Assessing the recovery of Y chromosome microsatellites with population genomic data using Papio and Theropithecus genomes.

Y chromosome markers can shed light on male-specific population dynamics but for many species no such markers have been discovered and are available yet, despite the potential for recovering Y-linked loci from available genome sequences. Here, we investigated how effective available bioinformatic tools are in recovering informative Y chromosome microsatellites from whole genome sequence data. In order to do so, we initially explored a large dataset of whole genome sequences comprising individuals at various coverages belonging to different species of baboons (genus: Papio) using Y chromosome references belonging to the same genus and more distantly related species (Macaca mulatta).

The importance of well protected forests for the conservation genetics of West African colobine monkeys.

In tropical forests, anthropogenic activities are major drivers of the destruction and degradation of natural habitats, causing severe biodiversity loss. African colobine monkeys (Colobinae) are mainly folivore and strictly arboreal primates that require large forests to subsist, being among the most vulnerable of all nonhuman primates. The Western red colobus Piliocolobus badius and the King colobus Colobus polykomos inhabit highly fragmented West African forests, including the Cantanhez Forests National Park (CFNP) in Guinea-Bissau.

Chasing a ghost: notes on the present distribution and conservation of the sooty mangabey (Cercocebus atys) in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa.

The West-African sooty mangabey (Cercocebus atys) is threatened by habitat loss, hunting for meat consumption, and mortality during crop-foraging events. The species' overall demographic trend is unknown. Presence and distribution in Guinea-Bissau, a country neighbored by Senegal and Republic of Guinea, was confirmed in 1946 but the species was declared extinct in 1989 and not observed in subsequent countrywide expeditions.

Correction: Disrupted dispersal and its genetic consequences: Comparing protected and threatened baboon populations (Papio papio) in West Africa.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Disrupted dispersal and its genetic consequences: Comparing protected and threatened baboon populations (Papio papio) in West Africa.

Dispersal is a demographic process that can potentially counterbalance the negative impacts of anthropogenic habitat fragmentation. However, mechanisms of dispersal may become modified in populations living in human-dominated habitats. Here, we investigated dispersal in Guinea baboons (Papio papio) in areas with contrasting levels of anthropogenic fragmentation, as a case study.

Genetic evidence for spatio-temporal changes in the dispersal patterns of two sympatric African colobine monkeys.

Western black-and-white colobus and Temmink's red colobus are two forest-dependent African primates with similar ecological requirements, often found in sympatry. Their most striking difference lies in their social system: black-and-white colobus live in small groups with mainly male-mediated dispersal but where females can also disperse, whereas red colobus live in larger groups with males described as philopatric. To investigate whether genetic evidence supports the reported patterns of dispersal based on observational data, we examined eight black-and-white and six red colobus social groups from Cantanhez National Park, Guinea-Bissau.