Recent divergences and size decreases of eastern gorilla populations

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

doi:10.1098/rsbl.2014.0811

Recent divergences and size decreases of eastern gorilla populations

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

School of Biological Sciences

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Compared with other African apes, eastern gorillas (Gorilla beringei) have been little studied genetically. We used analysis of autosomal DNA genotypes obtained from non-invasively collected faecal samples to estimate the evolutionary histories of the two extant mountain gorilla populations and the closely related eastern lowland gorillas. Our results suggest that eastern lowland gorillas and mountain gorillas split beginning some 10 000 years ago, followed 5000 years ago by the split of the two mountain gorilla populations of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and the Virungas Massif. All three populations have decreased in effective population size, with particularly substantial 10-fold decreases for the mountain gorillas. These dynamics probably reflect responses to habitat changes resulting from climate fluctuations over the past 20 000 years as well as increasing human influence in this densely populated region in the last several thousand years.

Original language	English
Article number	20140811
Number of pages	4
Journal	Biology letters
Volume	10
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2014.0811
Publication status	Published - 1 Nov 2014

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

great apes
split times
gorilla beringei
mountain gorilla
grauer's gorilla
population history

Access to Document

10.1098/rsbl.2014.0811

Cite this

@article{9355e96c61ba4f09b6a82a0cb0be68e6,

title = "Recent divergences and size decreases of eastern gorilla populations",

abstract = "Compared with other African apes, eastern gorillas (Gorilla beringei) have been little studied genetically. We used analysis of autosomal DNA genotypes obtained from non-invasively collected faecal samples to estimate the evolutionary histories of the two extant mountain gorilla populations and the closely related eastern lowland gorillas. Our results suggest that eastern lowland gorillas and mountain gorillas split beginning some 10 000 years ago, followed 5000 years ago by the split of the two mountain gorilla populations of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and the Virungas Massif. All three populations have decreased in effective population size, with particularly substantial 10-fold decreases for the mountain gorillas. These dynamics probably reflect responses to habitat changes resulting from climate fluctuations over the past 20 000 years as well as increasing human influence in this densely populated region in the last several thousand years.",

keywords = "great apes, split times, gorilla beringei, mountain gorilla, grauer's gorilla, population history",

author = "Justin Roy and Mimi Arandjelovic and Bradley, {Brenda J} and K Guschanski and Stephens, {Colleen R.} and Dan Bucknell and Henry Cirhuza and Chifundera Kusamba and Kyungu, {Jean Claude} and Vince Smith and Robbins, {Martha M.} and Linda Vigilant",

year = "2014",

month = nov,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1098/rsbl.2014.0811",

language = "English",

volume = "10",

journal = "Biology letters",

issn = "1744-9561",

publisher = "The Royal Society",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Recent divergences and size decreases of eastern gorilla populations

AU - Roy, Justin

AU - Arandjelovic, Mimi

AU - Bradley, Brenda J

AU - Guschanski, K

AU - Stephens, Colleen R.

AU - Bucknell, Dan

AU - Cirhuza, Henry

AU - Kusamba, Chifundera

AU - Kyungu, Jean Claude

AU - Smith, Vince

AU - Robbins, Martha M.

AU - Vigilant, Linda

PY - 2014/11/1

Y1 - 2014/11/1

N2 - Compared with other African apes, eastern gorillas (Gorilla beringei) have been little studied genetically. We used analysis of autosomal DNA genotypes obtained from non-invasively collected faecal samples to estimate the evolutionary histories of the two extant mountain gorilla populations and the closely related eastern lowland gorillas. Our results suggest that eastern lowland gorillas and mountain gorillas split beginning some 10 000 years ago, followed 5000 years ago by the split of the two mountain gorilla populations of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and the Virungas Massif. All three populations have decreased in effective population size, with particularly substantial 10-fold decreases for the mountain gorillas. These dynamics probably reflect responses to habitat changes resulting from climate fluctuations over the past 20 000 years as well as increasing human influence in this densely populated region in the last several thousand years.

AB - Compared with other African apes, eastern gorillas (Gorilla beringei) have been little studied genetically. We used analysis of autosomal DNA genotypes obtained from non-invasively collected faecal samples to estimate the evolutionary histories of the two extant mountain gorilla populations and the closely related eastern lowland gorillas. Our results suggest that eastern lowland gorillas and mountain gorillas split beginning some 10 000 years ago, followed 5000 years ago by the split of the two mountain gorilla populations of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and the Virungas Massif. All three populations have decreased in effective population size, with particularly substantial 10-fold decreases for the mountain gorillas. These dynamics probably reflect responses to habitat changes resulting from climate fluctuations over the past 20 000 years as well as increasing human influence in this densely populated region in the last several thousand years.

KW - great apes

KW - split times

KW - gorilla beringei

KW - mountain gorilla

KW - grauer's gorilla

KW - population history

U2 - 10.1098/rsbl.2014.0811

DO - 10.1098/rsbl.2014.0811

M3 - Article

C2 - 25376805

SN - 1744-9561

VL - 10

JO - Biology letters

JF - Biology letters

M1 - 20140811

ER -

Recent divergences and size decreases of eastern gorilla populations

Abstract

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

Access to Document

Fingerprint

Cite this