S.N.Litvinchuk, PhD, senior research associate
D.V.Skorinov, PhD, research associate
R.A.Pasynkova, research associate

We studied the nuclear DNA content in various groups of vertebrates. In total we studied more than 110 species of amphibians and reptiles of Russia (European, Siberian, and Far Eastern parts), Kazakhstan, Middle Asia, the Caucasus, Ukraine, Western Europe, Mediterranean countries (Turkey, Tunisia, Cyprus, Greece) and Japan. We received unique data about intraspecific variation of genome size in Bufonidae, Ranidae, Hylidae, Salamandridae, Hynobiidae, Bombinatoridae, Pelobatidae, etc. Huge number of studied samples allowed us suggests that in some groups (for example in amphibians) the nuclear DNA amount is most universal and reliable character for detection of events of early divergence in comparison with such genotypic and phenotypic features as allozyme and microsatellite frequencies, levels of genome heterochromatization, and morphometric characters.

Borkin L.J., Caune I.A., Pisanetz E.M., Rozanov Y.M. 1986. Karyotype and genome size in the Bufo viridis group. In: Studies in Herpetology, Rocek Z.(ed), Prague, pp. 137-142. Darevsky I.S., Danielyan F.D., Sokolova T.M., Rozanov Y.M. 1989. Intraclonal mating in the parthenogenetic lizard species Laсerta unisexualis Darevsky. In: Evolution and Ecology of Unisexual Vertebrates. R. W. Dawley and J. P. Bogart (Eds.), New York State Museum, Albany, New York, USA, pp. 228-235. Vinogradov A.E., Borkin L.J., Gunther R., Rosanov J.M. 1990. Genome elimination in diploid and triploid Rana esculenta males : cytological evidence from DNA flow cytometry. Genome. 33 : 619-627. Vinogradov A.E., Borkin L.J., Gunther R., Rosanov J.M. 1991. Two germ cell lineages with genomes of different species in one and the same animal. Hereditas. 114 : 245-251. Litvinchuk S.N., Rosanov J.M., Borkin L.J. 1997. A contact zone between the newts Triturus cristatus and Triturus dobrogicus in the Ukrainian Transcarpathians: distribution and genomt size variation. In: Herpetologia bonnensis, published by Societas Europian Herpetologica (SEN), W.Bohme, W. Bischoff, T. Ziegler (eds), Bonn, pp. 229-235. Rozanov Yu.M , Vinogradov A.E. 1998. The precise DNA-cytometry : investigation of the individual variability of the animal genome size. Tsitologiya. 40 (8/9) : 792-800 (In Russian). Borkin L.J., Rosanov J.M., Litvinchuk S.N. 2000. Nuclear DNA content in some green toads (Bufo viridis complex) of Turkey and Iran. Russian J. Herpetology. 7 (3) : 171-180. Borkin L. J., Litvinchuk S. N., Milto K. D., Rosanov J. M., Khalturin M. D. 2001. Cryptic speciation in Pelobates fuscus (Anura, Pelobatidae): cytometrical and biochemical evidences. Doklady Biological Sciences, 376: 86-88. Borkin L.J., Litvinchuk S.N., Milto K.D., Rosanov J.M. 2001. Criptic speciation in Pelobates fuscus: evidence from DNA flow cytometry. Amphibia-Reptilia, 22 : 419-430. Litvinchuk S.N., Borkin L.J., Rosanov J.M. 2003. On distribution of and hybridization between the newts Triturus vulgaris and T. montandoni in western Ukraine. Alytes, Paris. 20 : 161-168. Khalturin M. D., Litvinchuk S. N., Borkin L. J., Rosanov J. M., Milto K. D. 2003. Genetic variation in two cryptic forms, with different genome size, of the common spadefoot toad, Pelobates fuscus (Pelobatidae, Anura, Amphibia). Tsitologia, 45 (3): 308-323 (in Russian). Litvinchuk S.N., Borkin L.J., Rosanov J.M. 2004. Intraspecific and interspecific genome size variation in hynobiid salamanders of Russia and Kazakhstan: determination by flow cytometry. Asiatic Herpetol. Res., Berkeley, 10 : 282-294. Borkin L. J., Litvinchuk S. N., Rosanov J. M., Skorinov D. V. 2004. On cryptic species (from the example of amphibians). Zoologichesky Zhurnal, 83 (8): 936-960 (in Russian; translated in English as Entomological Review, 84 (Suppl. 1): S75-S98). Litvinchuk S.N., Zuiderwijk A., Borkin L.J., Rosanov J.M. 2005. Taxonomic status of Triturus vittatus (Amphibia: Salamandridae) in western Turkey: trunk vertebrae count, genome size and allozyme data. Amphibia-Reptilia, Leiden. 26 : 305-323. Bogdanov A.S., Rozanov Yu.M. 2005. Variability in size of the nuclear genome in pygmy wood mouse Sylvaemus uralensis (Rodentia, Muridae). Russian J. Genetics. 41 (10) : 1123-1129 (in Russian). Weisrock D.W., PapenfussT.J., Macey J.R., Litvinchuk S.N., Polymeni R., Ugurtas I.U., Zhao E., Jowkar H., Larson A. 2006. A molecular assessment of phylogenetic relationships and lineage accumulation rates within in the family Salamandridae (Amphibia, Caudata). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 41: 368 - 383. Litvinchuk S.N., Pashkova I.M., Rosanov J.M., Borkin L.J. 2007. Heat resistance of the muscle in West-Palearctic green frogs of Rana esculenta complex. Biology Bulletin, 1: 61-66. Litvinchuk S.N., Rosanov J.M., Usmanova N.M., Borkin L.J., Mazanaeva L.F., Kazakov V.I. 2007. Variability of microsatellites BM224 and Bcal7 in populations of green toads (Bufo viridis complex) differing by nuclear DNA content and ploidy. Cell and Tissue Biology, 1 (1): 65-79. Litvinchuk S. N., Rosanov J. M., Borkin L. J. 2007. Correlations of geographic distribution and temperature of embryonic development with the nuclear DNA content in the Salamandridae (Urodela, Amphibia). Genome, 50: 333-342.