Genetic Structure and Evolutionary History of Rhinopithecus roxellana in Qinling Mountains, Central China.

Yuli Li,Jia Yang,Shiyi Tang,Baoguo Li,Li Feng,Kang Huang,Zhonghu Li

doi:10.3389/fgene.2020.611914

Abstract

The Qinling mountainous region is one of the world's biodiversity hotspots and provides refuges for many endangered endemic animals. The golden snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus roxellana) are considered as a flagship species in this area. Here, we depicted the genetic structure and evolutionary history via microsatellite markers and combination with the ecological niche models (ENMs) to elucidate the intraspecific divergent and the impacts of the population demography on our focal species. Our results revealed three distinct subpopulations of R. roxellana and also uncovered asymmetric historical and symmetric contemporary gene flow that existed. Our evolutionary dynamics analyses based on diyabc suggested that the intraspecific divergence accompanied with effective population sizes changes. The ENM result implied that the distribution range of this species experienced expansion during the last glacial maximum (LGM). Our results highlighted that geological factors could contribute to the high genetic differentiation within the R. roxellana in the Qinling Mountains. We also provided a new insight into conservation management plans with endangered species in this region.

Highlights

Historical processes such as geographic changes and human activities have greatly affected patterns of dispersal and genetic migration among populations; these processes could restrict gene flow and accelerate genetic differentiation through inbreeding and genetic drift (Waage and Greathead, 1988; Frankham, 2005) and shape population structure and evolutionary history (Balkenhol et al, 2009)
We collected a total of 344 fecal and hair samples of five representative populations scattered among five counties (Zhouzhi, Foping, Taibai, Yangxian, and Ningshan), which spread over five National Nature Reserve [the Zhouzhi National Nature Reserve (ZNNR), the Foping National Nature Reserve (FNNR), the Taibaishan National Nature Reserve (TNNR), the Changqing Natioanl Nature Reserve (CNNR), and
The habitat range of Rhinopithecus roxellana is a consequence of variation in ecological factors such as climatic change and intensity of human disturbance

Summary

Introduction

Historical processes such as geographic changes and human activities have greatly affected patterns of dispersal and genetic migration among populations; these processes could restrict gene flow and accelerate genetic differentiation through inbreeding and genetic drift (Waage and Greathead, 1988; Frankham, 2005) and shape population structure and evolutionary history (Balkenhol et al, 2009). The golden snub-nosed monkey, Rhinopithecus roxellana, is an Asian colobine endemic to the temperate forests of the mountainous regions in central China (Li et al, 2002; Kirkpatrick and Grueter, 2010), which has a typical multi-level social structure discovered in primate (Kirkpatrick and Grueter, 2010) The society of this monkey consists of four levels: unit, band, herd, and troop

Methods

Results

Conclusion