关键词: 金丝野牦牛, 线粒体DNA, 遗传距离, 系统发育, 分类地位

Abstract: A population of 200 individuals of the golden wild yak inhabits the Chang Tang National Nature Reserve in Tibet. Golden wild yak is characterized by its unique golden hair compared to other black yaks. The genetic information for golden wild yak population is currently unknown due to its small population size,elusive behavior,and poor accessibility of their habitat. In this study,the taxonomic status of golden wild yak population has been preliminarily discussed based on two mitochondrial DNA fragments (i. e. ,Cyt b and D-loop)． The results show that the sequence characteristics,length, nucleotide composition of the two gene fragments of golden wild yak are similar to that of black wild yak and domestic yak.  Golden wild yak is the closest relative to other black wild yaks because the genetic distance between them is the smallest and they are clustered to a clade in a phylogeny tree of Bovine. However,the genetic distance between the golden wild yak and other black wild yaks is larger than the average genetic distance among the black wild yak individuals. Together with the morphological discrepancies,it is suggested that the golden wild yak is a subspecies or an important protection unit of wild yak. Due to the limited sample quantity in the present study,however,further evidence is still needed to corroborate our conclusions.

Key words: Genetic distance, Golden wild yak, Mitochondrial DNA, Phylogeny, Taxonomic status