原羚属分类地位研究兼论中国羚羊的分类

中国羚羊类动物在世界羚羊类动物中有着特殊的地位,其中普氏原羚、藏原羚和藏羚是中国特有的珍稀物种,普氏原羚是极度濒危动物.开展中国羚羊类动物的分类和进化研究是当务之急.本研究利用形态特征、头骨测量及线粒体DNA的12S rRNA(440 bp)和16S rRNA(590 bp)对原羚属的分类地位及中国其他几种羚羊分类地位进行了探讨,发现对质量性状和数量性状数据的聚类分析的结果差异大,而且质量性状的聚类结果比较符合传统的分类系统.分子分类也得到相似结果,但在属下的分析存在较大差异.7种牛科动物的12S rRNA和16S rRNA序列差异分别为0.2%～7.1%和0.3%～8.4%.系统进化分析表明原羚属3种羚羊形成单系群,且蒙古瞪羚与普氏原羚的关系较藏原羚与普氏原羚的关系近.赛加羚应归宿于羚羊亚科,而不是与羊亚科的藏羚形成独立的赛加羚亚科.原羚属的进化可能与青藏高原的隆起有关.

TAXONOMIC STATUS OF PROCAPRA AND THE CLASSIFICATION OF CHINESE ANTELOPES AND GAZELLES

Chinese gazelles have a specific status in the gazelles of the world. Among the gazelles, the Przewalski's gazelle and the Tibetan gazelle are endemic to China. The Przewalski's gazelle is critically endangered; it is an urgent task to study the systematics and classification of Chinese gazelles. We studied the systematic status of Procapra and other gazelles based on both morphology and 12S rRNA and 16S rRNA gene sequences(440 bp and 590 bp or so, respectively).We found that the results of cluster analyses on quality morphology characters were quite different from that on quantity characters. The former was clo- ser to the traditional classification systems of the Procapra. We also have similar results based on molecular date. The sequence divergence values for 16S rRNA gene and for 12S rRNA gene were 0.2%-7.1% and 0.3%-8.4%, respectively. Our phylogenetic analysis revealed the mornophyly of the genus Procapra and found Przewalski's gazelle is more closely related to the Mongolian gazelle than to the Tibetan gazelle. Furthermore, Saiga was clustered within Antilopinae, and Tibetan antelope is closely related to Caprinae. We also argued that the evolution of Procapra may be closely linked to the upheaval of the Tibetan Plateau during the Tertiary Period and the Quaternary Period.