balkans, contributing genetically to the establishment of central and northern European populations prior to the Holocene. The Anatolian refugium is suggested to be the centre of origin for Western Palaearctic C. parallelus diversity rather than a Balkan refugium.

Significant Asia‐Europe divergence in the middle spotted woodpecker (Aves, Picidae)

“…During the LGM, there was a land bridge and many North Aegean islands were connected to each other and the mainland (Perissoratis & Conispoliatis, ). Moreover, indication for historical gene flow between Anatolia and Europe throughout the Pleistocene was found in various taxa such as bats (Bilgin, Coraman, Karatas, & Morales, ), grasshoppers (Korkmaz, Lunt, Ciplak, Degerli, & Basibuyuk, ) and plants (Ansell et al, ; Ülker, Tavsanoglu, & Perktas, ). However, according to estimated SDMs, climates do not seem to have been suitable for the middle spotted woodpecker in this region during the LGM and the area must have been colonized from the east and the west recently.…”

Molecular diversity and phylogeography of Andricus curtisii (Hymenoptera, Cynipidae) in Turkey

“…There is now growing phylogeographic evidence indicating that Anatolia played an important role in the recolonization of Europe, particularly after the Last Glacial Maximum (Korkmaz et al, 2014), and acted as a refugium during climatic oscillations (Çıplak et al, 2015). Several studies have pinpointed the significance of Anatolia, from which several oak gall wasp lineages spread westward, indicating an eastern origin from Turkey and Iran .…”

Phylogeography of the rare velvety tree ant Liometopum microcephalum (Formicidae: Dolichoderinae)

“…Colonies from the Levant differed distinctly from the rest of the samples, whereas the colony sampled in eastern Anatolia was surprisingly most similar to those from the European Black Sea coast. Anatolia is considered to be the centre of genetic diversity for several western Palaearctic species and one of the source areas for the colonization of Europe (Franck et al ., ; Rokas et al ., ; Bilgin, ; Korkmaz et al ., ). This seems to be also true for L. microcephalum as colonies from the Levant seem to be more related to the common ancestor of L. microcephalum than to the ‘most derived’ populations occurring in the western part of its distribution range.…”

“…A refugial character of Anatolia has been suggested based on the high number of unique haplotypes in Chorthippus parallelus . This grasshopper probably dispersed from the source area in Anatolia to northern and western Europe through Thrace when the level of the Sea of Marmara was low (Korkmaz et al ., ). Based on topology of basal nodes and ancestral area reconstruction, L. microcephalum could have spread in the north‐western direction from Anatolia, reaching the Pannonian Basin.…”

“…(16) h2 (1) h3 (3) h4 (4) h5 (3) h6 (3) h7 (3) h8 (3) h10 (3) h11 (1) h15 (3) h20 (3) h22 (3) h23 (3) h16 (3) h17 (3) h18 (3) h19 (9) h20 (3) h21 (1) h23 (3) h24 (3) h25 (3) h26 (20) h27 (3) h28 (3) h29 (4) h32 (3) h1 (3) h12 (1) h13 (2) h14 (3) h30 (3) h31 (3) h33 (1) h34 (2) h35 (3) h36 (2) h9 (5) h37 (3) h38 (5) sampled in eastern Anatolia was surprisingly most similar to those from the European Black Sea coast. Anatolia is considered to be the centre of genetic diversity for several western Palaearctic species and one of the source areas for the colonization of Europe (Franck et al, 2001;Rokas et al, 2003;Bilgin, 2011;Korkmaz et al, 2014). This seems to be also true for L. microcephalum as colonies from the Levant seem to be more related to the common ancestor of L. microcephalum than to the 'most derived' populations occurring in the western part of its distribution range.…”