Local genetic adaptation to habitat in wild chimpanzees

How populations adapt to their environment is a fundamental question in biology. Yet, we know surprisingly little about this process, especially for endangered species, such as nonhuman great apes. Chimpanzees, our closest living relatives, are particularly notable because they inhabit diverse habitats, from rainforest to woodland-savannah. Whether genetic adaptation facilitates such habitat diversity remains unknown, despite it having wide implications for evolutionary biology and conservation. By using newly sequenced exomes from 828 wild chimpanzees (388 postfiltering), we found evidence of fine-scale genetic adaptation to habitat, with signatures of positive selection in forest chimpanzees in the same genes underlying adaptation to malaria in humans. This work demonstrates the power of noninvasive samples to reveal genetic adaptations in endangered populations and highlights the importance of adaptive genetic diversity for chimpanzees.

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Publication Details

Journal
Science
Published
2025-01-09
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adn7954
Citations
11
Primary Topic
Primate Behavior and Ecology
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
26.82

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article

Local genetic adaptation to habitat in wild chimpanzees

Luc Roscelin Dongmo Tédonzong, Nikki Tagg, Claudia Fontsere, Esther Lizano et al.
11 citations
Science
Primate Behavior and Ecology
26.82
article

Local genetic adaptation to habitat in wild chimpanzees

Luc Roscelin Dongmo Tédonzong, Nikki Tagg, Claudia Fontsere, Esther Lizano, Christopher Orbell, Gregory Brazzola, Juan Lapuente, Erin G. Wessling, Jessica Junker, Alfred Kwabena Assumang, A. Piel, Mimi Arandjelovic, Emmanuelle Normand, Fiona A. Stewart, Kyle Yurkiw, Aaron Rundus, Jack D. Lester, R. Adriana Hernández‐Aguilar, Joost van Schijndel, Volker Sommer, Villard Ebot Egbe, Hjalmar S. Kühl, Emmanuel Danquah, Christophe Boesch, Roman M. Wittig, Lucy Jayne Ormsby, Emily Neil, Crickette Sanz, Josephine Head, Stuart Nixon, David Morgan, Christopher D. Barratt, Kevin E. Langergraber, Veerle Hermans, Mattia Bessone, Daniela Hedwig, Emma Bailey, Bradley Larson, Rebecca Chancellor, Samuel Angedakin, Sorrel Jones, Sébastien Regnaut, Jacob Willie, Ammie K. Kalan, Marina Álvarez-Estapé, Martha M. Robbins, Lilah Sciaky, Rumen Martín, Aida M. Andrés, Elleni Vendras, Amelia Meier, Donatienne Barubiyo, Parag Kadam, Anthony Agbor, Harrison J. Ostridge, Ivonne Kienast, Jodie Preece, Liliana Pacheco, Deo Kujirakwinja, Paolo Gratton, Tobias Deschner, Mbangi Kambere, Sonia Nicholl, Daniela C. Soto, Jef Dupain, Megan Y. Dennis, Tomàs Marquès‐Bonet, Joshua M. Schmidt, Yisa Ginath Yuh, Laia Dotras, Anne‐Céline Granjon, Gaëlle Bocksberger, Manuel Llana, Heather Cohen, Anne Laudisoit, Giovanna Maretti, Paula Dieguez, Robinson Orume, Linda Vigilant, Kevin Lee, Michael T. Kaiser, Vrishti Saxena, Kathryn J. Jeffery, Coupland
article en
11 citations

Abstract

How populations adapt to their environment is a fundamental question in biology. Yet, we know surprisingly little about this process, especially for endangered species, such as nonhuman great apes. Chimpanzees, our closest living relatives, are particularly notable because they inhabit diverse habitats, from rainforest to woodland-savannah. Whether genetic adaptation facilitates such habitat diversity remains unknown, despite it having wide implications for evolutionary biology and conservation. By using newly sequenced exomes from 828 wild chimpanzees (388 postfiltering), we found evidence of fine-scale genetic adaptation to habitat, with signatures of positive selection in forest chimpanzees in the same genes underlying adaptation to malaria in humans. This work demonstrates the power of noninvasive samples to reveal genetic adaptations in endangered populations and highlights the importance of adaptive genetic diversity for chimpanzees.

ScienceVol. 387(6730)
University of Rome Tor Vergata (IT), University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (US), Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ES), University of Stirling (GB), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ES), University of Copenhagen (DK), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), Naturalis Biodiversity Center (NL), African Wildlife Foundation (US), Rainforest Alliance (US), Wildlife Conservation Society (US), Panthera Corporation (US), Leipzig University of Applied Sciences (DE), University of Antwerp (BE), West Chester University (US), Flinders University (AU), Osnabrück University (DE), University of Konstanz (DE), Washington University in St. Louis (US), Cornell University (US), University of Victoria (CA), The Jane Goodall Institute (US), German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (DE), Chester Zoo (GB), German Primate Center (DE), Lincoln Park Zoo (US), Center for Environmental Health (US), Flinders Medical Centre (AU), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (GH), Ghent University (BE), Endeavor Charter School (US), Arcus Foundation (GB), Barcelona Graduate School of Mathematics (ES), Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp (BE), Tanzania National Parks (TZ), Primate Conservation (US), Institut Africain d'Informatique (GA), Gashaka Primate Project (NG), Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (DE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique et Technologique (BF), Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (DE), Institute of Zoology (KZ), Wildlife Conservation Society Congo (CG), Swiss Centre for Scientific Research (CI), Wildlife Information Liaison Development (IN), Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (ES), Louisiana Department of Natural Resources (US), Centre for Genomic Regulation (ES), National Agency for National Parks (GA), Born Free Foundation (GB), Senckenberg Museum für Naturkunde Görlitz (DE), International University Institute (IHI) Zittau (DE), Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (ES), Institut des Sciences Cognitives (FR), Institute of Genetics (HU), Hochschule Osnabrück (DE), University College London (GB), EcoHealth Alliance (US), Arizona State University (US), Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (DE), Universitat de Barcelona (ES), University of Göttingen (DE), University of California, Davis (US), Frankfurt Zoological Society (DE), Leipzig University (DE)
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
Life in Land
Openalex Percentile: Top 0%
Primate Behavior and Ecology
26.82
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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