Zou Jingyi, Dong Lu, Davison Geoffrey, Hlaing Win, Aung Moe Myint, Zhang Yanyun, Zhang Zhengwang, Wang Nan, Chen De
School of Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, P.R.China. E-mail:
MOE Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, P.R.China. E-mail:
Zool Stud. 2021 Jul 21;60:e40. doi: 10.6620/ZS.2021.60-40. eCollection 2021.
Geographically and morphologically distinct populations within a species are frequently the focus of conservation efforts, especially when the populations are evolutionarily significant units. The Blyth's Tragopan () is a globally-threatened species confined to South and Southeast Asia. During our field surveys in western Myanmar, we discovered a distinct group of individuals that differed in their appearance relative to all other populations. We further examined the differences in their DNA sequence using three nuclear introns and three mitochondrial genes through phylogenetic analytical methods. Our results showed the population from Mount Kennedy, Chin Hills formed reciprocal monophyletic groups with the nominate subspecies from Mount Saramati, Sagaing Division. Species delimitation analyses further confirmed this differentiation. Geographical isolation by the intervening lowlands found between high elevation habitats may have been the main cause of their differentiation. Hence, we propose that the Mount Kennedy population be viewed as a distinct evolutionarily significant unit and be given special priority for conservation.
一个物种内地理和形态上不同的种群常常是保护工作的重点，尤其是当这些种群是具有进化意义的单元时。黑胸角雉（）是一种全球受威胁物种，仅分布于南亚和东南亚。在我们对缅甸西部的实地调查中，我们发现了一群外观与所有其他种群都不同的独特个体。我们通过系统发育分析方法，使用三个核内含子和三个线粒体基因进一步研究了它们DNA序列的差异。我们的结果表明，钦敦江丘陵地区肯尼迪山的种群与实皆省萨腊马蒂山的指名亚种形成了相互单系类群。物种界定分析进一步证实了这种分化。高海拔栖息地之间的低地形成的地理隔离可能是它们分化的主要原因。因此，我们建议将肯尼迪山种群视为一个独特的具有进化意义的单元，并给予特别的保护优先权。
