Premium
Population structure of the golden snub‐nosed monkey Rhinopithecus roxellana in the Qinling Mountains, central China
Author(s) -
HUANG Kang,
GUO Songtao,
CUSHMAN Samuel A.,
DUNN Derek W.,
QI Xiaoguang,
HOU Rong,
ZHANG Jing,
LI Qi,
ZHANG Qiang,
SHI Zhen,
ZHANG Kan,
LI Baoguo
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
integrative zoology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 34
ISSN - 1749-4877
DOI - 10.1111/1749-4877.12202
Subject(s) - biological dispersal , genetic diversity , biology , population bottleneck , population , habitat fragmentation , gene flow , ecology , population fragmentation , habitat , microsatellite , zoology , geography , demography , allele , biochemistry , sociology , gene
Environmental barriers and habitat fragmentation can restrict gene flow, leading to genetic divergence among animal populations. The golden snub‐nosed monkey, Rhinopithecus roxellana , is endemic to China, and ranges across 4 provinces. However, over the past 40 years its populations have become fragmented. We investigated the genetic diversity, demographic history and population structure of R. roxellana in 5 reserves in one of its strongholds, the Qinling Mountain forests of Shaanxi. We collected genetic material from 11 monkey bands (a group of individuals containing multiple 1‐male units) with a total of 428 samples genotyped at 20 microsatellite loci. Allelic richness and heterozygosity suggested a relatively high level of intra‐band genetic diversity. We found no evidence of any genetic bottleneck in these R. roxellana populations. AMOVA and Bayesian cluster analysis revealed that R. roxellana in the 5 reserves are highly structured and form at least 3 distinct subpopulations. These subpopulations concur with major topographical features in the study area, such as mountain ridges, suggesting that dispersal of R. roxellana may be restricted by geographical barriers.