Genomic and phenotypic consequences of long-term isolation and small population size in Yakushima macaques
The relative roles of genetic drift, inbreeding, and natural selection in island evolution have been fundamental themes in evolutionary biology for nearly a century. However, empirical studies have yet to reach a consensus, and research integrating both genotypes and phenotypes in primates remains limited. The present study aims to estimate the demographic history of an island primate population,…
The Yakushima macaque (Macaca fuscata yakui) is an island primate population that has been isolated for over 100,000 years, with an effective population size of several thousand individuals. This long-term isolation has led to significant genomic and phenotypic consequences, as revealed by a new study. While purifying selection was detected, deleterious alleles have not been completely purged from the population.
Moreover, males showed a slightly but significantly higher degree of fluctuating asymmetry compared to mainland populations, but this trend was not observed in females. The study also found marginal evidence of directional selection for cranial size, although the cranial shape remained unaffected. Overall, the research suggests that genetic drift and inbreeding have played a substantial role in shaping the genotypic and phenotypic variation of the Yakushima macaque population due to their prolonged isolation.
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