Doctoral Dissertation Improvement: Landscape Genetics of Gibbons and Leaf Monkeys in China

博士论文改进：中国长臂猿和叶猴的景观遗传学

• 批准号: 1155904
• 负责人: Richard Smith
• 金额: $ 2万
• 依托单位: Washington University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-03-01 至 2014-02-28
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1155904&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Improvement; Landscape; Genetics

How geographic boundaries interact with primate locomotion and ecology to fragment populations, form new species, and lead to their extinction remains a fundamental question for biological anthropologists. Little effort has been made, however, to ascertain precisely how subtle geographic variation actually modifies the underlying population genetic relationships of primates in a changing environment. As human-induced environmental degradation continues to isolate and fragment dwindling populations of primates, it has become critical to understand how innate biological factors influence the ability of primates to disperse through and exchange genes within these variable environments.Black crested gibbons (Nomascus concolor) and Phayre's leaf monkeys (Trachypithecus phayrei) have overlapping habitats in many parts of Yunnan, China, but it is unclear how their biological differences (in ecology, locomotion, etc.) affect their abilities to overcome the geographic barriers imposed by both a naturally diverse landscape and one actively modified by humans. Research conducted by doctoral student Joseph Orkin (Washington University in St. Louis), under the supervision of Dr. Richard Smith, examines how the same geographic boundaries (mountains, forest structure, and rivers) affect the capability of these distinct, endangered primates to disperse and exchange genes. By comparing paired populations of two declining species that have been simultaneously fragmented within the same variable habitat, the research tests the hypothesis that these differences in locomotion and ecology are affecting both the evolution and survival of gibbons and leaf monkeys. The research provides a robust, new understanding of the interacting causes of population fragmentation, and yields real conservation impacts. By forging new, long-term collaborative ties between the American and Chinese primatological communities, it also provides a mutual sharing of knowledge and experience to help maintain biodiversity in a critical region.

地理边界如何与灵长类动物的运动和生态相互作用，使种群碎片化，形成新物种，并导致它们的灭绝，这仍然是生物人类学家的一个基本问题。然而，人们几乎没有做出努力来精确地确定在不断变化的环境中，微妙的地理变异实际上是如何改变灵长类动物的潜在种群遗传关系的。由于人类引起的环境退化继续使日益减少的灵长类动物种群孤立和分裂，因此了解先天生物因素如何影响灵长类动物在这些可变环境中扩散和交换基因的能力变得至关重要。（Nomenclose concolor）和Phayre的叶猴（Tracypithecus phayrei）在中国云南的许多地方都有重叠的栖息地，但目前还不清楚它们的生物学差异（在生态，运动等方面）。影响它们克服自然多样性景观和人类积极改变的地理障碍的能力。由博士生约瑟夫·奥金（华盛顿大学圣路易斯分校）在理查德·史密斯博士的指导下进行的研究，考察了相同的地理边界（山脉，森林结构和河流）如何影响这些独特的濒危灵长类动物传播和交换基因的能力。通过比较在同一可变栖息地内同时破碎的两个衰落物种的配对种群，研究测试了运动和生态的这些差异正在影响长臂猿和叶猴的进化和生存的假设。这项研究提供了一个强大的，新的理解的相互作用的原因，人口碎片化，并产生真实的保护的影响。通过在美国和中国灵长类动物界之间建立新的长期合作关系，它还提供了知识和经验的相互分享，以帮助维护一个关键地区的生物多样性。