Two Distinct mtDNA Lineages among Captive African Penguins inJapan

[摘要] References(19)The African penguin(Spheniscus demersus) is one of the world’s most endangered seabirds.In Japan, although the number of African penguins in captivity continues to increase,genetic data have not been collected for either wild or captive populations. To revealgenetic diversity and characterization in captive African penguins, we analyzed thenucleotide sequences of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from a sample of 236 African penguins.Analysis of 433 bp of the control region and 1,140 bp of cytochrome b sequences revealedthe existence of two mtDNA clades. Control region haplotypes were much more divergent(d=3.39%) between the two clades than within each clade. The divergenceof these clades may reflect differences at the subspecies or geographical population levelin African penguins. These findings suggest that at least two distinct maternal lineagesexist in the wild populations of the African penguin.

[学科分类] 兽医学

[关键词] African penguin;control region;genetic diversity;mitochondrial DNA