Lemurs' fur color may not define speciesNovember 16, 2006Different coat colour might not correspond to different species for nocturnal lemurs. In a study published today in the open access journal BMC Evolutionary Biology, researchers find that lemurs that appeared to belong to different species because they have strikingly different coat colours, are in fact genetically related and belong to the same species. Kellie Heckman, from Yale University collaborated with colleagues from other institutions in the USA to sequence a mitochondrial gene called cytochrome b, in 70 mouse lemurs. The lemurs were thought to belong to up to three different species because they live in different forest habitats and have distinctive coat colours. However, surprisingly, Heckman et al.'s phylogenetic analysis reveals that the 70 lemurs do not differ genetically. According to their cytochrome b sequence, they all belong to the same, previously identified species, Microcebus griseorufus. The authors also show that the three different coat colours observed are found in all three geographical locations in similar proportions. Because they are nocturnal animals, these lemurs tend to depend more on auditory cues or smell to recognise each other, than on visual cues, such as coat colour. This could explain why a certain amount of variation in coat colour does not affect species recognition in mouse lemurs. The authors of the study recommend caution when identifying new species of lemurs. They conclude that an approach combining morphological, genetic, geographic, and ecological data is the most likely to give an accurate picture of species diversity. BioMed Central |
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| Related Lemur Current Events and Lemur News Articles Climate caused biodiversity booms and busts in ancient plants and mammals A period of global warming from 53 million to 47 million years ago strongly influenced plants and animals, spurring a biodiversity boom in western North America, researchers from three research museums report in a paper published online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. New theory on why male, female lemurs same size When it comes to investigating mysteries, Sherlock Holmes has nothing on Rice University biologist Amy Dunham. In a newly published paper, Dunham offers a new theory for one of primatology's long-standing mysteries: Why are male and female lemurs the same size? Museum specimens aid conservation effort in Madagascar There is a new tool for those developing conservation strategies for threatened species and landscapes: museum specimens. Richard Pearson and Christopher Raxworthy of the American Museum of Natural History dusted off a number of collections from Madagascar and used the location information associated with each species to test different ideas regarding the evolution of locally distributed endemism (unique species confined to small regions). New population of highly threatened greater bamboo lemur found in Madagascar Researchers in Madagascar have confirmed the existence of a population of greater bamboo lemurs more than 400 kilometers (240 miles) from the only other place where the Critically Endangered species is known to live, raising hopes for its survival. Ancient lemur's little finger poses mystery Analysis of the first hand bones belonging to an ancient lemur has revealed a mysterious joint structure that has scientists puzzled. Lemurs' evolutionary history may shed light on our own After swabbing the cheeks of more than 200 lemurs and related primates to collect their DNA, researchers at the Duke Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy (IGSP) and Duke Lemur Center now have a much clearer picture of their evolutionary family tree. Accelerometer backpacks aid study of gliding behavior in the 'flying' lemur Berkeley -- The "flying" lemur of Malaysia is the champion of all gliding mammals, able to drop from the forest canopy, glide more than the length of two football fields, execute 90-degree turns and then alight gently on a tree trunk. Genomics study provides insight into the evolution of unique human traits Today, researchers from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, along with colleagues from Stanford University, report the results of a large-scale, genome-wide study to investigate gene copy number differences among ten primate species, including humans. Tomorrow's endangered species: Act now to protect species not yet under threat Conservationists should be acting now to protect mammals such as North American reindeer which risk extinction in the future as the human population grows, according to research published today. Three new species of lemurs identified Researchers have identified three new species of lemurs, the small, big-eyed primates native to the island of Madagascar. More Lemur Current Events and Lemur News Articles |
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