Molecular phylogeography and evolutionary origin of brown beats in Central Asia and Baikalian regions

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The present study revealed that the brown bear populations of inner sides of the Eurasian Continent have interesting mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) lineages which have not been identified from Far East, North America and Europe. Especially, the Gobi population from Central Asia and the Tibetan population have specific mtDNA types, respectively. In addition, another lineage of mtDNA is distributed widely around the Baikal Lake. Meanwhile, because some samples of Pleistocene bear fossils were obtained, ancient DNA analysis is now going on for investigation of spatial and temporal changes of brown bearphylogeography in Eurasia.As the collaboration between Japanese and Russian researchers, in October of 2002, Dr.Masuda (Head investigator of the present study) visited Dr.Alexei Abramov (Collaborative investigator) of the Zoological Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences (located in St.Petersburg, Russia) and they together collected samples of Russian brown bears. Then, they went to the Research Institute of Game Management and Fur Farming of Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences (located in Kirov, Russia) and had a seminar on conservation of mammalian diversity. There they had successful scientific discussions and communications on bear researches. In July of 2003, Dr.Masuda, Dr.Ohdachi (Investigator) and Dr.Abramov visited Transbaikalia (eastern region of the Baikal Lake) and had an expedition for observation of natural environments of habitats for the brown bear and other mammalian species. In 2004, Dr.Masuda invited Dr Abratnov and he stayed at Hokkaido University during November and December. Then, they discussed the genetic and morphological data of brown bears from Europe, through Siberia, to Far East and Hokkaido, compared with paleoenvironmental changes.