The results of a cytogenetic study on some representatives of Gliridae from Turkey were introduced. The G-, C-, and AgNOR banded karyotypes of Muscardinus avellanarius abanticus from Abant (Bolu), and the G-banded karyotype of Myomimus roachi from Thrace was presented for the first time. Additionally, the G-banded karyotypes of Dryomys nitedula, and Myoxus glis was analysed. Because of not to include a secondary constriction and the smallest chromosome being metacentric instead of acrocentric in the autosomal set, the karyotype of M. a. abanticus was different from that of M. a. trapezius. With the comparison of obtained G-banded patterns belonging to the other Glirid species, it was detected that obtained karyotypes displayed a great extent consistency with the previously determined karyotypes.

This study aimed to reveal intraspecific variations in two Dryomys species distributed in Türkiye, based on mitochondrial DNA cytochrome b gene sequences, and to discuss the factors driving these variations in the context of phylogeography and genetic species concepts. As a result of Maximum Likelihood, Bayesian Inference, and Network analyses, which included haplogroups or lineages from Italy, Russia, the Caucasus, and Iran identified in previous studies, along with Turkish haplotypes, three major clades (MC1, MC2, and MC3) were identified within Dryomys nitedula. These clades began to diverge evolutionarily in the middle of the Late Miocene (8.82 million years ago) and exhibit significant genetic differences from one another. The Turkish haplotypes were divided into five distinct lineages (N1–N5), each within five subclades (SC1–SC5), which were nested within these MCs. These lineages, their geographical distributions, and the subspecies defined in previous studies that correspond to these lineages are as follows: N1 from the Thrace region (Dryomys nitedula wingei), N2 from the Black Sea region (potentially a new subspecies), N3 from western and central Anatolia (Dryomys nitedula phrygius), N4 from northeastern Anatolia (Dryomys nitedula tichomirowi), and N5 from eastern Anatolia (Dryomys nitedula pictus). The N2 lineage, distributed in areas close to the coastal side of the Eastern Black Sea region and with a range close to both N3 (D. n. phrygius) and N4 (D. n. tichomirowi), exhibited high genetic differentiation from these two lineages and was a candidate to be treated as a new subspecies of Dryomys nitedula in Türkiye. The N5 lineage, which includes haplotypes from the distribution areas of the populations initially classified as Dryomys pictus and later as Dryomys nitedula pictus in previous studies, was found to be more closely related to Dryomys nitedula kurdistanicus from the Zagros Mountains than to D. n. pictus from the central regions of Iran. Combining the results of this study with previous research, it is clear that the D. nitedula lineages in Türkiye, along with haplogroups or subspecies in neighboring regions diverged between the middle Late Miocene and Middle Pleistocene. This divergence is believed to have been driven by climatic cycles and geomorphological processes that shaped the topography of their distribution range. The high genetic diversity observed in the lineages of Anatolia suggests that the region may have served as a glacial refuge for D. nitedula. Similarly to the processes and factors shaping the evolution of D. nitedula, Dryomys laniger was found to have diverged into two lineages, western (L1) and eastern (L2 or Dryomys anatolicus), within its distribution range during the Late Pliocene (2.94 Mya). To make a more accurate taxonomic assessment of D. laniger, a larger number of samples is needed, and the distribution limits should be more clearly defined.

Kamilet Vadisi (Arhavi, Artvin), zengin bir biyolojik çeşitliliğe sahip Kafkas sıcak noktası sınırları içerisinde yer alan, memeli türlerini de içeren yüksek düzeyde biyolojik çeşitliliğe sahip olması bakımından önemli bir alandır. Bu çalışma kapsamında Kamilet Vadisi’nde yaşayan memeli türlerinin ve güncel koruma statülerinin belirlenmesi amaçlandı. Araştırma alanında, memeli hayvanların belirlenmesi amacıyla doğrudan (noktada gözlem ve fotokapan) ve dolaylı gözlem (ayak izi ve dışkı tespiti gibi) yöntemleri kullanıldı. Bunlara ilaveten, türlerin tespiti için literatürde yer alan yayılış kayıtları ve yerel halk ile yapılan anket yöntemi kullanıldı. Çalışma sonucunda, alanda beş memeli takımından 12 familyaya ait toplam 22 küçük ve büyük memeli hayvan türün yayılış gösterdiği tespit edildi. Tespit edilen türlerin ulusal ve uluslararası düzeyde güncel koruma durumları (IUCN, BERN, CITES ve MAKK) listelendi. Alanda tespit edilen türlerin tamamının IUCN kırmızı listesinde LC (Az endişe verici) kategorisinde olduğu belirlendi. BERN sözleşmesine göre, yedi türün Ek Liste 3’te bir türün de Ek Liste 2’de yer aldığı tespit edildi. CITES sözleşmesine göre, üç türün Ek Liste 3’te bir türün Ek Liste 2’de ve iki türün de hem ek Liste 1 hem de Ek Liste 2’de yer aldığı saptandı. Kamilet Vadisi'nde yaşayan memeli türlerinin ve koruma statülerinin belirlenmesini amaçlayan bu çalışma, ülkemiz biyolojik çeşitliliğinin belgelenmesine, sürdürülebilirliğine ve korunmasına katkı sağlaması bakımından önemli bir çalışmadır.