Genetic diversity and conservation of endangered animal species

The loss of biodiversity resulting from extinctions is receiving increasing attention. Over several thousands of animal species have been evaluated and recognized as endangered species. Inbreeding depression has been demonstrated in many wild animal species. Here we sequenced 655-978 bp mitochodrial D-loop region of 32 individuals from four regional giant panda populations. Sixteen haplotypes were observed. AMOVE analysis demonstrated that genetic differentiation was not significant in the overall population, except the Qingling pop- ulation. The current panda population may recover from a recent severe bottleneck that occurred about 43 000 years ago. Combining with our results on two endangered snub-nosed monkey species and one common hare species, different scenarios for low genetic variation have been discussed. Our results suggest that low genetic variation does not necessary result from a recent bottleneck, and it is not necessarily an indication of the level of endangerment.