This study investigates the population genetic structure of three primate species living in forest fragments of the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary (LKWS), Sabah, Malaysia. The sanctuary is surrounded by oil palm plantations and human settlements but still retains high diversity of both flora and fauna. LKWS is famous for its orang-utan and proboscis monkey populations but also supports Sabah's eight other primate species. The current study investigated the effects of forest fragmentation and geographical barriers, especially the Kinabatangan River, on three species of primates with different social systems and dispersal abilities. The orang-utan is a large bodied, solitary ape that is incapable of swimming whereas the proboscis monkey and the long-tailed macaque, are smaller bodied, live in large groups and are good swimmers. Using non-invasive samples (faeces), we sequenced approximately 100 individuals from each of these three primates using the left domain (and right domain for long-tailed macaques) of the mitochondrial control region. High levels of genetic diversity were detected in the proboscis monkey and long-tailed macaque, but lower levels were detected in the orang-utan. There are four general conclusions from the current study. Firstly, non-invasive faecal samples are viable for large scale studies on these wild primate populations. Secondly, mitochondrial DNA is an informative marker for population studies due to its high levels of polymorphism over small spatial scales (with the left domain of the control region providing better resolution then the right domain). Thirdly, the social structure of primate species profoundly influences patterns of mitochondrial genetic diversity. Finally, dispersal patterns greatly influence the mitochondrial genetic structure of these populations. The implications of these findings for the future of Borneo primates and conservation of Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary and Sabah are discussed.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:583846 |
| Date | January 2006 |
| Creators | Jalil, Mohd Fairus B. |
| Publisher | Cardiff University |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://orca.cf.ac.uk/55451/ |
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