Study On Mitochondrial DNA Genetic Diversity Of Great Bustard (Otis Tarda Dybowskii) In China

Great bustard(Otis tarda) is an important endangered species. It breeds in the north of China. In order to scientifically and effectively conserve this species, analyzing its genetic diversity is necessary. But up to now, the genetic diversity of great bustard in China is not reported in the world. The 301-330bp hypervariable II -control-region sequence in mitochondrial(mt) DNA genome from 18 individuals of one subspecies of great bustard(O.t. dybowskii) from breeding areas of northwest of Songliao plain, southwest of Hulunbeier plateau and wintering area of Shandong Yellow river nature reserve in China were sequenced and population analysis was conducted to assess the level of genetic diversity. The results showed: (1) In the D-loop of mtDNA genome from 18 individuals, there were only transition and transversion, were not insertion and deletion, and the frequency of transition was higher than transversion;(2) and nucleotide diversity was 0.0011, the sequence divergence values among haplotypes was 0.005. (3) the result of individuals clustering analysis was that most individuals were clustered together, this indicated their genetic basic was relatively same. (4) One of the mtDNA haplotypes in the population of Shandong Yellow river nature reserve was shared with populations of the two breeding areas, and the other was endemic, it implied that this wintering population possibly was composed by different populations including these two breeding populations, and its genetic diversity was higher than the population of breeding area. (5) The comparing of the sequence divergence values 0.013 between these two subspecies(the relevant sequences of the other subspecies of great bustard (O. t tarda) from GenBank )and 0.005, 0.006 among haplotypes in different subspecieses, suggested that genetic differentiation between subspecies was larger than populations, and the genetic diversity in interpopulation was higher than intrapopulation. On the basis of these research results, some conservation and management advices of great bustard were put forward: (1) The breeding areas of northwest of Songliao plain and southwest of Hulunbeier plateau should be looked as one conservation unit to conserve. (2) Attach importance to the conservation of wintering area, keep the balance of wintering population, and reduce the press of preserving the genetic diversity of breeding populations. (3) The migrating routes and stopovers between breeding and wintering areas should be brought into the protection programming and ensure the amount of breeding and wintering populations.