Population and genetic structure of a male-dispersing strepsirrhine, Galago moholi (Primates, Galagidae), from northern South Africa, inferred from mitochondrial DNA

Two hundred and five newly assembled mitogenomes provide mixed evidence for rivers as drivers of speciation for Amazonian primates

“…Mitochondrial markers and genomes are especially useful for species identification and delimitation (Reese et al, 2020), for assessing population structure (Flores‐Manzanero et al, 2022; Gagneux et al, 1999; Phukuntsi et al, 2021; Serrao et al, 2018; Skovrind et al, 2021), for assessing introgression and admixture (Makhov et al, 2021; Malukiewicz et al, 2021), for monitoring of species assemblages using environmental DNA (Barnes & Turner, 2016; Thomsen & Willerslev, 2015), and for identifying the origin of animals found in wild meat markets and the illegal pet trade (Cardeñosa et al, 2021; Maligana et al, 2020; Russello et al, 2008). However, many of these methods are reliant on databases from which sequences can be integrated and against which results can be compared, and which are often incomplete (Curry et al, 2018).…”

“…Mitochondrial markers and genomes are especially useful for species identification and delimitation (Reese et al, 2020), for assessing population structure (Flores-Manzanero et al, 2022;Gagneux et al, 1999;Phukuntsi et al, 2021;Serrao et al, 2018;Skovrind et al, 2021), for assessing introgression and admixture (Makhov et al, 2021;Malukiewicz et al, 2021), for monitoring of species assemblages using environmental DNA (Barnes & Turner, 2016;Thomsen & Willerslev, 2015), and for identifying the origin Handling Editor: David Coltman phylogeny based on these samples along with additional published platyrrhine mitogenomes, and use this to assess support for the long-standing riverine barrier hypothesis (RBH), which proposes that river formation was a major driver of speciation in Amazonian primates. Along the Amazon, Negro, and Madeira rivers, we found mixed support for the RBH.…”

Looking Ahead: Predicting the Possible Ecological and Physiological Response of Galago Moholi to Environmental Change

“…In the thick-tailed bushbaby (Otolemur crassicaudatus), genetic diversity was low at various fragmented sites (fixation of mitochondrial haplotypes) likely due to limited migratory patterns observed in females (Phukuntsi et al, 2020); any native genetic material observed in the population was likely due to the movement of males between populations. While genetic diversity was found between several G. moholi populations, differentiation levels among populations were low, likely due to historic migration of males or translocation of individuals by the pet trade industry (Phukuntsi et al, 2021). It is clear from the highlighted studies that movement corridors must remain intact to maintain high levels of genetic variability, and thus population health and fitness.…”