Dissertation Research: Genetic Differentiation Among East African Chimpanzees Communities (Pan Troglodytes Schweinfurthii)

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This study will examine the effect of social structure on the genetic structure of local chimpanzee populations. Genetic samples will be collected from one well-studied, habituated chimpanzee community (Kanyawara) and several other neighboring communities in Kibale Forest, Uganda. DNA will be extracted from these samples and used to examine the effects of chimpanzee dispersal patterns (whereby males stay in the community in which they were born and females disperse upon reaching sexual maturity) on three genetic elements with different modes of transmission. Comparisons will be made of the distribution of variation in Y-chromosomes (inherited through the male line), mitochondrial DNA (inherited through the female line) and autosomes (inherited biparentally) both within and between communities, to determine if they conform with patterns expected based on dispersal behavior. In addition, the genetic data will be used to determine the sires of all offspring in the Kanyawara community and subsequently generate a pedigree outlining the genetic relationships between all individuals in this community. This information will be used to assess asymmetries in the number of offspring produced by different males, and the extent to which males outside the community sire offspring. The results of this study will contribute to our understanding of the evolution of social organization in chimpanzees.