PHYLOGENETIC STATUS OF BROWN BEARS URSUS-ARCTOS OF ASIA - A PRELIMINARY RESULT INFERRED FROM MITOCHONDRIAL-DNA CONTROL REGION SEQUENCES

The brown bear Ursus arctos is widely distributed in the Northern Hemi sphere including Eurasia and North America, its breeding range being t he largest among seven bear species in the world. Recent phylogeograph ic studies of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences have revealed the ev olutionary history of brown bear populations in Europe and North Ameri ca (HANNI et al. 1994; RANDI et al. 1994; TABERLET and BOUVET 1994; TA LBOT and SHIELDS 1996). In contrast, genetic characteristics of Asian brown bears are poorly known. Such information would be essential for a better understanding of the evolution of the brown bear. For instanc e, the evolutionary origin of the brown bear may either be in Asia or Europe or both, a question associated with some controversy (KURTEN 19 76; MAZZA and RUSTIONI 1994). In addition, some Asian brown bear popul ations have experienced habitat fragmentation, environmental changes, and intense hunting by human, so there is a need for clarifying their genetics for conservation purposes. In this report, we present partial sequences of the mtDNA control region of some Asian brown bears. Base d on these mtDNA data and a comparison with those of European brown be ars, we discuss the phylogenetic status of the brown bears of Asia. Ou r results offer an important information on the genetics of Asian brow n bears.