title: Comparison of the genetic variation of captive ring-tailed lemurs with a wild population in Madagascar.
abstract: Genetic variability among captive and wild ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) was assessed using mitochondrial and nuclear DNA data. A 529 bp segment of mtDNA was sequenced and 9 microsatellite loci were genotyped for 286 ring-tailed lemurs. Samples were obtained from the well-studied L. catta population at the Bezà Mahafaly Special Reserve and from captive animals at six institutions worldwide. We found evidence of possible patrilineal contribution but the absence of matrilineal contribution from the Bezà area, and haplotypes not found in Bezà but present in Ambohimahavelona, Andringitra Massif, and other unknown locations, in the sampled captive population, indicating that the founders of the captive population originated from a wide geographic range. Total genetic variation and relatedness in captive L. catta in the six institutions were similar in extent to that of the wild population in Bezà. Based on the diverse origins of the captive population founders our results suggest the erosion of genetic diversity in the captive population. Sampled individuals from the same institution were more closely related to each other than members of a social group in the wild. Individuals housed at different institutions were less closely related than those of different social groups at Bezà, indicating lower genetic exchange between captive institutions than between social groups in a locality in the wild. Our findings underscore the usefulness of genotyping in determining the geographic origin of captive population founders, obtaining pedigree information if paternity is uncertain, and in maximizing preservation of extant genetic diversity in captivity.
authors.affiliation: Anthropologisches Institut, Universität Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.|Centre for Conservation and Research, Rajagiriya, Sri Lanka.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pastorini
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado, Boulder, USA.
authors.forename: Michelle L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Sauther
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology, Washington University, St. Louis, USA.
authors.forename: Robert W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Sussman
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology, University of Victoria, Victoria, Canada.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gould
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, USA.
authors.forename: Frank P
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: Cuozzo
authors.affiliation: Centre for Conservation and Research, Rajagiriya, Sri Lanka.
authors.forename: Prithiviraj
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fernando
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, USA.
authors.forename: Caroline M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Nievergelt
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Nicholas I
authors.initials: NI
authors.lastname: Mundy
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild; D000836:Animals, Zoo; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005838:Genotype; D006239:Haplotypes; D007900:Lemur / Q000235:genetics*; D008270:Madagascar; D008297:Male; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial
keywords: Lemur catta; captivity; conservation; genetic variability; microsatellites; mtDNA sequences