Research List

No.	Researcher	Title	Abstract	Year
2181	No No Wai	GENETIC DIVERSITY OF WHITE-HANDED GIBBON HYLOBATES LAR (LINNAEUS, 1771) AT YWAR KAING KAUNG VILLAGE IN DAWNA MOUNTAIN RANGE CORRIDOR	The white-handed gibbon or Hylobates lar is currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Although the total population size is not small, forest fragmentation by human activity has affected the stability of local populations. To uncover the effects of forest fragmentation on the conservation of local white-handed gibbon populations, this study assessed the genetic status of an isolated white-handed gibbon population living in Ywar Kaing Kaung (YKK) village, Kayin State, Myanmar, where 26 individuals were living in nine groups. 631-bp nucleotide sequence consisting of the hypervariable region I (HVR-I) of mitochondrial DNA was analysed. Sequences were determined in nine of 18 samples from adult individuals. Among those, two haplotypes were found. Phylogenetic trees and a haplotype network uncovered that both haplotypes observed in YKK clustered with those of white-handed gibbons living in central Thailand, a subspecies H. lar entelloides. Haplotype diversity of the YKK population was low (0.556) compared with those of a white-handed gibbon population in Khao Yai National Park (KYNP), Thailand (0.823) and those of a siamang population in Sumatra, Indonesia (0.886), which suggested the strong bottleneck effect on the YKK population. On the other hand, nucleotide diversity was comparable (0.00357) with that of the KYNP population (0.00238). The low genetic diversity of the YKK population suggested the importance of genetic management at the local population level in white-handed gibbons.	2023
2182	Phyu Pyar Tin	PHYLOGEOGRAPHY OF LONG-TAILED MACAQUE, MACACA FASCICULARIS AUREA I. GEOFFROY [1831] FROM MON AND KAYIN STATES, MYANMAR	Macaca fascicularis aurea (Burmese long-tailed macaque) is one of the ten subspecies of the long-tailed macaques and is distributed along the Andaman seacoast. In Mon and Kayin States, Myanmar, the macaques inhabit some isolated limestone mountains. To uncover the phylogeography of M. fascicularis aurea in Mon and Kayin States and its relationship with those of other areas, the hypervariable segment 1 of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) was analysed using non-invasive faecal samples. Thirty-one sequences of M. fascicularis aurea were analysed; eight sequences from six populations in Mon State, seven sequences from three populations in Kayin State, four sequences from three populations at the Mergui Archipelago, and eleven sequences from three populations in the Thai Andaman seacoast. Both phylogenetic tree and haplotype network analyses revealed the presence of two mtDNA groups epresenting geographical differences: one group consisted of the populations from Mon and Kayin States, namely the mainland clade, and the other group consisted of the populations from the Mergui Archipelago and Thai Andaman seacoast, namely the coastal-island clade. Divergence time estimations suggested that M. fascicularis aurea initially diverged into the two clades one million years ago. Among the mainland clade, the divergence time of the most recent common ancestor was estimated to be four hundred thousand years ago. Three populations of Kayin State showed the same mtDNA haplotype and suggested a close maternal relationship. No spatial tendency was observed among the populations of Mon State. This study confirmed the close maternal genetic relationship among M. fascicularis aurea in Mon and Kayin States.	2023
2183	Mya Phyo Nandar	DETECTION AND ENUMERATION OF COLIFORMS IN TUBE WELL WATER COLLECTED FROM UNIVERSITY OF YANGON CAMPUS	The aim of this study was to determine the hygienic status of the tube well water supply from Yangon University campus. A total of ten water samples were collected from the tube wells in the campus. Microbiological analysis was carried out at the Microbiology laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Yangon and water quality parameters were examined at the Water and Soil Examination Laboratory, Thaketa Township. Water samples were analyzed bacteriologically for total coliform and fecal coliform counts by the MPN method. The highest total coliform counts of >1100 MPN/100mL were observed in the water samples of V, VI, VII and X. The highest fecal coliform counts of >1100 MPN/100mL were found in the water samples of V, VI and VII. Water samples were then treated with calcium hypochlorite to reduce the contamination of bacteria. After chlorination, the highest total coliform counts of 4 MPN/100mL were detected in water samples I and II. But the fecal coliform counts could not be found in all the water samples after the treatment. Regarding the identification of bacteria, five groups of bacterial species were isolated, namely Escherichia coli, Klebsiella sp., Salmonella sp., Enterobacter sp. and Pseudomonas sp. After chlorination, these genera of bacteria could not be isolated from all water samples. Analysis of water physico-chemical parameters revealed that pH ranged from 5.0 to 7.3; temperature ranged from 25?C to 28.1?C; total dissolved solids (TDS) ranged from 8mg/L to 12mg/L. Temperature and TDS values were normal according to WHO (2011), but pH values were out of the WHO guideline values for drinking water. According to the present study, tube well water in University of Yangon campus should be chlorinated to kill and reduce bacteria levels and to get safe water for public utilization.	2023
2184	Pann Myat Shwe Yee	MOLECULAR GENETIC VARIATION IN ANABAS TESTUDINEUS (BLOCH, 1792) FROM SOME RIVERS OF MYANMAR	A total of thirteen fish samples of Anabas testudineus were collected from four different geographical sites, Maubin, Sittwe, Dawei and Kalay of Myanmar, to examine the morphology and molecular genetics during the study period of December 2019 to August 2020. In the present study, the 15 morphometric variable characteristics were recorded for all Anabas specimens. The largest total length of 17cm was observed for the species of Maubin and the smallest of 8.5cm for that of Sittwe. The dorsal fin had 16 to 18 strong spines and 8 to 10 soft rays inserted over or slightly in advance of the pectoral fins; the anal fin was with 8 to 11 spines and 9 to 11 soft rays. The body weight was the highest, 82.10g, in Maubin and the lowest is 11.26g in Sittwe. Extraction of high-quality and quantity DNA was conducted, that was a fundamental requirement for genetic research. The highest quality of DNA from fish samples (value of A260/A280 was 2.02) from Sittwe, and the lowest quality (value of A260/A280 was 1.74) from Maubin were obtained. The mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) genes were amplified using PCR reaction. A product ~700 bp length was obtained. After the sequencing, a total 4 haplotypes with 2 variable sites, haplotype diversity of 0.67 and nucleotide diversity of 0.32%, were noted for CO1 gene (615 bp, n=4) dataset of the studied species. Genetic distance ranged from 0.0016 to 0.0032% among four samples of Anabas testudineus for CO1 gene. In Neighbor-joinging (NJ) and Maximum likelihood (ML) phylogenetic tree analyses, all four samples of native Myanmar Anabas testudineus clustered into a strong single cluster for all datasets. Inferred ancestral sequences tree was constructed using CO1: AS, AD, AM1 and AK among sites treated as being uniform G nucleotide.	2023
2185	Cho Cho Thin	BIOACCUMULATION OF HEAVY METALS IN TILAPIA FISH (OREOCHROMIS NILOTICUS) FROM WATER AND SEDIMENT OF KYET MAUK TAUNG DAM, MANDALAY REGION	Bioaccumulation of heavy metals in fish causes serious threats to human when they are consumed. Thus, detection of toxic metals concentration levels in aquatic component is important. In this study, bioaccumulation of five metals (Fe, Zn, Cd, Pb, As) in meat, gills and liver of Nine Tilapia fish species (Oreochromis niloticus), and their environs (water and sediments) of Kyet Mauk Taung Dam, Mandalay Region were analyzed by Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (FAAS) (Perkin Elmer AAanalyst 800 and Winlab-32 software) in Universities� Research Centre (URC). The study was conducted from July 2019 to May 2020. The levels of heavy metal concentration varied as it depended on various tissues of studied fish species. The highest concentrations of Fe and Cd were found in the liver and those of Zn, As and Pb in the gill. The lowest concentrations of all metals were found in meat. According to the results of Transfer Factors, all tested metals accumulated in different tissues of studied fish species came from water and sediment except Fe which came only from sediment. The values observed for all tested metals concentrations in different tissues of studied fish species and their environs except water were lower than the maximum permissible limits. The concentrations of the heavy metals in different tissues from studied fish species did not exceed the dangerous limits given by WHO/FAO and there was no risk for public by eating this species.	2023
2186	July Maung Maung	MOLECULAR AND HISTOLOGICAL IDENTIFICATION OF COMMERCIALLY IMPORTANT BAMBOO CLAM, CULTELLUS SP. IN KYAUKPYU, RAKHINE STATE	The razor or bamboo clam Cultellus is widely distributed in the intertidal zones and estuarine waters along the coast of western Pacific Ocean and is extensively cultured. In the present study, commercially important bamboo clams, Cultellus sp., were collected from the deep sea of Kyaukphyu, Rakhine coastal area from October 2020 through September 2021 to investigate the histological features of the bivalve species and the sex ratio of the population. The relation between shell length (mm), wet tissue weight (g), dry tissue weight (g) and sex of the clams was examined. Histological analysis of the gonad was conducted to reveal the gonad development of the clam. Except the undifferentiated stage, four different gonad development stages (developing, ripe, spawning and spent) were found in both male and female clams. In addition, the taxonomic position of the bamboo clam was studied by morphological characters and mitochondrial DNA sequences. Regarding sexual differentiation, higher numbers of male bamboo-clams were recorded than female bamboo clams. DNA sequence of a 1395 bp was obtained from the collected species and the species was identified as Cultellus maximus.	2023
2187	Khin Myat Myat Zaw	MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETIC STATUS OF SOME SMALL MAMMALS (MURIDAE AND SORICIDAE) OF NATMA TAUNG NATIONAL PARK IN THE NORTHERN PART OF MYANMAR	Natma Taung (Mount Victoria) is the highest mountain in the Chin State of the northern part of Myanmar and its elevation is about 10,500 feet. The small mammals are more diverse at Natma Taung National Park. In the present study, seven newly recorded species were selected from Natma Taung National Park in Northern Myanmar. The two species, Apodemus ilex (wood mouse) and Ethenomys eleusis (oriental-vole), were sequenced to investigate the phylogeographic distribution of mouse species at different study sites of Natma Taung National Park using the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. One species Episoriculus caudatus (brown-toothed shrew) was studied based on phylogenetic analysis of the mitochondrial Cytb gene partial (669 bp). The newly recorded species Apodemus ilex had 0.02% genetic distances with AY389018 China Gen bank references. Ethenomys eleusis was 0.03% with KT899700 and Episoriculus caudatus was 0.04% with Gen bank of MK962210 from China. The mt Cytb gene sequences analysis showed that Natma Taung National Park had high species diversity and genetic variation. The study of genetic distances and the phylogenetic relationships of the species will support a better understanding of the ecology, species diversity, and geographic distribution of the species.	2023
2188	Khin Thuzar Win	REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY OF INDIAN MACKEREL, RASTRELLIGER KANAGURTA (CUVIER, 1816) FROM COASTAL REGION, MYANMAR	The present study related to the reproductive biology of Indian mackerel, Rastrelliger kanagurta (Cuvier, 1816) was conducted from January 2021 to December 2021. A total of 360 specimens of Rastrelliger kanagurta were collected randomly to study their length-weight relationship, sex ratio, gonadosomatic index (GSI), hepatosomatic index(HSI), fecundity and stages of gonad maturity. During the study period, the sex ratio of male to female was 1:1.02. Significant correlation existed between fish length and weight in males (W = 0.0277L3.2159, R� = 0.7455) and females (W = 0.0293 L3.7046, R� = 0.7652). The highest GSI values of male and female were found in May, August, October and December, 2021. The lowest GSI values of male and female were observed in January and June, 2021. The highest value of HSI was found in March, 2021 whereas the lowest HSI value was in October, 2021 in both sexes. The GSI and HSI values were inversely correlated. Two reproductive cycles in male and female were observed with similar reproductive development. The fecundity of females varied between 2300 eggs and 78000 eggs. Total length, body weight and ovary weight were in linear relationship with fecundity. Macroscopic observation based on the appearance of the sample gonads could be classified into six maturity stages; immature, maturing1, maturing2, mature, spawning and spent. Six developmental stages of oogenesis were classified based on the chromatin nucleolus, perinucleolar, cortical alveolar, vitellogenesis, maturation and ovulation conditions. Six developmental stages of spermatogenesis were found as primary and secondary spermatogonia, primary and secondary spermatocyte, spermatid and spermatozoa. Understanding the breeding season of Rastrelliger kanagurta is a crucial necessity in obtaining scientific knowledge on artificial propagation process.	2023
2189	May Thu Rein Oo	EFFECT OF DIFFERENT CULTURE MEDIA FOR THE GROWTH OF SOME MARINE MICROALGAE	Microalgae play an important role in supporting the development of aquaculture because they can be used as natural feed for larvae due to their high nutrient value. The present study was to develop a cost effective and optimal growth of some marine microalgae such as Nannochloropsis sp., Chlorella sp. and Tetraselmis sp. by using two different culture media in laboratory condition. conway media for experiment I A1, B1 and C1, and agricultural fertilizer media for experiment II A2, B2 and C2 were used to culture microalgae. Three replications were prepared for each media. The cell densities of Nannochloropsis sp., Chlorella sp. and Tetraselmis sp. in different culture media were counted daily through the culture period. The results showed that the maximum population densities of Nannochloropsis sp. (8.80 x 10^6 cells/ml), Chlorella sp. (8.37 x 10^6 cells/ml), and Tetraselmis sp. (8.29 x 10^6 cells/ml) occurred on the fourth day with agricultural fertilizer media, while it was observed on the fifth day with conway media. The population densities of Nannochloropsis sp., Chlorella sp. and Tetraselmis sp. started to decrease in agricultural fertilizer media on fifth day while on sixth day in conway media. However, the agricultural fertilizer media had higher density than the conway media. It was concluded that the agricultural fertilizer media was the best for growth rate of Nannochloropsis sp., Chlorella sp. and Tetraselmis sp.	2023
2190	Nway Yu Aung	OVARIAN DEVELOPMENT IN THE FRESHWATER PRAWN MACROBRACHIUM JOHNSONI RAVINDRANATH, 1979 (DECAPODA, PALAEMONIDAE)	A study on the characterization of the ovarian development in the freshwater prawn Macrobrchium johnsoni was conducted. The specimens were from Ayeyarwady segment of Myinmu Township. A total of 1621 specimens (550 ovigerous females and 1071 non-ovigerous females) of M. johnsoni were collected. A total of 20 female prawns were randomly chosen to study the reproductive biology. Four stages of ovarian development were recorded; Stage I ovary (Predeveloping), Stage II ovary (Developing), Stage III ovary (Maturing) and Stage IV ovary (Ripening) according to both morphological and histological observations. The results indicated that freshwater prawn M. johnsoni can spawn the whole year round according to the record of occurrence of ovigerous females, the fluctuation of GSI values and occurrence of oogonia and maturing oocytes throughout the study period. It was assumed that the reproduction of the study species may be continuous type. The present study provides important information on the reproductive biology of crustaceans in general and also can serve as a significant foundation for aquaculture of a freshwater prawn species.	2023

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