抄録
We examined a total of 20 blood samples for assessment of the degree of hybridization between introduced rhesus macaques and native Japanese macaques in the Bousou Peninsula. Each individual was characterized by different kinds of genetic markers (two protein loci, mtDNA and one Y chromosome DNA) in order to evaluate paternal and maternal origin and the degree of hybridization. The sample individuals contained one adult male Japanese macaque, and all others were rhesus or rhesus hybrid born in the study population. Of these 19 natal, at least 15 (78.9 per cent) were hybrids. The estimated frequencies of Japanese macaque genes were 0.342 and 0.857 for autosomal and Y chromosomal genes, respectively. This result revealed a high degree of hybridization in the introduced rhesus population. A test for random mating suggested that the two species were intermixing without reproductive defects. As the habitat of native Japanese macaque troops on the peninsula are very close, removal of the hybrid population is urgently required to prevent the transfer of their genes into the Japanese macaque population. It is also important to begin monitoring for further potential gene flow between rhesus and Japanese macaques in the peninsula.
