Project description:DNA methylation data from several primate species profiled on the mammalian methylation array (HorvathMammalMethylChip40) which focuses on highly conserved CpGs across mammalian species. We selected a total of 91 samples from animals representing 26 strepsirrhine species, in most cases, the entire lifespan, from immature (infant or juvenile) to senile stages: 68 samples from peripheral blood, 23 samples from skin Blood and skin samples from many different primates. We profiled the following species: Cheirogaleus medius (Fat-tailed dwarf lemur), Daubentonia madagascariensis (Aye-aye), Eulemur albifrons (White-headed lemur), Eulemur collaris (Collared brown lemur), Eulemur coronatus (Crowned lemur), Eulemur flavifrons (Blue-eyed black lemur), Eulemur fulvus (Brown lemur), Eulemur macaco (Black lemur), Eulemur mongoz (Mongoose lemur), Eulemur rubriventer (Red-bellied lemur), Eulemur rufus (Red-fronted lemur), Eulemur sanfordi (Sanford's brown lemur), Galago moholi (South African galago), Hapalemur griseus (Bamboo lemur), Lemur catta (Ring-tailed lemur), Loris tardigradus (Slender loris), Microcebus murinus (Gray mouse lemur), Mirza zaza (Northern giant mouse lemur), Nycticebus coucang (Slow loris), Otolemur crassicaudatus (Greater galago), Perodicticus potto (Potto), Propithecus diadema (Diademed sifaka), Propithecus tattersalli (Golden-crowned sifaka), Varecia rubra (Red ruffed lemur). Peripheral blood was collected through venipuncture with standard procedures, either during a routine veterinary procedure or at time of necropsy. Skin tissues were collected during necropsies.
Project description:BackgroundThe ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta) is a charismatic strepsirrhine primate endemic to Madagascar. These lemurs are of particular interest, given their status as a flagship species and widespread publicity in the popular media. Unfortunately, a recent population decline has resulted in the census population decreasing to <2,500 individuals in the wild, and the species's classification as an endangered species by the IUCN. As is the case for most strepsirrhine primates, only a limited amount of genomic research has been conducted on L. catta, in part owing to the lack of genomic resources.ResultsWe generated a new high-quality reference genome assembly for L. catta (mLemCat1) that conforms to the standards of the Vertebrate Genomes Project. This new long-read assembly is composed of Pacific Biosciences continuous long reads (CLR data), Optical Mapping Bionano reads, Arima HiC data, and 10X linked reads. The contiguity and completeness of the assembly are extremely high, with scaffold and contig N50 values of 90.982 and 10.570 Mb, respectively. Additionally, when compared to other high-quality primate assemblies, L. catta has the lowest reported number of Alu elements, which results predominantly from a lack of AluS and AluY elements.ConclusionsmLemCat1 is an excellent genomic resource not only for the ring-tailed lemur community, but also for other members of the Lemuridae family, and is the first very long read assembly for a strepsirrhine.
Project description:However despotic a social group may be, managing conflicts of interest is crucial to preserve group living benefits, mainly based on cooperation. In despotic groups, post-conflict management via reconciliation (the first post-conflict reunion between former opponents) can occur, even if conciliatory rates are considerably different. Lemur catta is defined as a despotic species because groups are characterized by a strict linear hierarchy maintained by the adult females (the dominant sex) mainly via aggression. Reconciliation was reported in one out of four captive groups of L. catta. Here we investigate which variables influence the occurrence of reconciliation in these despotic groups. We analyzed 2339 Post Conflict (PC)-Matched Control (MC) observation pairs, collected on eight groups (five in the Berenty forest, Madagascar; three hosted at the Pistoia Zoo, Italy). Since L. catta is characterized by steep female dominance but shows female-female coalitionary support, we expected to confirm the presence of reconciliation in the study species. Consistently, we found reconciliation in one captive group and two wild groups, thus providing the first evidence of the presence of this phenomenon in wild L. catta. Moreover, because this species is a seasonal breeder (with mating occurring once a year), we expected seasonal fluctuations in reconciliation levels. Via a GLMM analysis using data from all wild groups and on a captive group followed for more than one year, we found that season (but not rank; individuals' identity, sex, and age; or group identity) significantly affected individual reconciliation rates, and such rates were lowest during the mating period. Thus, reconciliation can be present in groups in which dominants strongly influence and limit social relationships (steep dominance hierarchy) except when the advantages of intra-group cooperation are overcome by competition, as occurs in seasonal breeders when reproduction is at stake. We conclude that in despotic social groups in which coalitions are observed, the right question is not if but when reconciliation can be present.