Olgun Karacan, Gül2024-04-242024-04-2420231022-7954https:/dx.doi.org10.1134/S1022795423130100https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12451/11698This study aimed to investigate the genetic diversity and relationships among Apodemus mystacinus lineages by analyzing mitochondrial Cytochrome b sequences. The study included samples from Iranand south east Turkey (Hakkari and Şırnak), in addition to previously studied populations. The results showed differences in the relationships among lineages and the structure of the phylogenetic tree compared to previous studies. A. m. mystacinus lineage, represented by samples from southwest Anatolia and Crete, was located at the base of the tree. The Iranian specimens were clustered with the southeastern specimens of Turkey in a separate lineage, indicating a possible refugium for A. mystacinus populations during glacial periods. The study also suggested that the expansion of A. mystacinus into Anatolia and neighboring regions during the Pleistocene facilitated its colonization of the Aegean islands. The differentiation between A. m. euxinus lineage and the south east Anatolia-Iran lineage may have resulted from the ancestral population in eastern Turkey diverging into two different lineages with one expanding its range towards the Black Sea and the other migrating towards the Zagros Mountains in Iran. These findings contribute to the understanding of the evolutionary history and phylogeography of A. mystacinus in its main range.eninfo:eu-repo/semantics/embargoedAccessApodemus MystacinusCytochrome BIranTurkeyArticle59536010.1134/S1022795423130100Q4WOS:001117016500007Q4