The cryptic genetic structure of the North American captive gorilla population

Nsubuga, Anthony M.; Holzman, Jason; Chemnick, Leona G.; Ryder, Oliver A.

doi:10.1007/s10592-009-0015-x

Cited by 17 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 64 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Previous studies suggest substructure within the western lowland gorilla species (Clifford et al 2004;Nsubuga et al 2010;Scally et al 2013;F€ unfst€ uck et al 2014), but our results support the use of a one-population model of western lowland gorillas (though there may be some subtle isolation-by-distance or demic structure). Earlier studies that involved analysis of SSR motifs (DNA microsatellites) provided some indications of substructure within western lowland gorillas (Nsubuga et al 2010;F€ unfst€ uck et al 2014).…”

Section: Western Gorilla Demographic Inferencesupporting

confidence: 73%

“…Moreover, estimates of the separation of eastern gorillas from the western lowland/Cross River gorillas range from about 100 to 450 ka, with varying degrees, lengths, and directions of gene flow (Becquet and Preworski 2007;Thalmann et al 2007;Ackermann and Bishop 2010;Mailund et al 2012;Scally et al 2012;Prado-Martinez et al 2013). Additionally, previous studies suggest substructure within the western lowland gorilla species (Clifford et al 2004;Nsubuga et al 2010;Scally et al 2013;F€ unfst€ uck et al 2014).…”

Section: Open Accessmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2). Nsubuga et al (2010) andF€ unfst€ uck et al (2014) found evidence for multiple population clusters within western lowland gorillas utilizing data from simple sequence repeats (SSR; microsatellite) variation. Though ADMIXTURE results from our data find the lowest CV error with a one-population model, we also inferred demography separately for individuals on either side of the putative cline (supplementary table S2, Supplementary Material online).…”

Section: Figmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Inference of Gorilla demographic and selective history from whole genome sequence data

McManus

Kelley

Song

et al. 2014

Preprint

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Although population-level genomic sequence data have been gathered extensively for humans, similar data from our closest living relatives are just beginning to emerge. Examination of genomic variation within great apes offers many opportunities to increase our understanding of the forces that have differentially shaped the evolutionary history of hominid taxa. Here, we expand upon the work of the Great Ape Genome Project by analyzing medium to high coverage whole-genome sequences from 14 western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla), 2 eastern lowland gorillas (G. beringei graueri), and a single Cross River individual (G. gorilla diehli). We infer that the ancestors of western and eastern lowland gorillas diverged from a common ancestor approximately 261 ka, and that the ancestors of the Cross River population diverged from the western lowland gorilla lineage approximately 68 ka. Using a diffusion approximation approach to model the genome-wide site frequency spectrum, we infer a history of western lowland gorillas that includes an ancestral population expansion of 1.4-fold around 970 ka and a recent 5.6-fold contraction in population size 23 ka. The latter may correspond to a major reduction in African equatorial forests around the Last Glacial Maximum. We also analyze patterns of variation among western lowland gorillas to identify several genomic regions with strong signatures of recent selective sweeps. We find that processes related to taste, pancreatic and saliva secretion, sodium ion transmembrane transport, and cardiac muscle function are overrepresented in genomic regions predicted to have experienced recent positive selection.

show abstract

Section: Western Gorilla Demographic Inferencesupporting

confidence: 73%

Section: Open Accessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Figmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Inference of Gorilla demographic and selective history from whole genome sequence data

McManus

Kelley

Song

et al. 2014

Preprint

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…S5). Other studies of captive populations have found reduced (Forstmeier et al 2007;Muñoz-fuentes et al 2008;Shen et al 2009), and similar (Henry et al 2009;Nsubuga et al 2010;McGreevy et al 2011) nuclear genetic diversity to their wild counterparts. It is important to note that the maintenance of high genetic diversity in this ex-situ population is significant considering the considerable challenges that zoos have faced in breeding okapi in captivity (Gijzen and Smet 1974;Rabb 1978;Bodmer and Rabb 1992), a challenge that is not unique to okapi (Snyder et al 1996).…”

Section: Structure (mentioning

confidence: 75%

“…Although genetic diversity may be similar between captive and wild populations, allele frequencies may be different, and captive populations may hence not be representative of the wild (Henry et al 2009;Nsubuga et al 2010;McGreevy et al 2011). This issue is clearly highlighted in the present study:…”

Section: Structure (mentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic structure of captive and free-ranging okapi (Okapia johnstoni) with implications for management

et al. 2015

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Breeding programs for endangered species increasingly use molecular genetics to inform their management strategies. Molecular approaches can be useful for investigating relatedness, resolving pedigree uncertainties, and for estimating genetic diversity in captive and wild populations. Genetic data can also be used to evaluate the representation of wild population genomes within captive population gene-pools. Maintaining a captive population that is genetically representative of its wild counterpart offers a means of conserving the original evolutionary potential of a species. Okapi, an even-toed ungulate, endemic to the Democratic Republic of Congo, have recently been reclassified as Endangered by the IUCN. We carried out a genetic assessment of the ex-situ okapi (Okapia johnstoni) population, alongside an investigation into the genetic structure of wild populations across their geographic range. We found that while levels of nuclear (12 microsatellite loci) genetic variation in the wild, founder and captive okapi populations were similar, mitochondrial (833 bp of Cyt b, CR, tRNA-Thr and tRNA-Pro) variation within captive okapi was considerably reduced compared to the wild, with 16 % lower haplotype diversity. Further, both nuclear and mitochondrial alleles present in captivity provided only partial representation of those present in the wild. Thirty mitochondrial haplotypes found in the wild were not found in captivity, and two haplotypes found in captivity were not found in the wild, and the patterns of genetic variation at microsatellite loci in our captive samples were considerably different to those of the wild samples. Our study highlights the importance of genetic characterisation of captive populations, even for well-managed ex-situ breeding programs with detailed studbooks. We recommend that the captive US population should be further genetically characterised to guide management of translocations between European and US captive populations.

show abstract

The geographic distribution of genetic diversity within gorillas

Fünfstück

Vigilant

2015

American J Primatol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Gorillas, like all non-human great apes, are endangered. Understanding the distribution of genetic diversity across their range is important because low diversity may arise in small populations through increased inbreeding, and, by reducing reproductive fitness, may lead to decreased chances of persistence of a given population. Previous studies found higher genetic diversity in the western (Gorilla gorilla) than in the eastern gorillas (Gorilla beringei), but rarely employed individuals of known geographic origin to investigate the distribution of diversity across multiple populations. The present study fills that gap by analyzing 1,161 individuals from nine sites across all four currently recognized Gorilla subspecies. Genetic diversity at each site was estimated using published data from seven highly-variable microsatellite loci. We found that the small and fragmented populations of Cross River gorillas, eastern lowland gorillas and mountain gorillas were less diverse than any of the five analyzed western lowland gorilla populations. The higher levels of genetic variation within the western lowland gorillas might be best explained by the facts that they (i) exhibit larger present and past effective population sizes than the other subspecies and (ii) maintain higher rates of gene flow through the existence of largely continuous habitat within their range. With regard to conservation, the high genetic diversity within western lowland gorillas is encouraging and retention of dispersal corridors between already protected areas is essential. Am. J. Primatol. 77:974-985, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

show abstract

The cryptic genetic structure of the North American captive gorilla population

Cited by 17 publications

References 64 publications

Inference of Gorilla demographic and selective history from whole genome sequence data

Inference of Gorilla demographic and selective history from whole genome sequence data

Genetic structure of captive and free-ranging okapi (Okapia johnstoni) with implications for management

The geographic distribution of genetic diversity within gorillas

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About