Mitochondrial DNA phylogeography of western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla).
The geographical distribution of genetic variation within western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) was examined to clarify the population genetic structure and recent evolutionary history of this group. DNA was amplified from shed hair collected from sites across the range of the three traditionally recognized gorilla subspecies: western lowland (G. g. gorilla), eastern lowland (G. g. graueri) and mountain (G. g. beringei) gorillas. Nucleotide sequence variation was examined in the first hypervariable domain of the mitochondrial control region and was much higher in western lowland gorillas than in either of the other two subspecies. In addition to recapitulating the major evolutionary split between eastern and western lowland gorillas, phylogenetic analysis indicates a phylogeographical division within western lowland gorillas, one haplogroup comprising gorilla populations from eastern Nigeria through to southeast Cameroon and a second comprising all other western lowland gorillas. Within this second haplogroup, haplotypes appear to be partitioned geographically into three subgroups: (i) Equatorial Guinea, (ii) Central African Republic, and (iii) Gabon and adjacent Congo. There is also evidence of limited haplotype admixture in northeastern Gabon and southeast Cameroon. The phylogeographical patterns are broadly consistent with those predicted by current Pleistocene refuge hypotheses for the region and suggest that historical events have played an important role in shaping the population structure of this subspecies.
Clifford
Stephen L
SL
Centre International de Recherches Médicales, Franceville (CIRMF), BP 769, Franceville, Gabon. stephen1clifford@yahoo.com
Anthony
Nicola M
NM
Bawe-Johnson
Mireille
M
Abernethy
Kate A
KA
Tutin
Caroline E G
CE
White
Lee J T
LJ
Bermejo
Magdelena
M
Goldsmith
Michelle L
ML
McFarland
Kelley
K
Jeffery
Kathryn J
KJ
Bruford
Michael W
MW
Wickings
E Jean
EJ
D017954:Africa South of the Sahara; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D017931:DNA Primers; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005828:Genetics, Population; D005843:Geography; D006071:Gorilla gorilla / Q000235:genetics*; D006239:Haplotypes / Q000235:genetics; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D008957:Models, Genetic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
D017931:DNA Primers; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial