Bonobos, the endangered great apes that are one of our closest relatives, may be more vulnerable than previously understood, a genetic study led by UCL researchers has found. It turns out that the study revealed three distinct populations.
The three groups of bonobos have lived separately in different regions of central Africa for tens of thousands of years, according to a study published in . current biology By an international research team co-led by scientists from UCL, the University of Vienna and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.
Using genetic testing, the researchers confirmed previous evidence suggesting that there are three distinct groups of bonobos, with origins in the central, western, and far western parts of the bonobo range. By quantifying the differences between these groups, the researchers found that they may be as different from each other as the most closely related chimpanzee subspecies.
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Commonly seen as peace-loving primates, bonobos are modern humans’ closest relatives, along with chimpanzees, and our genome differs from theirs by just 1% of genetic bases. It doesn’t work.
Bonobos are critically endangered, with about 20,000 individuals in the wild, but they are the least studied species, living only in the Congo Basin in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where social unrest has limited research efforts. They are unadvanced great apes.
Co-first author Dr. Sojung Han (Spanish Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Vienna, Austria) said:
“They live in close-knit social groups that, although there is some conflict, are very peaceful and egalitarian. Interestingly, males remain in their natal social groups, while females move across groups. However, females can still form close alliances and have a high degree of dominance over males.
The research team analyzed genomic data from 30 bonobos born in the wild but now living in captivity. They sequenced the exome (the protein-coding part of the genome) of 20 bonobos living in a protected area in Africa and analyzed the entire genomes of 10 other bonobos.
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Although they are not necessarily sure which region of the Congo Basin each bonobo originated from, the researchers cross-referenced their dataset with previously published mitochondrial DNA data collected from 136 wild bonobos. to paint a picture of genetic diversity across the animal’s range.
The researchers estimated that the central group diverged from the other two groups 145,000 years ago, and the two western groups diverged 60,000 years ago, with little mixing between the groups since then. .
Lead author Professor Ida Andres (UCL Institute of Genetics) said: ‘The bonobo population actually consists of at least three smaller populations, some of which have historically been associated with similar primates. “As they may be among the smallest of their species, bonobos may be even more vulnerable than previously thought.”
“To survive, any species needs sufficient genetic diversity to adapt to changing environments, and for bonobos, losing one of these three groups would reduce the genetic diversity of the entire species. This would be a devastating loss to the population. Protecting all three groups of bonobos is essential to conserving this fascinating and charismatic species.”
Researchers hope to further study differences between bonobo groups and plan efforts such as habitat conservation, translocation, or possible reintroduction in case individuals adapt to specific environments. states that it is necessary to take this into account in conservation activities.
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Dr Sojun Han said: “Unlike modern humans, who are spread throughout the world, bonobos are restricted to the Congo Basin, but our study shows that there are indeed genetic differences between the groups. “There is,” he said.
“This is interesting, and it will be very interesting to study in the future whether there are any adaptation differences between these groups.”
Co-lead author Dr Cesare De Filippo (Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Germany) said: “This study shows how studying the genomes of endangered species can help us better understand their populations and ultimately inform conservation efforts.”
“Even the genomes of captive individuals can help us understand wild populations. Our findings show that bonobos are vulnerable as an endangered species, and we need to ensure they are protected.” This highlights the need to protect the bonobo environment.”
The study was supported by Wellcome and the Max Planck Society and involved researchers based in the UK, Austria, Germany, Spain, Denmark and Israel.
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Brendan Montagu is editor of The Ecologist. This article is based on a UCL press release.
