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The role of history and ecology in shaping biological diversity in tropical forest. Gabon Tropical forest diversity Endemicity Viable populations. MTC. MFC. MTD. Western lowland gorillas. Shed hairs from night nests. Dung. Sampling and landscape features. Nigeria.
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The role of history and ecology in shaping biological diversity in tropical forest
Gabon Tropical forest diversity Endemicity Viable populations MTC MFC MTD
Western lowland gorillas Shed hairs from night nests Dung
Sampling and landscape features Nigeria Central African Republic (CAR) Sanaga Cameroon Congo Equatorial Guinea Sangha Ogooué Gabon Uganda Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Rwanda Congo Burundi Angola
Tropical forest refugia Localization of forest refuges during the last arid phase ~18,000 years ago
Predictions • Pleistocene refugia leads to allopatric divergence and regional differentiation • Evidence for demographic expansion out of regional centers • Haplogroup admixture in areas of secondary contact • Role of major rivers in population structuring?
Genetic variation in wild gorillas MTC MFC MTD ? ?
Analysis of Molecular Variance (AMOVA) Among group Among populations Within populations
Signatures of demographic expansion ELG Fu’s F -2.65857** Growth (g) = 630.3 + 110.4 MTG Fu’s F -1.47522* Growth (g) = -3.6 + 0.6 40 30 20 MTG A 10 ELG B 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 HD3 Fu’s F -4.49150** Growth (g) = 1006.5 + 188.2 800 600 400 WLG D3 * Significant at P < 0.01 200 ** Significant at P < 0.05 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Nuclear genetic analyses Afi Mt., Nigeria C.A.R. Lopé, Gabon Lossi- Odzala, Congo Kahuzi- Biega, D.R.C. Bwindi, Uganda Gp C Gp D1 Gp D3 Gp B Gp A
Forest duikers as models for testing tropical diversity hypotheses • highspeciesrichness • recent adaptive radiation • tied to forest habitats • major protein source • easy to sample • Combined non-invasive strategyacross a suite oftaxa
Species identification • Forest artiodactyls cannot be differentiated by fecal pellet morphology • Up to six species of forest duiker and as many as eleven artiodactyl species are in sympatry ? Ntie et al., 2009
Construction of a reference phylogeny using the control region (Ntie et al., 2009)
Understanding species responses to climate change: development of a conservation prioritization scheme for central Africa Central African Biodiversity Alliance
Climate change across the region Species have three options: • Evolve and adapt • Buffer change • Move
Strategies for conservation: conserving evolutionary process Areas of high turnover = Regions of Elevated Adaptive Evolutionary Potential (REAPs)
Focal species • Butterfly - Bicyclusdorothea • Amphibian - Phrynobatrachusauritus • Plant - Megaphryniummacrostachyum • Birds - Andropadusvirens and Cyanomitraolivacea • Rodent - Hylomyscusstella • Reptile - Trachylepisaffinis • Chimpanzee - Pan troglodytes • Duiker - Philantombamonticola
Identifying REAPS: the less bulbul 1. Species mapping 2. Identification of PAs 3. Map REAPs
Integrating socio-economic data • Are zones of elevated evolutionary potential also found in zones of rapid economic development? • What is the value of these top priority areas to local communities (household goods, cultural values)
Educational activities • Professional development workshop (2013, 2015) • Undergraduate field course (2014, 2016) • Graduate seminars (2014-2016) • Research symposium for workshop participants (2015, 2017) • Academic exchange programs (2013-2017) • Distance learning (2016, 2017)
Acknowledgements • National Science Foundation • University of New Orleans, University of California Los Angeles, University of Albany • Université des Sciences et Techniques de Masuku • Institut de Recherche en Ecologie Tropicale • University of Buea • Agence Nationale des Parcs Nationaux • Direction Générale de la Faune et des Aires Protégées • Smithsonian Institute • Wildlife Conservation Society • Committee on the Advancement of Women Chemists (COACh)
