Recent Advances in Genetics and Genomics of Snub-Nosed Monkeys (Rhinopithecus) and Their Implications for Phylogeny, Conservation, and Adaptation

Abstract

The snub-nosed monkey genus Rhinopithecus (Colobinae) comprises five species (Rhinopithecus roxellana, Rhinopithecus brelichi, Rhinopithecus bieti, Rhinopithecus strykeri, and Rhinopithecus avunculus). They are range-restricted species occurring only in small areas in China, Vietnam, and Myanmar. All extant species are listed as endangered or critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, all with decreasing populations. With the development of molecular genetics and the improvement and cost reduction in whole-genome sequencing, knowledge about evolutionary processes has improved largely in recent years. Here, we review recent major advances in snub-nosed monkey genetics and genomics and their impact on our understanding of the phylogeny, phylogeography, population genetic structure, landscape genetics, demographic history, and molecular mechanisms of adaptation to folivory and high altitudes in this primate genus. We further discuss future directions in this research field, in particular how genomic information can contribute to the conservation of snub-nosed monkeys.

Analysis of winter diet in Guizhou golden monkey (Rhinopithecus brelichi) using DNA metabarcoding data

“…Snub-nosed monkeys are members of the subfamily Colobinae and have an enlarged, low acid and complex multi-chambered stomach as an adaptation to their mainly folivorous diets (Kuang et al, 2023;Yang et al, 2019). Zhang et al (2021)…”

“…DNA metabarcoding, which combines high-throughput sequencing (HTS) with DNA barcoding, allows for the processing of a greater number of samples and the recognition of multiple taxa in a shorter amount of time (Drake et al, 2023;Kuang et al, 2023).…”

“…DNA metabarcoding, which combines high‐throughput sequencing (HTS) with DNA barcoding, allows for the processing of a greater number of samples and the recognition of multiple taxa in a shorter amount of time (Drake et al., 2023; Kuang et al., 2023). Because of its advantages, DNA metabarcoding has been used in dietary studies of a variety of animals, including sharks (Olin et al., 2023), Lutra lutra (Drake et al., 2023), birds (Schumm et al., 2023) and others.…”