Abstract
Direct behaviour observation and telemetry provide limited and instantaneous information of animal dispersal. However, population genetic structure analysis by molecular technology can advance our understanding on gene flow among populations. In this study Taiwanese macaque feces were collected in two zones in Hengchun Peninsula (southern part of Taiwan), which are separated by farmlands that are expected to cut off dispersal of Taiwanese macaques. We conducted cmyc conditional test, sexing test, sequencing of HRV-1 fragment of mitochondrial DNA and 9 autosomal STR loci analysis. We analzed 59 samaple and te results showed that the majority .of samples collected in Zone I carried same mtDNA haplotype, and two samples carried 2 different haplotypes. Only one sample from Zone II has Zone I main haplotype and other Zone II samples carried other 2 haplotypes. These 5 mtDNA haplotypes have 1-15 bp difference. Analsis of the 9 autsomal STR markers by program Structure demonstrated that samples from Zone I and II carried same components, but one component showed different proportion between two zones. This result is consistent with gene variation between two zones by AMOVA analysis (Fst: 0.027, p< 0.003) and GENALEX analysis (Fst: 0.036±0.009 ). It is revealed that the genetic structure of Taiwanese macaque populations in the two study zones is slightly differentiated. Depending Mantel test (R=0.323, p=0.001) and spatial autocorrelation analysis (V = 0.074, p=0.001) in software AIS (Allele in Space) showed that there is a significant isolation by distance relationship. Comparison with one more surrounding zone to confirm such genetic differentiation pattern in the Taiwanese macaque is underway.
