Adil GÜNER, Vehbi ESER - optima

THE ANATOLIAN DIAGONAL – A HOTSPOT FOR NATURAL
HYBRIDISATION FOR the GENUS ARISTOLOCHIA?
Aycan TOSUNO�LU 1* , Hulusi MALYER 1 , Hafez MAHFOUD 2 , Christoph NEINHUIS 2 ,
Stefan WANKE 2
1 Uludag University, Science & Arts Faculty, Dept. of Biology, Bursa, Turkey. aycanbilisik@uludag.edu.tr
2 Technische Universität Dresden, Institut für Botanik, Dresden, Germany. stefan.wanke@tu-dresden.de
Aristolochia is a species rich genus characterized by its unique flowers and well known to
botanists from the tropics. Although, Aristolochia has a limited diversity and distribution in
the more temperate areas of the northern hemisphere, the Mediterranean - Near East region
can be regarded as a diversity hotspot with 27 species in Turkey of which 15 of them are
endemic to Anatolia.
During field studies for the Aristolochia revision in Turkey, we found additional evidence for
the existence of the Anatolian Diagonal. Detailed distribution maps of Aristolochia maurorum
L. and A. bottae Jaub & Spach are in accordance with the hypothetical demarcation line of
Anatolia which is suggested to be a distributional floristic break, running from NE Anatolia to
the Anti-Taurus.
Field studies along the mid-Anatolian Diagonal lead to the discovery of intermediate
morphotypes between A. maurorum and A. bottae (A. maurorum × bottae). In the same area
both parents were also found. This discovery shaped the hypothesis of the existence of
potential hybrids between both species as a result from incomplete geographic isolation along
the Anatolian Diagonal.
Natural hybridisation, which was first noted by Davis & Khan between Aristolochia
paecilantha and A. maurorum at the southern tip of the Anatolian Diagonal, has been
addressed using molecular phylogenetic methods. Detected hybrids of A. maurorum and A.
bottae on the mid of Anatolian Diagonal indicated the natural hybridisation involving three
species along the line. Although morphology shows proofs for clarifying the hybridisation
fact within these sympatric species, it raised additional questions about intra-specific relations
and incomplete geographic/genetic barriers between the Near-East Aristolochia species.
Keywords: Natural hybridisation, Aristolochia, Biogeography, Taxonomy, Mediterranean,
Anatolia.
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