Dissertation Research: Molecular Systematics of the Genus Presbytis

最近，曾经被认为是亚洲“食叶猴”或colobine猴的一个高度可变的属，被称为长老猴，在不同的共同解剖特征的基础上被细分为三个属。长臂猿、粗猿和半猿这三个属的分离现在已被灵长类界广泛接受。然而，问题仍然存在：(1)它们是否是“好”属，即每个属都包含一系列来自共同祖先的物种，这些祖先与其他相关属的共同祖先是分开的；(2)每个新定义属中的物种之间的关系是什么。拟议的研究试图回答这些问题的一个新属，老年虫。将从该属的七个物种中的每个物种的若干种群中收集生物样本。将从这些样品中分离出核DNA和线粒体DNA，并调查其变异情况。这种变异将用于评估(1)每个老叶猴种是否确实是一个物种，(2)老叶猴属是否确实是一个属，(3)老叶猴种之间的关系，以及(4)老叶猴属与其他亚洲叶猴属的关系。所有这些问题的答案将使我们深入了解这一非常多样化的灵长类动物群体的进化史，以及细胞核和线粒体DNA变异的不同能力，从而揭示这一历史。其次，它也会给我们提供信息，可以用来保护这些高度濒危的哺乳动物。

Recently, what was once considered one highly variable genus of "leaf-eating" or colobine monkeys in Asia, known as Presbytis, was subdivided into three genera on the basis of different sets of shared anatomical features. The separation of these three genera, Presbytis, Trachypithecus, and Semnopithecus, are now widely accepted by the primatology community. However, questions remain as to (1) whether they are "good" genera, that is each contains a series of species all derived from a common ancestor that is separate from the common ancestors of the other related genera, and (2) what the relationships are among the species within each newly defined genus. The proposed research attempts to answer these questions for one of the new genera, Presbytis. Biological samples will be collected from a number of populations of each of the seven species in this genus. Nuclear and mitochondrial DNA will be isolated from these samples and surveyed for variation. This variation will be used to assess (1) whether each Presbytis species is indeed one species, (2) whether the Presbytis genus is indeed one genus, (3) the relationship of the Presbytis species to one another, and (4) the relationship of the Presbytis genus to the other Asian Leaf-monkey genera. Answers to all of these questions will give us insight into the evolutionary history of this very diverse group of primates, and the differential ability of variation in the nuclear and mitochondrial DNA to shed light on that history. Secondarily, it will also give us information that can be used to conserve these highly endangered mammals.