Bill Queen
2015-04-10 21:37:28 UTC
The most extensive genetic analysis of mountain gorillas ever
conducted has found the critically endangered apes burdened with
severe inbreeding and at risk of extinction but the researchers
still see reasons for optimism about their survival. Twenty-
three scientists from six countries on Thursday unveiled the
first complete genetic map of the mountain gorilla, a close
genetic cousin to humans inhabiting two isolated areas in
central Africa. "We found extremely high levels of inbreeding,"
said geneticist Chris Tyler-Smith of Britain's Wellcome Trust
Sanger Institute. The study in the journal Science revealed a
substantial loss of genetic diversity from inbreeding caused by
mating with close relatives due to small population size.
Inbreeding can increase threats from disease and environmental
change by reducing the genetic ability to adapt and cause a
larger hardship of harmful mutations.
"Mountain gorillas are critically endangered and at risk of
extinction, and our study reveals that as well as suffering a
dramatic collapse in numbers during the last century, they had
already experienced a long decline going back many thousands of
years," University of Cambridge geneticist Aylwyn Scally said.
http://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/mountain-gorillas-
genetic-map-reveals-severe-inbeeding-n338646
conducted has found the critically endangered apes burdened with
severe inbreeding and at risk of extinction but the researchers
still see reasons for optimism about their survival. Twenty-
three scientists from six countries on Thursday unveiled the
first complete genetic map of the mountain gorilla, a close
genetic cousin to humans inhabiting two isolated areas in
central Africa. "We found extremely high levels of inbreeding,"
said geneticist Chris Tyler-Smith of Britain's Wellcome Trust
Sanger Institute. The study in the journal Science revealed a
substantial loss of genetic diversity from inbreeding caused by
mating with close relatives due to small population size.
Inbreeding can increase threats from disease and environmental
change by reducing the genetic ability to adapt and cause a
larger hardship of harmful mutations.
"Mountain gorillas are critically endangered and at risk of
extinction, and our study reveals that as well as suffering a
dramatic collapse in numbers during the last century, they had
already experienced a long decline going back many thousands of
years," University of Cambridge geneticist Aylwyn Scally said.
http://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/mountain-gorillas-
genetic-map-reveals-severe-inbeeding-n338646