Y-chromosome analysis confirms highly sex-biased dispersal and suggests a low male effective population size in bonobos (Pan paniscus).
Dispersal is a rare event that is difficult to observe in slowly maturing, long-lived wild animal species such as the bonobo. In this study we used sex-linked (mitochondrial DNA sequence and Y-chromosome microsatellite) markers from the same set of individuals to estimate the magnitude of difference in effective dispersal between the sexes and to investigate the long-term demographic history of bonobos. We sampled 34 males from four distinct geographical areas across the bonobo distribution range. As predicted for a female-dispersing species, we found much higher levels of differentiation among local bonobo populations based upon Y-chromosomal than mtDNA genetic variation. Specifically, almost all of the Y-chromosomal variation distinguished populations, while nearly all of the mtDNA variation was shared between populations. Furthermore, genetic distance correlated with geographical distance for mtDNA but not for the Y chromosome. Female bonobos have a much higher migration rate and/or effective population size as compared to males, and the estimate for the mitochondrial TMRCA (time to most recent common ancestor) was approximately 10 times greater than the estimate for the Y chromosome (410,000 vs. 40,000-45,000). For humans the difference is merely a factor of two, suggesting a more stable demographic history in bonobos in comparison to humans.
Eriksson
Jonas
J
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany.
Siedel
Heike
H
Lukas
Dieter
D
Kayser
Manfred
M
Erler
Axel
A
Hashimoto
Chie
C
Hohmann
Gottfried
G
Boesch
Christophe
C
Vigilant
Linda
L
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D025041:Animal Migration; D000818:Animals; D003223:Congo; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D051456:Gene Flow; D005819:Genetic Markers; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005843:Geography; D006239:Haplotypes; D008297:Male; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats / Q000235:genetics; D019974:Pan paniscus / Q000235:genetics*; D011156:Population Density; D012737:Sex Factors; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal; D014998:Y Chromosome / Q000235:genetics*
D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D005819:Genetic Markers