Past Connectivity but Recent Inbreeding in Cross River Gorillas Determined Using Whole Genomes from Single Hairs.

ABSTRACT: The critically endangered western gorillas (Gorilla gorilla) are divided into two subspecies: the western lowland (G. g. gorilla) and the Cross River (G. g. diehli) gorilla. Given the difficulty in sampling wild great ape populations and the small estimated size of the Cross River gorilla population, only one whole genome of a Cross River gorilla has been sequenced to date, hindering the study of this subspecies at the population level. In this study, we expand the number of whole genomes available for wild western gorillas, generating 41 new genomes (25 belonging to Cross River gorillas) using single shed hairs collected from gorilla nests. By combining these genomes with publicly available wild gorilla genomes, we confirm that Cross River gorillas form three populati

SUBMITTER: Alvarez-Estape M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10048488 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature