title: Phylogenetic analysis of the endangered takin in the confluent zone of the Qinling and Minshan Mountains using mtDNA control region.
abstract: The takin (Budorcas taxicolor) is an Endangered ungulate. We analyzed the variation within mtDNA control region sequences of takin populations in the Qinling Mountains, the Minshan Mountains and the confluence of these two mountain ranges. We did not find any shared haplotypes among the populations. We observed apparent variation in the control region length among the three populations, and independent population expansions in the late of Pleistocene, which suggests these populations may have independent evolutionary histories. We found only one haplotype, and the lowest measures of genetic diversity (h = 0; π = 0) in the population from the confluent zone, which suggests populations in the confluent zone may have grown from small founder populations and gene flow with other populations has ceased. Based on their phylogenetic relationships, we concluded that the takin population in the confluent zone was in the same clade as the Tangjiahe population, which suggests that these takin populations are Sichuan takin (Budorcas taxicolor tibetana).
authors.affiliation: a Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation (Ministry of Education) , Institute of Rare Animals and Plants, China West Normal University , Shunqing District, Nanchong , Sichuan , P.R. China.
authors.forename: Gang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.affiliation: a Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation (Ministry of Education) , Institute of Rare Animals and Plants, China West Normal University , Shunqing District, Nanchong , Sichuan , P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yanhong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: a Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation (Ministry of Education) , Institute of Rare Animals and Plants, China West Normal University , Shunqing District, Nanchong , Sichuan , P.R. China.
authors.forename: Dayong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: a Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation (Ministry of Education) , Institute of Rare Animals and Plants, China West Normal University , Shunqing District, Nanchong , Sichuan , P.R. China.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: a Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation (Ministry of Education) , Institute of Rare Animals and Plants, China West Normal University , Shunqing District, Nanchong , Sichuan , P.R. China.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics*; D014644:Genetic Variation / Q000235:genetics; D054629:Genome, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics; D006239:Haplotypes / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D012418:Ruminants / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial
keywords: D-loop region; genetic diversity; genetic structure; population history