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Low genetic diversity and biased distribution of mitochondrial DNA haplotypes in the Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata yakui) on Yakushima Island

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Abstract

The Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata yakui) on Yakushima Island are an endemic subspecies and are closely related to the population of Kyushu, one of the main islands of Japan. Using feces collected throughout Yakushima Island, we examined mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) to investigate the phylogeography of Japanese macaques. Six haplotypes were observed for a 203-bp fragment of the mtDNA control region. The nucleotide diversity (π) was low (0.0021). The genetic divergence within the Yakushima population was lower (0.009) than that among four haplotypes of the Kyushu population (0.015), calculated using Kimura’s two-parameter method. The mismatch distribution analysis of the six haplotypes of the Yakushima population suggested that the Yakushima population had experienced a sudden expansion in population size, which could be related to the bottleneck effect. The geographic distribution of the mtDNA haplotypes was not uniform. One haplotype was distributed widely, whereas the other five haplotypes were distributed only in the lowlands. The low genetic diversity and biased distribution are discussed in relation to an environmental crash caused by ancient volcanic activity near this island, which is postulated to have happened about 7,300 years ago, and the delayed recovery of highland vegetation.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Drs. T. Nishida, T. Shotake, O. Takenaka, J. Yamagiwa, T. Hikida, S. Suzuki, members of Laboratory of Human Evolution Studies and Dr. D.G. Smith, two anonymous reviewers and Editor-in-chief for fruitful and constructive comments on this paper. And we thank Mr. R. Tsujino for using unpublished data and some participants of Yakushima Macaque Research Group for helping us collecting fecal samples; Drs. Y. Tanaka, A. Yamane, T. Hikida, T. Sota and K. Inaba for helping us in the laboratory; Kamiyaku-cho, Yaku-cho and Yakushima District Forestry Office for permission to this study; Field Research Center of Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University for permission to use the field station in Yakushima and Dr. A. Satoh and many friends in Yakushima Island for their help and hospitality during our fieldwork. This study was financed by Cooperative Research Fund of Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, and partly by grants-in-aid for Scientific Research, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology 09358017 to Dr. T. Shotake, 10CE2005 to Dr. O. Takenaka and 21st Century COE Research Kyoto University (A14).

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  1. Laboratory of Human Evolution Studies, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwakecho, Sakyo, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan

    Shuhei Hayaishi

  2. Population Genetics Section, Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Inuyama, Japan

    Yoshi Kawamoto

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  1. Shuhei Hayaishi
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  2. Yoshi Kawamoto
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Correspondence to Shuhei Hayaishi.

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Hayaishi, S., Kawamoto, Y. Low genetic diversity and biased distribution of mitochondrial DNA haplotypes in the Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata yakui) on Yakushima Island. Primates 47, 158–164 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10329-005-0169-1

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