Phylogeny and genetic variation of the European bison Bison bonasus based on mitochondrial DNA D-loop sequences

Genomic DNA from 14 representative animals of 3 maternal lines of Bison bon asus (Linnaeus, 1758) was used for amplification of a 1026-bp fragment of m tDNA D-loop. Analysis of this mitochondrial control region demonstrated onl y four variable sites in the studied B. bonasus population. Nucleotide subs titutions in the fragment studied were very unstable, suggesting that intra lineage sequence variation can occur in B. bonasus. To estimate phylogeneti c relationships within the Bovinae subfamily mtDNA control region was analy sed. The phylogenetic analysis separated two species of Bison, and placed B ison bison most closely to Bos grunniens. The rate sequence divergence of t he hypervariable region of the D-loop between B. bonasus and B. bison was c alculated as 78.5% per Myr.