1Advance level institutional Biotech Hub, Handique Girls College, Pan Bazaar, Dighalipukhuri, Guwahati-781 001, Assam, India
2College of Veterinary Science, Khanapara, Guwahati-781 022, Assam, India
3National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, NH-37, Shantipur, Parlli Part, Mirza-781 125, Assam, India
4Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology, Vigyan Path, Paschim Boragaon, Guwahati-781 035, Assam, India
5ICAR-Directorate of Poultry Research, Hyderabad-500 030, Andhra Pradesh, India
6ICAR-National Research Centre on Pig, Rani, Guwahati-781 131, Assam, India
ICAR-National Research Centre on Pig, Rani, Guwahati-781 131, Assam, India
*Corresponding author's e-mail: drpranabjyotidas@gmail.com
Online published on 15 October, 2019.
North east India is one of the exotic hotspots for Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) and harbors about half of the global population of the Asian elephant. Here we present the first population genetic study of free-ranging Asian elephants, examining within-and among-population differentiation by analyzing mitochondrial DNA(mtDNA) differentiation across the Brahmaputra valley and elephant reserves of North east India. Surprisingly, the population here had shown lower mtDNAhaplo type diversity with littlemt DNA differentiation among localities within the Brahmaputra valley. This suggests extensive gene flow in the past, which is compatible with the home ranges of several hundred square kilometers for elephants in this region. Conversely, the Brahmaputra valley population is genetically distinct at a mitochondrial level than other tested elephant populations. These results significantly indicate the importance of population bottlenecks, social organization and bio-geographic barriersin shaping the distribution ofgenetic variations among Asian elephant populations in North east India.
D-Loop, Elephant, Haplotype, Mitochondrial DNA, Northeast India
