GENETIC CHARACTERIZATION OF PATAS MONKEY (Erythrocebus patas) IN NEWBUSSA, NIGER STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The declining populations of biodiversity requires the approach of conservation genetics in the assessment of genetic variability and the maximization of genetic diversity. This study was carried out to identify, organize and characterize the Patas monkey (Erythrocebus patas) genome. Minimally invasive technique was used to obtain the blood samples for analysis. The blood samples were taken with the assistance of a professional veterinary doctor. They were transferred immediately to blood tubes which contains 95% ethanol for preservation and then stored in refrigerator before laboratory analysis. Genetic analyses revealed that the mitogenome was 16,678 bp in length, with an overall base composition of 31.8% A, 25.8% T, 29.7% C, and 12.7% G. The A+T content (57.6%) was greater than the G+C content (42.4%). Phylogenetic analysis was based on the COI sequences of 9 individuals from different locations. The newly sequenced individuals are from Benin Republic, South West, Nigeria and North Central, Nigeria, West Africa; while other sequences were downloaded from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI database). The nucleotide diversity shows both the frequency and differences between haplotypes, hence, it is a more suitable parameter to estimate the genetic diversity in populations than haplotype diversity. The Kimura-2-parameter (K2P) was used to estimate the genetic distances among the aligned sequences. The study indicates significant genetic differentiation among all of the geographical locations which indicates high genetic distances. The findings revealed a relatively low frequency polymorphisms and absence of variants of alleles among the population of patas. This exemplified a stable demographic history with a stable population size. Hence, the study provides a useful database for analyzing the phylogenetic relationship of Erythrocebus patas. However, further genetic study is recommended for improved conservation of primates in Nigeria