title: How Ebola impacts genetics of Western lowland gorilla populations.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Emerging infectious diseases in wildlife are major threats for both human health and biodiversity conservation. Infectious diseases can have serious consequences for the genetic diversity of populations, which could enhance the species' extinction probability. The Ebola epizootic in western and central Africa induced more than 90% mortality in Western lowland gorilla population. Although mortality rates are very high, the impacts of Ebola on genetic diversity of Western lowland gorilla have never been assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We carried out long term studies of three populations of Western lowland gorilla in the Republic of the Congo (Odzala-Kokoua National Park, Lossi gorilla sanctuary both affected by Ebola and Lossi's periphery not affected). Using 17 microsatellite loci, we compared genetic diversity and structure of the populations and estimate their effective size before and after Ebola outbreaks. Despite the effective size decline in both populations, we did not detect loss in genetic diversity after the epizootic. We revealed temporal changes in allele frequencies in the smallest population.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Immigration and short time elapsed since outbreaks could explain the conservation of genetic diversity after the demographic crash. Temporal changes in allele frequencies could not be explained by genetic drift or random sampling. Immigration from genetically differentiated populations and a non random mortality induced by Ebola, i.e., selective pressure and cost of sociality, are alternative hypotheses. Understanding the influence of Ebola on gorilla genetic dynamics is of paramount importance for human health, primate evolution and conservation biology.
authors.affiliation: UMR 6553 Ecobio, Université Rennes1/CNRS, Paimpont, France. pascalinelegouar@free.fr
authors.forename: Pascaline J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Le Gouar
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vallet
authors.forename: Laetitia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: David
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bermejo
authors.forename: Sylvain
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gatti
authors.forename: Florence
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Levréro
authors.forename: Eric J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Petit
authors.forename: Nelly
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ménard
mesh_terms: D025041:Animal Migration; D000818:Animals; D015982:Bias; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003223:Congo / Q000453:epidemiology; D017753:Ecosystem; D005787:Gene Frequency / Q000235:genetics; D056426:Genetic Loci / Q000235:genetics; D005819:Genetic Markers; D005828:Genetics, Population; D005843:Geography; D006071:Gorilla gorilla / Q000235:genetics*; D019142:Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D015810:Linkage Disequilibrium / Q000235:genetics; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D018401:Sample Size; D012641:Selection, Genetic
chemical_list: D005819:Genetic Markers