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oai:recercat.cat:10230/685222025-12-12T02:24:29Zcom_2072_6col_2072_452952

00925njm 22002777a 4500 dc Zhang, Liye author Marquès i Bonet, Tomàs, 1975- author Roos, Christian author 2024-11-14T08:21:33Z 2024-11-14T08:21:33Z 2024 Many mammal species have declining populations, but the consequences of small population size on the genomic makeup of species remain largely unknown. We investigated the evolutionary history, genetic load and adaptive potential of the Cat Ba langur (Trachypithecus poliocephalus), a primate species endemic to Vietnam's famous Ha Long Bay and with less than 100 living individuals one of the most threatened primates in the world. Using high-coverage whole genome data of four wild individuals, we revealed the Cat Ba langur as sister species to its conspecifics of the northern limestone langur clade and found no evidence for extensive secondary gene flow after their initial separation. Compared to other primates and mammals, the Cat Ba langur showed low levels of genetic diversity, long runs of homozygosity, high levels of inbreeding and an excess of deleterious mutations in homozygous state. On the other hand, genetic diversity has been maintained in protein-coding genes and on the gene-rich human chromosome 19 ortholog, suggesting that the Cat Ba langur retained most of its adaptive potential. The Cat Ba langur also exhibits several unique non-synonymous variants that are related to calcium and sodium metabolism, which may have improved adaptation to high calcium intake and saltwater consumption. We thank Tran Van Lan, Nguyen Ba Tiep, Hoang Van Thap, Nguyen Van Phien, Vu Hong Van, Alexandra Kolodyazhnaya, and Michael Meyerhoff for logistic support and help with data analysis, and Stephan D. Nash for permission to use his langur illustrations. We are grateful to the Cat Ba langur Conservation Project, Zoo Leipzig, Allwetterzoo Münster, the Zoologische Gesellschaft für Arten- und Populationsschutz, the Endangered Primate Rescue Center, Cat Ba National Park, Cuc Phuong National Park and the Ministry for Agricultural and Rural Development for continuous support. Financial support for this research was provided by grants from the German Research Foundation (HO 3492/9-1 to M.H. and RO 3055/7-1 to C.R.), Sino-German Mobility Programme (M-0084 to M.Li and C.R.), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS XDB31000000 to M.Li) and National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC 31821001 to M.Li) and Vietnamese Ministry of Science and Technology’s Program 562 (ĐTĐL.CN-64/19 to M.D.L.). T.M.-B. was supported by funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (grant agreement No. 864203), PID2021-126004NB-100 (MICIIN/FEDER, UE), “Unidad de Excelencia María de Maeztu”, funded by the AEI (CEX2018-000792-M), NIH 1R01HG010898-01A1 and Secretaria d’Universitats i Recerca and CERCA Programme del Departament d’Economia i Coneixement de la Generalitat de Catalunya (GRC 2021 SGR 00177). Animal physiology Evolutionary biology Evolutionary ecology Evolutionary genetics Genomic adaptation to small population size and saltwater consumption in the critically endangered Cat Ba langur