Recent divergences and size decreases of eastern gorilla populations

Roy, Justin; Arandjelovic, Mimi; Bradley, Brenda J.; Guschanski, Katerina; Stephens, Colleen R.; Bucknell, D.G.; Cirhuza, Henry; Kusamba, Chifundera; Kyungu, Jean Claude; Smith, Vince; Robbins, Martha M.; Vigilant, Linda

doi:10.1098/rsbl.2014.0811

Cited by 39 publications

(70 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Analyses based on nuclear DNA markers suggest that gene flow continued to take place over much of the Pleistocene and that the two eastern gorilla taxa are likely to have diverged within the past 10 ka, whereas the split between the two Mountain Gorilla populations started around 5 ka (Roy et al . ). The distributional ranges of gorillas and of B. graueri do not overlap completely.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…In gorilla populations, there is clear indication of substantial and recent gene flow between distant populations (Jensen‐Seaman & Kidd , Ackermann & Bishop , Roy et al . , Xue et al . ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…, Roy et al . , Demos et al . ), and it seems implausible that all Albertine Rift montane swamp habitats were ever directly connected; hence, dispersal must have played a role.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Population genetic structure of Grauer's Swamp Warbler Bradypterus graueri, an Albertine Rift endemic

Kahindo

Bates

Bowie

2017

Ibis

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The endangered warbler Bradypterus graueri is endemic to the Albertine Rift, where it is restricted to montane swamps above 1900 m across the region. We studied genetic structure among six populations sampled across the species' distribution in northern Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda and the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. A total of 2117 base pairs of mitochondrial data were sequenced. Phylogenetic analyses and network reconstruction of B. graueri haplotypes recovered three clades with a defined geographical pattern: clade 1, Virunga Volcanoes and Kigezi Highlands; clade 2, Rugege Highlands; and clade 3, Kahuzi‐Biega Highlands; clades 2 and 3 are sisters to each other. Both landscape dynamics and historical climate are likely to have played a role in the diversification of this species. The divergence between clade 1 and clades 2 and 3 (168.5 ka, 95% HPD 108.5, 244.4) coincides with a prolonged period of aridity in tropical Africa between 130 and 270 ka. Similarly, the divergence between clades 2 and 3 (99.4 ka, 95% HPD 55.4, 153.8) corresponds with a period of aridity just prior to 94 ka. Populations sampled from the eastern arm of the central Albertine Rift (Kigezi and Rugege Highlands) show a coincident increase in effective population size after the Last Glacial Maximum at c. 15 ka, whereas those sampled from Kahuzi‐Biega on the western arm of the rift do not. Despite the perceived higher vagility of bird species relative to other vertebrates, the degree of phylogeographical structure among populations of B. graueri is similar to that reported for small mammals (Hylomyscus vulcanorum, Lophuromys woosnami, Sylvisorex vulcanorum) and a frog Hyperolius castaneus sampled across the central Albertine Rift. Collectively our results suggest that climate dynamics associated with late Pleistocene cycles had a significant influence on driving the population genetic structure and associated levels of genetic diversity in B. graueri and other small terrestrial vertebrates. Our results have implications for the conservation of B. graueri and other endemics to the Albertine Rift, particularly in the context of other phylogegeographical studies centred on this biodiversity hotspot.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Population genetic structure of Grauer's Swamp Warbler Bradypterus graueri, an Albertine Rift endemic

Kahindo

Bates

Bowie

2017

Ibis

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“…The subspecies of Cross River gorillas diverged from western lowland gorillas roughly 17,800 year ago, with gene flow as recently as ~420 years ago . The subspecies of Grauer's gorillas and mountain gorillas separated approximately 10,000 years ago, and the two populations of mountain gorillas (Virungas and Bwindi) split about 5,000 years ago …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variation in the social organization of gorillas: Life history and socioecological perspectives

Robbins

2018

Evolutionary Anthropology

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A focus of socioecological research is to understand how ecological, social, and life history factors influence the variability of social organization within and between species. The genus Gorilla exhibits variability in social organization with western gorilla groups being almost exclusively one‐male, yet approximately 40% of mountain gorilla groups are multimale. We review five ultimate causes for the variability in social organization within and among gorilla populations: human disturbance, ecological constraints on group size, risk of infanticide, life history patterns, and population density. We find the most evidence for the ecological constraints and life history hypotheses, but an over‐riding explanation remains elusive. The variability may hinge on variation in female dispersal patterns, as females seek a group of optimal size and with a good protector male. Our review illustrates the challenges of understanding why the social organization of closely related species may deviate from predictions based on socioecological and life history theory.

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“…Monophyly of PyV infecting Western chimpanzees in lineage 1 and Eastern chimpanzees in lineage 2 as well as inclusion of MCPyV in lineage 2 could not be excluded (AU test; P ϭ 0.52, 0.13, and 0.11, respectively). Given the very recent split of Eastern lowland and mountain gorillas (about 10,000 years ago [44]), the interspersion of PyV infecting these subspecies appeared biologically plausible, so we did not compare this scenario to a strict codivergence model.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing Host-Virus Codivergence for Close Relatives of Merkel Cell Polyomavirus Infecting African Great Apes

Madinda

Ehlers

Wertheim

et al. 2016

J Virol

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It has long been hypothesized that polyomaviruses (PyV; family Polyomaviridae) codiverged with their animal hosts. In contrast, recent analyses suggested that codivergence may only marginally influence the evolution of PyV. We reassess this question by focusing on a single lineage of PyV infecting hominine hosts, the Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) lineage. By characterizing the genetic diversity of these viruses in seven African great ape taxa, we show that they exhibit very strong host specificity. Reconciliation analyses identify more codivergence than noncodivergence events. In addition, we find that a number of host and PyV divergence events are synchronous. Collectively, our results support codivergence as the dominant process at play during the evolution of the MCPyV lineage. More generally, our results add to the growing body of evidence suggesting an ancient and stable association of PyV and their animal hosts. IMPORTANCEThe processes involved in viral evolution and the interaction of viruses with their hosts are of great scientific interest and public health relevance. It has long been thought that the genetic diversity of double-stranded DNA viruses was generated over long periods of time, similar to typical host evolutionary timescales. This was also hypothesized for polyomaviruses (family Polyomaviridae), a group comprising several human pathogens, but this remains a point of controversy. Here, we investigate this question by focusing on a single lineage of polyomaviruses that infect both humans and their closest relatives, the African great apes. We show that these viruses exhibit considerable host specificity and that their evolution largely mirrors that of their hosts, suggesting that codivergence with their hosts played a major role in their diversification. Our results provide statistical evidence in favor of an association of polyomaviruses and their hosts over millions of years.

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Recent divergences and size decreases of eastern gorilla populations

Cited by 39 publications

References 9 publications

Population genetic structure of Grauer's Swamp Warbler Bradypterus graueri, an Albertine Rift endemic

Population genetic structure of Grauer's Swamp Warbler Bradypterus graueri, an Albertine Rift endemic

Variation in the social organization of gorillas: Life history and socioecological perspectives

Assessing Host-Virus Codivergence for Close Relatives of Merkel Cell Polyomavirus Infecting African Great Apes

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