title: Species identification of Tanzanian antelopes using DNA barcoding.
abstract: Efficient tools for consistent species identification are important in wildlife conservation as it can provide information on the levels of species exploitation and assist in solving forensic-related problems. In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) barcode in species identification of Tanzanian antelope species. A 470 base-pair region of the COI gene was examined in 95 specimens representing 20 species of antelopes, buffalo and domestic Bovidae. All the Tanzanian species showed unique clades, and sequence divergence within species was <1%, whereas divergence between species ranged from 6.3% to 22%. Lowest interspecific divergence was noted within the Tragelaphus genus. Neighbour-joining phylogenetic analyses demonstrated that the examined COI region provided correct and highly supported species clustering using short fragments down to 100 base-pair lengths. This study demonstrates that even short COI fragments can efficiently identify antelope species, thus demonstrating its high potential for use in wildlife conservation activities.
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Livestock Development and Fisheries, Veterinary Investigation Centre, Temeke, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
authors.forename: Stella
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bitanyi
authors.forename: Gro
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bjørnstad
authors.forename: Eblate M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Ernest
authors.forename: Marit
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nesje
authors.forename: Lughano J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Kusiluka
authors.forename: Julius D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Keyyu
authors.forename: Robinson H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Mdegela
authors.forename: Knut H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Røed
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000866:Antelopes / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D058893:DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic / Q000379:methods*; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013636:Tanzania
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV