Pan troglodytes
The chimpanzee is a flagship conservation species. Across this species’ distribution, Cameroon is exceptional because two of the four chimpanzee subspecies are found there: P. t. troglodytes and P. t. ellioti (Morgan et al. 2011; English, French). Genetic data from recent studies have shown that these subspecies are significantly different from each other and separated roughly 200-350 thousand years ago (Gonder et al. 2011; Bowden et al. 2012). The ranges of P. t. ellioti and P. t. troglodytes also converge at the Sanaga River in central Cameroon (Gagneux et al. 2001; Gonder et al. 2006; Ghobrial et al. 2010), and their separation persists despite ongoing gene flow. The location of this project in Cameroon and Gabon thus constitutes a ‘natural laboratory’ for studying factors that create and maintain the genetic structure of chimpanzees. Numerous resources are available for chimpanzees, including a comprehensive collection of geo-referenced DNA samples, a library of microsatellite markers, and genome sequences of 10 chimpanzees from this region, which will inform SNP selection.
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Dr. Katy Gonder and graduate student Paul Sesink Clee processing chimpanzee fecal samples in Lobeke National Park, Cameroon.
Dr. Katy Gonder and graduate student Paul Sesink Clee processing chimpanzee fecal samples in Lobeke National Park, Cameroon.
Dr. Katy Gonder and graduate student Paul Sesink Clee processing chimpanzee fecal samples in Lobeke National Park, Cameroon.
Chimpanzee feces, Lobeke National Park, Cameroon.
Graduate student Matthew Mitchell and researcher Abwe Enang Abwe teaching an Eco-Guard how to process chimpanzee samples in Campo Ma'an National Park, Cameroon.
Graduate students Matthew Mitchell and Elise Caron are quantifying chimpanzee DNA extracts using a NanoDrop spectrophotometer.
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