Microsatellite variation and population genetic structure of Anatolian mountain frogs

Abstract

Anatolian mountain frogs consist of two admitted species (Rana macrocnemis and Rana tavasensis), and this group is famous for its high land distribution throughout the Anatolian mountain chain. Despite the unique features of these groups (cold-adapted and highland species), their population genetics have yet to be revealed. In this study, the allelic variation and genetic structure of Anatolian mountain frogs were investigated using six microsatellite markers across its natural distribution area in Türkiye. We evaluated 138 samples from 31 locations and clustered them based on a Structure analysis. The microsatellite markers suggested a high level of diversity in the East Anatolia cluster, while we found limited genetic diversity in the Central Taurus and West Anatolia clusters. We found a significant bottleneck in the Central Taurus cluster, with no genetic differentiation between R. macrocnemis and R. tavasensis. Our results show that the Anatolian mountain frogs exhibit underlying inbreeding signs for macro and microclimatic reasons.