Mitochondrial cytochrome b indicates the presence of two paraphyletic diverged lineages of the blue sheep Pseudois nayaur across the Indian Himalaya: conservation implications.
Bheem Dutt JoshiVinay KumarRahul DeReeta SharmaAnkita BhattacharyaStanzin DolkerRanjana PalVed Prakash KumarSambandam SathyakumarBhupendra Singh AdhikariBilal HabibSurendra Prakash GoyalPublished in: Molecular biology reports (2022)
We propose five 'Evolutionary Significant Units' across the blue sheep distribution range based on observed variation in the species' ecological requirements, orography, climatic conditions, and maternal lineages, viz.; Western Himalaya-Pamir plateau (WHPP); Eastern Himalaya-Tibetan plateau (EHTP); Qilian mountains; Helan mountains and Hengduan mountains population. Despite the small sample size, population divergence was observed across the IHR, therefore, we suggest a transboundary, collaborative study on comparative morphology, anatomy, ecology, behaviour, and population genetics using harmonized different genetic markers for identifying the overall taxonomic status of the blue sheep across its range for planning effective conservation strategies.