organisation - the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência

GENETIC EFFECTS OF HABITAT LOSS AND FRAGMENTATION:
COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF SEVERAL LEMUR SPECIES
IN TWO NEIGHBOURING REGIONS OF MADAGASCAR – II
The island of Madagascar is one of the most important biodiversity hot spots
in the world with extremely high levels of endemism in primates, amphibians,
reptiles, and plants. Lemurs, with around 100 species represent one of the most
spectacular adaptive radiation. However, landscapes are now reduced to a mosaic
of fragmented forests. Despite this alarming situation, most genetic studies
focus on the identification of new species, or on the diversity within one or two
populations, and analyse one species in one geographical area. In this project
our aim is to:
1. Study HL&F across lemur taxa in two neighbouring regions;
2. Develop inferential methods that explicitly model and account for the past
demographic history of populations and species;
3. Develop genomic markers to answer these questions.
Population sizes and densities have been estimated in the field for nocturnal
(Microcebus and Lepilemur genera) and dirunal (Propithecus) lemurs. Microcebus
and Lepilemur have been captured and biopsies collected for both genera.
Five papers were published, including one on the density of Microcebus and
Lepilemur, and one on Propithecus coronatus, and some theoretical papers on
spatial processes. Three manuscripts have been submitted.
IGC ANNUAL REPORT ‘11
RESEARCH GROUPS
32