Dissertation Research: Population Genetics and the Distribution of mtDNA Diversity in Asian Primate Genera

一个物种的种群之间的关系，以及密切相关的物种之间的关系，通常通过线粒体DNA（mtDNA）的分析来估计。 这项研究将测试一个关键假设，该假设是过去基于线粒体DNA的遗传学结论所依据的。 假设整个物种的mtDNA变异量可以忽略不计。 这一假设对于重建遗传学和解释进化史，特别是灵长类的进化史至关重要。 与这一假设相反，在雌性philopatric猕猴，显着的mtDNA变异存在于同一物种。 与猕猴不同，叶猴表现出雌性扩散。 此外，每个属中的物种具有相似的地理分布。 通过对两个种的mtDNA分析，我们提出：（1）研究雌性扩散对mtDNA多样性分布的影响（2）评估地理分布对每个属内线粒体遗传结构的影响（3）确定mtDNA种群结构的“猕猴”模型是否可以广泛应用于其他高等灵长类动物。 因此，选定的猕猴和叶猴物种对的mtDNA分析提供了一个自然控制的情况下，研究女性传播的影响，人口结构的基础上母系遗传的mtDNA。 这项研究独特地探讨了高等灵长类动物中社会组织与mtDNA进化动态之间的关系。 所获得的信息将是至关重要的，以认识到线粒体DNA分析的局限性，推断灵长类动物的遗传和进化历史。

The relationships between populations of a species, and between closely related species, have often been estimated through the analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). This study will test a key assumption on which conclusions from past mitochondrial DNA based phylogenies have rested. The assumption is that the amount of mtDNA variation across an entire species is negligible. This assumption is critical to the reconstruction of phylogenies and the interpretation of evolutionary histories, especially those of primates. Contrary to this assumption, within the female philopatric macaques, significant mtDNA variation exists within the same species. Unlike macaques, leaf monkeys exhibit female dispersal. Additionally, there are species within each genus that have similar geographic distributions. Through mtDNA analysis of two such species in each genus, we propose to: (1) examine the effects of female dispersal on distributions of mtDNA diversity (geography held constant); (2) assess the effects of geographic distribution on mitochondrial genetic structure within each genus (female dispersal held constant); and (3) determine whether the 'macaque' model of mtDNA population structure can be broadly applied to other higher primates. Hence, a mtDNA analysis of selected macaque and leaf monkey species pairs provides a naturally controlled situation in which to examine the effects of female dispersal on population structure based on maternally inherited mtDNA. This study uniquely examines the relationship between social organization and the dynamics of mtDNA evolution in higher primates. The information obtained will be crucial to recognizing limitations of mtDNA analysis for inferring primate phylogenies and evolutionary histories.