Medicina Molecular e Genética

Phylogenetic Relationships of Sudanese Gazella dorcas Based on Mitochondrial Cytochrome-B Gene Sequences

Abstract

Salih RRM, Imad-Eldain ETA and Abd-Elrahim EK

Dorcas gazelles are critically endangered mammals on the Arabian World. Past conservation efforts have been plagued by confusion about the phylogenetic relationship among various ‘phenotypically discernable’ populations, and even the question of species boundaries was far from being certain. This lack of knowledge has had a direct impact on conservation measures. Here, we provide a phylogenetic framework, based on the analysis of mtDNA sequences. We applied molecular methods to document for the first-time patterns of genetic diversity and population structure of Gazella dorcas in Bahry and East of the Nile (Sudan) using 421 bp fragment of mitochondrial DNA in seventeen populations.