Abstract
Genetic isolation of populations is a potent force that helps shape the course of evolution. However, small populations in isolation, especially in fragmented landscapes, are known to lose genetic variability, suffer from inbreeding depression and become genetically differentiated among themselves. In this study, we assessed the genetic diversity of lion-tailed macaques (Macaca silenus) inhabiting the fragmented landscape of Anamalai hills and examined the genetic structure of the species across its distributional range in the Western Ghats. We sequenced around 900 bases of DNA covering two mitochondrial regions–hypervariable region-I and partial mitochondrial cytochrome b–from individuals sampled both from wild and captivity, constructed and dated phylogenetic trees. We found that the lion-tailed macaque troops in the isolated forest patches in Anamalai hills have depleted mitochondrial DNA diversity compared to troops in larger and continuous forests. Our results also revealed an ancient divergence in the lion-tailed macaque into two distinct populations across the Palghat gap, dating to 2.11 million years ago. In light of our findings, we make a few suggestions on the management of wild and captive populations.
Highlights
The contemporary spatial distribution of genetic diversity in a species is a function of its life history traits on the one hand and pre-historic and recent vicariance events on the other
We examine the spatial distribution of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in the lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus) at two temporal levels
The lion-tailed macaque in the Western Ghats shows an ancient split across the Palghat gap which dates back to 2.11 Mean Divergence Date (Ma)
Summary
The contemporary spatial distribution of genetic diversity in a species is a function of its life history traits on the one hand and pre-historic and recent vicariance events on the other. Social and dispersal systems have major influences on spatial distribution of genetic diversity [1]. The pre-historic vicariance events that influence spatial distribution of genetic diversity include paleo-climatic events, such as glaciations [5], and geological events acting as barriers [6]. These events produce genetic divergence among groups in contiguous forests in species with female-biased and male-biased dispersal [3]. The altitudinal difference in haplotype diversity in the Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata) in Yakushima Island [7], genetic differences between rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) in India and China and among populations within China [8], and population level differences in mtDNA between the Moroccan and Algerian populations of the Barbary macaque (Macaca sylvanus) [9] probably occurred due to volcanic activity, dispersal barriers and climatic events respectively
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