Phylogenetic and evolutionary revision of some pheasants of northern Pakistan

Present study describes the phylogenetic reconstruction and evolutionary relations of seven local pheasant species on the basis of cytochrome b and cytochrome c oxidase I gene sequences. DNA was isolated from blood samples, partial sequences of cytochrome c oxidase (850 bp)and cytochrome b gene (450 bp) were PCR amplified using bird specific universal primers. The nucleotide sequences obtained were compared with that of several members of Phasianidae and other bird species having above 70% homology and phylogenetic trees were constructed using Maximum Likelihood Analysis. The gene sequences obtained from local species have shown multiple conserved regions indicating a common ancestor of these species. The results have suggested a revised systematic position of local pheasants and their phylogenetic distance with related species. The investigated species have been placed in two clades and five sub-clades on the basis of COI gene sequence. The cytochrome b gene sequence has differentiated the species into three clades. Our findings suggest that COI gene can discriminate between similar bird species more efficiently than cytochrome b gene.