We sequenced 20 new, field-collected individuals for up to seven genes to explore the phylogeography and conservation genetics of the threatened Nile softshell turtle Trionyx triunguis, including the first known-locality specimen from sub-Saharan Africa. Samples from Cameroon (West Africa), the Mediterranean and Nile River differed by at most a single nucleotide per gene, indicating the potential for a recent connection between these currently disjunct populations via the Nile-Congo River systems. Recently reported mitochondrial diversity between Mediterranean and ''sub-Saharan'' samples of the Nile softshell indicate that significant divergence exists across the species' range, but that variation cannot be fully incorporated into our analysis since those samples lack specific locality data.
Genetic structures of Bombina bombina populations, located as peripheral isolates in Turkish Thrace and northwestern Anatolia, were analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis using 20 allozyme loci, to investigate the populations' current genetic variation and possible colonization history. Significant genetic variability was detected in most of the loci and all populations. Allozyme pairwise F (ST) matrices and distribution of allele frequencies indicate their very close genetic relationships and relatively recent formation. Mean genetic distance values between Thracian and Anatolian populations indicate a Middle or Upper Pleistocene lineage separation before the formation of the Bosporus as an isolating geographic barrier. All the samples show substantial heterozygosity excess, and there was statistically significant evidence of recent bottlenecks. The extent and patterns of genetic divergence indicate that the Anatolian and Thracian populations have probably experienced bottlenecks, and incipient speciation may have occurred in Anatolian populations of B. bombina.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.