Flora Ihlow

Faculty of Environmental Sciences TU Dresden

Based on an integrative taxonomic approach, we examine the differentiation of Southeast Asian snail-eating turtles using information from 1863 bp of mitochondrial DNA, 12 microsatellite loci, morphology and a correlative species distribution model. Our analyses reveal three genetically distinct groups with limited mitochondrial introgression in one...

The ornate dog tick (Dermacentor reticulatus) shows a recently expanding geographic distribution. Knowledge on its intraspecific variability, population structure, rate of genetic diversity and divergence, including its evolution and geographic distribution, is crucial to understand its dispersal capacity. All such information would help to evaluat...

Before humans arrived, giant tortoises occurred on many western Indian Ocean islands. We combined ancient DNA, phylogenetic, ancestral range, and molecular clock analyses with radiocarbon and paleogeographic evidence to decipher their diversity and biogeography. Using a mitogenomic time tree, we propose that the ancestor of the extinct Mascarene to...

A brief report on the Kehlmaier et al. paper that featured as a Nature 'Research Highlight'. The précis appeared in January 2023 at about the same time as the main work, but the author team has only recently became aware of its publication.

Species-level phylogeny and especially phylogeography of African chelonians is a comparatively under-studied field of research. We review the current knowledge of phylogeny and phylogeography, highlight congruence of spatial phylogeographic patterns amongst chelonians and other taxa and suggest future research directions to address gaps in knowledg...

We used a dataset of georeferenced photos of 5,751 grass snakes from iNaturalist to evaluate subspecific variation of Natrix natrix in coloration and pattern. Our results provide evidence that all four genetically delineated subspecies differ morphologically, although unstriped individuals of N. n. vulgaris are difficult to tell apart from the nomi...

The Western Tragopan Tragopan melanocephalus is endemic to the Western Himalayas and currently listed as ‘Vulnerable’ on the IUCN Red List which also emphasizes a data deficiency regarding its distribution and population size. With this study we provide new data from the Palas Valley, northern Pakistan and deliver a range wide estimate of the speci...

The Khorat snail-eating turtle (Malayemys khoratensis) is a recently described (2016), poorly studied freshwater turtle known from the Khorat Plateau in Thailand and a small area near Vientiane, Lao People's Democratic Republic. We investigated the occurrence and natural history of M. khoratensis during field surveys of Xe Champhone Ramsar Site (XC...

Changes in the structural association of skeletal traits are crucial to the evolution of novel forms and functions. In vertebrates, such rearrangements often occur gradually and may precede or coincide with the functional activation of skeletal traits. To illustrate this process, we examined the ontogeny of African hinge-back tortoises (Kinixys spp...

Eiselt's pond turtle (Emys orbicularis eiselti) was described in 1998, based on only 4 museum specimens collected in the 1960s and 1970s. Its distribution range has been massively reduced by large-scale drainage measures and only little suitable habitat remains near the Turkish–Syrian border. During 20-yr-long fieldwork we could locate only 18 indi...

Species distribution models (SDMs) are frequently used to characterise current, past or future realised environmental niches. Two recent studies applied different approaches to infer range dynamics in eastern subspecies of the spur-thighed tortoise Testudo graeca Linnaeus, 1758. We discuss differences in the conclusions of the two papers and use mu...

Sub-Saharan Africa harbours an outstanding diversity of tortoises of which the leopard tortoise Stigmochelys pardalis is the most widespread. Across its’ range the species is impacted by habitat transformation, over-collection for human consumption and the pet trade, road mortality, and electrocution by electric fences. Most leopard tortoises in so...

Summary. – The Mekong Snail-eating Turtle, Malayemys subtrijuga (family Geoemydidae), is a small (carapace length typically under 200 mm, but reaching up to 236 mm) freshwater turtle inhabiting wetlands, rice fields, and other seasonal lowland habitats in Southeast Asia. The species has an unusual distribution: a disjunct population on the island o...

We examined the contact zone of two parapatric species of grass snake (Natrix astreptophora and Natrix helvetica) in southern France. To this end, we used comprehensive sampling, analysed mtDNA sequences and microsatellite loci, and built Species Distribution Models for current and past climatic conditions. The contact zone had established by the m...

Table S1. Grass snake samples used in the present study. Haplotypes with asterisks could not be identified more precisely because obtained DNA sequences were too short. These short sequences were not used for drawing haplotype networks. Red haplotypes were newly identified in the present study. Samples used for HYBRIDLAB calculations bear symbols i...

Using range-wide sampling and 1,143 bp of mtDNA (cytochrome b gene) and 14 microsatellite loci, we examined genetic differentiation in the widely distributed Southern African angulate tortoise (Chersina angulata). We found evidence for two genealogical lineages that differ in both genetic marker systems and their preferred habitat conditions. Accor...

We assessed genetic differentiation and habitat suitability for Homopus areolatus during current and Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) conditions. The ND4 locus retrieved two monophyletic mtDNA clades with lower diversity in clade 1, in the west, than in clade 2, in the south-east. Clade 1 showed a north–south and clade 2 a west-to-east genetic divergence...

The Mediterranean Basin represents a Global Biodiversity Hotspot where many organisms show high inter- and intraspecific differentiation. Extant phylogeographic patterns of terrestrial circum-Mediterranean faunas were mainly shaped through Pleistocene range shifts and range fragmentations due to retreat into different glacial refugia. Thus, several...

The Lobatse Hinge-back Tortoise, Kinixys lobatsiana (Power, 1927), has a small distribution range in northern South Africa and adjacent Botswana. Local populations have been fragmented by degradation and destruction of suitable habitat, resulting in this species being listed as Vulnerable by IUCN. Here, the geographic distribution of K. lobatsiana...

We studied for the first time the molecular differentiation of all three currently recognized subspecies of Trachemys scripta, including the morphologically distinct western populations of T. s. elegans ('western red-eared sliders'), using mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences (up to 3,236 bp and 2,738 bp, respectively) and 14 microsatellite loci...

Kinixys spekii has a wide distribution range across sub-Saharan Africa, having been reported from Angola, Botswana, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, eSwatini, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Kinixys spekii inhabits savannah and dry bushveld habitats and was previously considered an inl...

We report the fi ndings of the fi rst herpetofaunal surveys conducted in Phnom Kulen National Park, Siem Reap Province, northern Cambodia. During three intensive survey periods in 2008, 2009 and 2011, 86 species (25 amphibians and 61 reptiles) were recorded and data on their natural history were collected. One of the species, Kaloula mediolineata S...

We report the fi ndings of the fi rst herpetofaunal surveys conducted in Phnom Kulen National Park, Siem Reap Province, northern Cambodia. During three intensive survey periods in 2008, 2009 and 2011, 86 species (25 amphibians and 61 reptiles) were recorded and data on their natural history were collected. One of the species, Kaloula mediolineata S...

Summary. – The Malayan Snail-eating Turtle, Malayemys macrocephala (family Geoemydidae), is a small (carapace length generally under 200 mm) aquatic turtle native to the west-central Indochinese Peninsula and northern Malay Peninsula. Shortly after description, the species was synonymized with M. subtrijuga and only recently regained taxonomic acce...

Based on rangewide sampling and three mitochondrial and two nuclear markers (together up to 1,850 bp and 1,840 bp, respectively), we examine the phylogeography of two helmeted terrapin species (Pelomedusa galeata and P. subrufa sensu stricto) and infer shifts of climatically suitable spaces since the Last Glacial Maximum using a modeling approach....

Alignment cyt b sequences

Studied samples and ENA accession numbers for DNA sequences

Alignment 12S rRNA sequences

Alignment ND4 + tRNA sequences

Alignment of concatenated mtDNA for TCS network

Map turtles of the genus Graptemys are native to North America, where a high degree of drainage endemism is believed to have shaped current diversity. With 14 species and one additional subspecies, Graptemys represents the most diverse genus in the family Emydidae. While some Graptemys species are characterized by pronounced morphological differenc...

The spatial subdivision of species often plays a pivotal role in speciation. Across their entire range, species are rarely panmictic and crucial consequences of spatial subdivision are (1) random genetic drift including historical factors, (2) uniform selection, and (3) divergent selection. Each of these consequences may result in geographic variat...

The range dynamics of species distributed in temperate zones was significantly influenced by climatic fluctuations during the Pleistocene. However, little is known on how glacial and interglacial cycles affected the distribution of species occupying lower latitudes. The aim of this study was to assess Quaternary range dynamics of the spur-thighed t...

The widespread African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis) occurs in sympatry with the IUCN Endangered Cape platanna (Xenopus gilli) throughout its entire range in the south-western Cape, South Africa. In order to investigate aspects of the interspecific competition between populations of X. laevis and X. gilli, an assessment of their niche differentiatio...

Background Invasive species are among the most significant threats to biodiversity. The diet of invasive animal populations is a crucial factor that must be considered in the context of biological invasions. A broad dietary spectrum is a frequently cited characteristic of invasive species, allowing them to thrive in a wide range of environments. Th...

Supplementary Tables for prey of Xenopus species Prey categories consumed by Xenopus laevis, Xenopus gilli and obtained during habitat sampling at the Cape of Good Hope and Kleinmond for individuals divided into size categories (small, medium and large).

Diet and potential prey data for Xenopus gilli and Xenopus laevis in Cape of Good Hope and Kleinmond This file contains the raw data for all items stomach flushed from Xenopus gilli and Xenopus laevis in Cape of Good Hope and Kleinmond, as well as data on potential prey from sampling of their aquatic environments. Each prey item has a single row wi...

Although of crucial importance for invasion biology and impact assessments of climate change, it remains widely unknown how species cope to environmental conditions beyond their currently realized climatic niches (i.e., those climatic conditions existing populations are exposed to). The African clawed frog Xenopus laevis, native to southern Africa,...

By altering or eliminating delicate ecological relationships, non-indigenous species are considered a major threat to biodiversity, as well as a driver of environmental change. Global climate change affects ecosystems and ecological communities, leading to changes in the phenology, geographic ranges, or population abundance of several species. Thus...

Maximum entropy SDM response curves for selected predictor variables displaying relationships between predictor variables and occurrence probability of Xenopus laevis. Model contribution was assessed by building the model using a single corresponding predictor variable. The logistic output (probability of presence) is displayed on the Y axis. Red c...

Response curves for ensemble SDM showing the relationships between environmental predictors and occurrence probability of Xenopus laevis. The logistic output (probability of occurrence) is displayed on the Y axis. (PDF)

Variable contribution for single algorithms of the ensemble SDM. (XLSX)

Predicted area sizes in mio. km² for the ensemble SDM; maximum values for each threshold (mtp, 25%, 50%, 75%) are displayed in bold. (XLSX)

A) Overlap analysis of the ensemble SDM and the maximum entropy SDM, with red highlighting areas where the ensemble SDM yields higher probabilities and blue depicting areas where the maximum entropy SDM yields higher probabilities; B) Overlap analysis of the ensemble SDM and the SDM by Measey et al. (2012), with red indicating higher probability of...