Polymorphism in The mtDNA of Three Species of Pheasants

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) polymorphisms in three species of pheasants,I.e.,common pheasant (Phasianus colchicus),golden pheasant (Chrysolopus pictus),and Chinese pheasant (C.amherstiae),were analyzed to study phylogenetic relationships,when 10 restriction enzymes of 6-bp recognition were used,20-29 sites were observed in the samples.The estimated number of nucleotide substitutions per site (p) between genera Phasianus and Chrysolopus is 0.076 (rangs from 0.067-0.085),and between golden and Chinese pheasants is 0.012.Divergence times between the two genera,and between the two species of genus Chrysolopus were estimated to be 3.8×106 and 6×105 years on the mean rate of sequences divergence of 0.02 per million years in mtDNA,respectively.These findings suggest:1.Phasianus and Chrysolopus are two closely related genera in the phylogeny of pheasants.2.There is possible that golden and Chinese pheasants are two subspecies,not two species.