Biology subjects

Bilgin, C. C.

Publications and source records attributed to Bilgin, C. C..

5 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2023

Population genomic history of the endangered Anatolian and Cyprian mouflons in relation to worldwide wild, feral and domestic sheep lineages

Once widespread in their homelands, Anatolian mouflon (Ovis gmelini anatolica) and Cyprian mouflon (Ovis gmelini ophion) were driven to near extinction during the 20th century and are currently listed as endangered populations by the IUCN. While the exact origins of these lineages remain unclear, they have been suggested to be close relatives of domestic sheep or remnants of proto-domestic sheep groups. Here, we study whole genome sequences of n=5 Anatolian mouflons and n=10 Cyprian mouflons in terms of population history and diversity, relative to eight other extant sheep lineages. We find reciprocal genetic affinity between Anatolian and Cyprian mouflons and domestic sheep, higher than all other studied wild sheep genomes, including the Iranian mouflon (Ovis gmelini). Despite similar recent population dynamics, Anatolian and Cyprian mouflons exhibit disparate diversity levels, which can potentially be attributed to founder effects, island isolation, introgression from domestic lineages, or different bottleneck dynamics. The lower relative mutation load found in Cyprian compared to Anatolian mouflons suggests the purging of recessive deleterious variants in the former. This agrees with estimates of a long-term small effective population size in the Cyprian mouflon. Both subspecies harbor considerable numbers of runs of homozygosity (ROH) blocks <2 Mb, which reflects the effect of small population size. Expanding our analyses to worldwide wild and feral Ovis genomes, we observe varying viability metrics among different lineages, and a limited consistency between viability metrics and conservation status. Factors such as recent inbreeding, introgression, and unique population dynamics may contribute to the observed disparities.

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2023

The first complete genome of the extinct European wild ass (Equus hemionus hydruntinus)

We present paleogenomes of three morphologically-unidentified Anatolian equids dating to the 1st millennium BCE, sequenced to coverages of 0.6-6.4X. Mitochondrial DNA haplotypes of the Anatolian individuals clustered with those of Equus hydruntinus (or Equus hemionus hydruntinus), the extinct European wild ass. The Anatolian wild ass whole genome profiles fall outside the genomic diversity of other extant and past Asiatic wild ass (E.hemionus) lineages. These observations strongly suggest that the three Anatolian wild asses represent E.hydruntinus, making them the latest recorded survivors of this lineage, about a millennium later than the latest observations in the zooarchaeological record. Comparative genomic analyses suggest that E.hydruntinus was a sister clade to all ancient and present-day E.hemionus lineages, representing an early split. We also find indication of gene flow between hydruntines and Middle Eastern wild asses. Analyses of genome-wide heterozygosity and runs of homozygosity reveal that the Anatolian wild ass population had severely lost genetic diversity by the mid-1st millennium BCE, a likely omen of its eventual demise.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2023

Including biotic interactions in species distribution models improves the understanding of species niche: a case of study with the brown bear in Europe

Biotic interactions are expected to influence species responses to climate change, but they are usually not included when predicting future range shifts. We assessed the importance of biotic interactions to understand future consequences of climate and land use change for biodiversity using as a model system the brown bear (Ursus arctos) in Europe. By including biotic interactions using the spatial variation of energy contribution and habitat models of each food species, we showed that the use of biotic factors considerably improves our understanding of the distribution of brown bears. Predicted future range shifts, which included changes in the distribution of food species, varied greatly when considering various scenarios of change in biotic factors, warning about future indirect climate change effects. Our study confirmed that advancing our understanding of ecological networks of species interactions will improve future scenarios of biodiversity change, which is key for conserving biodiversity and ecosystem services.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2020

Archaeogenetic analysis of Neolithic sheep from Anatolia suggests a complex demographic history since domestication

Sheep was among the first domesticated animals, but its demographic history is little understood. Here we present combined analyses of mitochondrial and nuclear polymorphism data from ancient central and west Anatolian sheep dating to the Late Glacial and early Holocene. We observe loss of mitochondrial haplotype diversity around 7500 BCE during the early Neolithic, consistent with a domestication-related bottleneck. Post-7000 BCE, mitochondrial haplogroup diversity increases, compatible with admixture from other domestication centres and/or from wild populations. Analysing archaeogenomic data, we further find that Anatolian Neolithic sheep (ANS) are genetically closest to present-day European breeds, and especially those from central and north Europe. Our results indicate that Asian contribution to south European breeds in the post-Neolithic era, possibly during the Bronze Age, may explain this pattern.

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2019

Song overlapping, ambient noise and territorial aggression in great tits

Animals often communicate with each other in noisy environments where interference from the ambient noise and other signallers may reduce the effectiveness of signals. Signalling behaviours may also evolve to interfere with signals of their opponents, e.g. by temporally overlapping them with their own, such as the song overlapping behaviour that is seen in some songbirds during aggressive interactions. Song overlapping has been proposed to be a signal of aggressive intent, but few studies directly examined the association between song overlapping and aggressive behaviours of the overlapping bird (the predictive criterion). In the present paper we examined the question of whether song overlapping is correlated with aggressive behaviours displayed during a simulated territorial intrusion in a population of great tits (Parus major) living in an urban-rural gradient. We also examined whether aggressive behaviours are correlated with the ambient noise levels. We found that overlapping was associated negatively with aggressive behaviours males displayed against a simulated intruder. These results fail to support the predictive criterion for song overlapping, raising the question whether overlapping is in fact a signal of aggressive intent. Ambient noise levels were associated positively with aggressive behaviours but did not correlate with song rate, song duration or song overlapping. Great tits in noisy urban habitats may display higher levels of aggressive behaviours due to either interference of noise in aggressive communication or another indirect effect of noise.

animal behavior and cognition↗