ena-STUDY-UNIVERSITY OF ZURICH-27-02-2017-20:10:02:459-231
Morphometric, behavioral, and genomic evidence for a new orangutan species
Whole-genome sequencing data associated with the following publication: Nater et al. (2017) Morphometric, behavioral, and genomic evidence for a new orangutan species. Current Biology. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2017.09.047   Six extant species of non-human great apes are currently recognized: Sumatran and Bornean orangutans, eastern and western gorillas, and chimpanzees and bonobos. However, large gaps remain in our knowledge of fine-scale variation in hominoid morphology, behavior, and genetics, and aspects of great ape taxonomy remain in flux. This is particularly true for orangutans (genus: Pongo), the only Asian great apes, and phylogenetically our most distant relatives among extant hominids. Designation of Bornean and Sumatran orangutans, P. pygmaeus (Linnaeus 1760) and P. abelii (Lesson 1827), as distinct species occurred in 2001. Here, we show that an isolated population from Batang Toru, at the southernmost range of extant Sumatran orangutans south of Lake Toba, is distinct from other northern Sumatran and Bornean populations. By comparing cranio-mandibular and dental characters of an orangutan killed in a human-animal conflict to 33 adult male orangutans of similar developmental stage, we found consistent differences between the Batang Toru individual and other extant Ponginae. A second line of evidence provided our analyses of 37 orangutan genomes. Model-based approaches revealed that the deepest split in the evolutionary history of extant orangutans occurred ~3.38 Ma ago between the Batang Toru population and those to the north of Lake Toba, while both currently recognized species separated much later about 674 ka ago. Our combined analyses support a new classification of orangutans into three extant species. The new species, Pongo tapanuliensis, encompasses the Batang Toru population, of which fewer than 800 individuals survive.
Whole-genome sequencing data associated with the following publication: Nater et al. (2017) Morphometric, behavioral, and genomic evidence for a new orangutan species. Current Biology. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2017.09.047   Six extant species of non-human great apes are currently recognized: Sumatran and Bornean orangutans, eastern and western gorillas, and chimpanzees and bonobos. However, large gaps remain in our knowledge of fine-scale variation in hominoid morphology, behavior, and genetics, and aspects of great ape taxonomy remain in flux. This is particularly true for orangutans (genus: Pongo), the only Asian great apes, and phylogenetically our most distant relatives among extant hominids. Designation of Bornean and Sumatran orangutans, P. pygmaeus (Linnaeus 1760) and P. abelii (Lesson 1827), as distinct species occurred in 2001. Here, we show that an isolated population from Batang Toru, at the southernmost range of extant Sumatran orangutans south of Lake Toba, is distinct from other northern Sumatran and Bornean populations. By comparing cranio-mandibular and dental characters of an orangutan killed in a human-animal conflict to 33 adult male orangutans of similar developmental stage, we found consistent differences between the Batang Toru individual and other extant Ponginae. A second line of evidence provided our analyses of 37 orangutan genomes. Model-based approaches revealed that the deepest split in the evolutionary history of extant orangutans occurred ~3.38 Ma ago between the Batang Toru population and those to the north of Lake Toba, while both currently recognized species separated much later about 674 ka ago. Our combined analyses support a new classification of orangutans into three extant species. The new species, Pongo tapanuliensis, encompasses the Batang Toru population, of which fewer than 800 individuals survive.