Abstract
Baboons are one of the most abundant large nonhuman primates and are widely studied in biomedical, behavioral, and anthropological research. Despite this, our knowledge of their evolutionary and demographic history remains incomplete. Here, we report a 0.9-fold coverage genome sequence from a 5800-year-old baboon from the site of Ha Makotoko in Lesotho. The ancient baboon is closely related to present-day Papio ursinus individuals from southern Africa—indicating a high degree of continuity in the southern African baboon population. This level of population continuity is rare in recent human populations but may provide a good model for the evolution of Homo and other large primates over similar timespans in structured populations throughout Africa.
Highlights
IntroductionBaboons (genus Papio) are Old World Monkeys, widely distributed throughout Africa and the Arabian Peninsula
Baboons are Old World Monkeys, widely distributed throughout Africa and the Arabian Peninsula
Low mitochondrial (1.3%) and X chromosome (0.47%) consensus mismatch at nonreference, nondamage sites indicates that contamination is low
Summary
Baboons (genus Papio) are Old World Monkeys, widely distributed throughout Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. The six extant species of baboon occupy largely independent geographic ranges (Jolly 1993; Zinner et al 2013) but readily hybridize in contact regions (Nagel 1973; Samuels and Altmann 1986; Jolly 1993; Jolly et al 2011). The southernmost species (P. ursinus) has two deeply diverged subspecies (ursinus and grisepes), whose history and distribution may have been shaped by historical changes in range driven by aridification cycles (Sithaldeen et al 2009; Sithaldeen et al 2015).
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
