Life Sciences & Biotechnology
Title : | Genome-wide introgression in Indian langurs (Primate: Colobinae) and its effect on speciation and population demography in the light of anthropogenic climate change |
Area of research : | Life Sciences & Biotechnology |
Principal Investigator : | Dr. Kunal Deepak Arekar, Indian Institute Of Science, Bangalore, Karnataka |
Timeline Start Year : | 2022 |
Timeline End Year : | 2024 |
Contact info : | kunal.cyan@gmail.com |
Details
Executive Summary : | Human-induced climate change is causing significant habitat changes, but it also presents an opportunity to study species boundaries over short evolutionary timescales. Hybridisation, a process that introduces genetic variation within a population and might increase species diversity, has received little attention in the context of species response to climate change. To understand climate-mediated changes in hybridisation and hybrid zones, the first step is to identify hybridisation between different taxa. Hybridisation can decrease diversity due to declining fitness following admixture or increase evolutionary potential by increasing genetic variation. To detect hybridisation, genomic patterns of variation in molecular markers and complete genomes can be studied. In India, seven species of langurs are recognized, occupying varied habitats. Many of these species have overlapping ranges and may have hybridized with each other in different points in their evolutionary history. A molecular study using nine nuclear and eight mitochondrial genes was conducted to investigate the evolutionary origins of the golden and capped langur (CG) lineage in northeast India. The study found that ancient hybridisation between the Semnopithecus and Trachypithecus genera gave rise to the CG lineage, and therefore, the CG lineage should be assigned a new genus and prioritized for conservation and management. The study aims to use genomic tools to examine genome-wide signatures of hybridisation between different species of langurs in India and investigate the extent and direction of gene flow among them. The demographic history of these langurs will also be investigated in light of historical climatic fluctuations and their potential to cope with human-mediated changes in the future. |
Outcome/Output: | 0 |
Organizations involved