Collaborative research: Phylogenomic analyses of lorisiform primates using museum collections

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This project will advance current understanding of the primate tree of life by investigating the evolutionary history of galagos and lorises, which are elusive, nocturnal primate species that have been understudied relative to other primate groups. The investigators will sequence the whole genomes of ten galago and loris genera for which no genomic data are yet available. They will also generate genomic data from a large number of primate specimens stored in museum collections. By combining these unprecedented datasets, this research will address fundamental questions about evolutionary relatedness, adaptations, and biogeography in these primate groups. The project will result in a freely accessible genomic database representing an important resource for future studies of all primates and especially for the galagos and lorises, which are extremely difficult to sample in the wild. This research and the database will also inform the conservation of galagos and lorises, many of which are highly endangered with extinction. The investigators will recruit graduate and undergraduate students from historically underrepresented groups in San Antonio (UTSA) and New York (AMNH), and train them in bioinformatics, molecular laboratory techniques, and conservation sciences. The investigators will also contribute to broader training through development of an open access teaching module on the applications of museum collections and phylogenomics to biodiversity conservation. Understanding primate evolutionary history and the processes of adaptation and diversification is a significant research goal within biological anthropology and biology. This task has been particularly difficult for small, nocturnal and elusive primate species like the galagos and lorises. This study will leverage the vast number of specimens housed in museum collections all over the world to improve our knowledge of the evolutionary history of the lorisiforms (galagos and lorises). By producing genomic data for this understudied group of primates, the investigators will be able to address questions about their evolutionary history, species diversity, and biogeography. The researchers will use a combination of short-read and long-molecule DNA sequencing to obtain genomic sequences of hundreds of specimens including all the known species currently recognized with the lorisiforms. This large comparative dataset will be used to 1) infer a comprehensive picture of the primate tree, including time estimates for the various branches; 2) identify cryptic species diversity; and 3) enable a stronger scientific basis to inform the conservation of endangered lorisiforms, which are typically neglected in both research focus and conservation attention in comparison to larger-bodied primates. This project is jointly funded by the Biological Anthropology program, Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences, and the Systematics and Biodiversity Sciences Cluster, Division of Environmental Biology.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.