Gibbons in China represent the northernmost margin of present day gibbon species distribution （around N25°）. Compared to tropical habitats, northern gibbon habitats are characterized by low temperatures and rem...Gibbons in China represent the northernmost margin of present day gibbon species distribution （around N25°）. Compared to tropical habitats, northern gibbon habitats are characterized by low temperatures and remarkable seasonal variation in fruit abundance How gibbons adapt to their cold and seasonal habitats and what ecological factors affect their sociality are key questions for understanding their ecology and social system evolution, the elucidation of which will contribute to the conservation of these special populations/species. According to preliminary short-term studies, northern gibbons consume more leaves and use larger home ranges than tropical gibbons. Interestingly, some Nomascus groups consist of more than one adult female. However, these preliminary results are not well understood or incorporated into current socio-ecological theories regarding gibbon species. To better understand northern gibbons, our team has systematically studied three habituated groups of Nomascus concolor, three groups of N. nasutus, and two habituated groups of Hoolock tianxing since 2002. In this paper, we stress the challenges facing gibbons living in northern habitats and summarize their behavioral adaptations to their harsh environments. We also describe the northern gibbon social system and discuss the potential relationships between their ecology and sociality. Finally, we highlight future research questions related to northern gibbons in China.展开更多
Gibbons have experienced extensive karyotype rearrangements during evolution and represent an ideal model for studying the underlying molecular mechanism of evolutionary chromosomal rearrangements. It is anticipated t...Gibbons have experienced extensive karyotype rearrangements during evolution and represent an ideal model for studying the underlying molecular mechanism of evolutionary chromosomal rearrangements. It is anticipated that the cloning and sequence characterization of evolutionary chromosomal breakpoints will provide vital insights into the molecular force that has driven such a radical karyotype reshuffle in gibbons. We constructed and characterized a high-quality fosmid li- brary of the white-cheeked gibbon （Nomascus leucogenys） containing 192,000 non- redundant clones with an average insert size of 38 kb and 2.5-fold genome coverage. By end sequencing of 100 randomly selected fosmid clones, we generated 196 se- quence tags for the library. These end-sequenced fosmid clones were then mapped onto the chromosomes of the white-cheeked gibbon by fluorescence in situ hy- bridization~ and no spurious chimeric clone was detected. BLAST search against the human genome showed a good correlation between the number of hit clones and the number of chromosomes, an indication of unbiased chromosomal distribu- tion of the fosmid library. The chromosomal distribution of the mapped clones is also consistent with the BLAST search result against human and white-cheeked gibbon genomes. The fosmid library and the mapped clones will serve as a valu- able resource for further studying gibbons＇ chromosomal rearrangements and the underlying molecular mechanism as well as for comparative genomic study in the lesser apes.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31770421,31570386,31160424,30900169)the National Young Top-notch Talent Program of China+2 种基金Sun Yat-Sen UniversityCollaborative Innovation Center for Biodiversity and Conservation in the Three Parallel Rivers Region of ChinaStartup Foundation for Scientific Research,Southwest Forestry University(111408)
文摘Gibbons in China represent the northernmost margin of present day gibbon species distribution （around N25°）. Compared to tropical habitats, northern gibbon habitats are characterized by low temperatures and remarkable seasonal variation in fruit abundance How gibbons adapt to their cold and seasonal habitats and what ecological factors affect their sociality are key questions for understanding their ecology and social system evolution, the elucidation of which will contribute to the conservation of these special populations/species. According to preliminary short-term studies, northern gibbons consume more leaves and use larger home ranges than tropical gibbons. Interestingly, some Nomascus groups consist of more than one adult female. However, these preliminary results are not well understood or incorporated into current socio-ecological theories regarding gibbon species. To better understand northern gibbons, our team has systematically studied three habituated groups of Nomascus concolor, three groups of N. nasutus, and two habituated groups of Hoolock tianxing since 2002. In this paper, we stress the challenges facing gibbons living in northern habitats and summarize their behavioral adaptations to their harsh environments. We also describe the northern gibbon social system and discuss the potential relationships between their ecology and sociality. Finally, we highlight future research questions related to northern gibbons in China.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China（No.30270719 and 30623007）.
文摘Gibbons have experienced extensive karyotype rearrangements during evolution and represent an ideal model for studying the underlying molecular mechanism of evolutionary chromosomal rearrangements. It is anticipated that the cloning and sequence characterization of evolutionary chromosomal breakpoints will provide vital insights into the molecular force that has driven such a radical karyotype reshuffle in gibbons. We constructed and characterized a high-quality fosmid li- brary of the white-cheeked gibbon （Nomascus leucogenys） containing 192,000 non- redundant clones with an average insert size of 38 kb and 2.5-fold genome coverage. By end sequencing of 100 randomly selected fosmid clones, we generated 196 se- quence tags for the library. These end-sequenced fosmid clones were then mapped onto the chromosomes of the white-cheeked gibbon by fluorescence in situ hy- bridization~ and no spurious chimeric clone was detected. BLAST search against the human genome showed a good correlation between the number of hit clones and the number of chromosomes, an indication of unbiased chromosomal distribu- tion of the fosmid library. The chromosomal distribution of the mapped clones is also consistent with the BLAST search result against human and white-cheeked gibbon genomes. The fosmid library and the mapped clones will serve as a valu- able resource for further studying gibbons＇ chromosomal rearrangements and the underlying molecular mechanism as well as for comparative genomic study in the lesser apes.
