Vigilant Linda, Bradley Brenda J
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
Am J Primatol. 2004 Oct;64(2):161-72. doi: 10.1002/ajp.20070.
This review summarizes what is currently known concerning genetic variation in gorillas, on both inter- and intraspecific levels. Compared to the human species, gorillas, along with the other great apes, possess greater genetic variation as a consequence of a demographic history of rather constant population size. Data and hence conclusions from analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), the usual means of describing intraspecific patterns of genetic diversity, are limited at this time. An important task for future studies is to determine the degree of confidence with which gorilla mtDNA can be analyzed, in view of the risk that one will inadvertently analyze artifactual rather than genuine sequences. The limited information available from sequences of nuclear genomic segments does not distinguish western from eastern gorillas, and, in comparison with results from the two chimpanzee species, suggests a relatively recent common ancestry for all gorillas. In the near future, the greatest insights are likely to come from studies aimed at genetic characterization of all individual members of social groups. Such studies, addressing topics such as behavior of individuals with kin and non-kin, and the actual success of male reproductive strategies, will provide a link between behavioral and genetic studies of gorillas.
这篇综述总结了目前在种间和种内水平上关于大猩猩基因变异的已知情况。与人类相比，由于种群数量相当稳定的人口统计学历史，大猩猩以及其他大型猿类拥有更大的基因变异。目前，作为描述种内遗传多样性模式的常用手段，线粒体DNA（mtDNA）分析的数据以及由此得出的结论都很有限。鉴于存在无意中分析到人为而非真实序列的风险，未来研究的一项重要任务是确定分析大猩猩mtDNA的可信度。核基因组片段序列提供的有限信息无法区分西部和东部大猩猩，并且与两种黑猩猩物种的结果相比，表明所有大猩猩的共同祖先相对较近。在不久的将来，最大的见解可能来自旨在对社会群体中所有个体成员进行基因特征分析的研究。这类研究涉及诸如个体与亲属和非亲属的行为，以及雄性生殖策略的实际成功情况等主题，将为大猩猩的行为研究和基因研究之间建立联系。
