Details of Award
NERC Reference : NE/N007980/1
Population genomics and the viability of the endangered Sanje mangabey (Cercocebus sanjei) in the Udzungwa Mountains, Tanzania
Training Grant Award
- Lead Supervisor:
- Professor MW Bruford, Cardiff University, School of Biosciences
- Grant held at:
- Cardiff University, School of Biosciences
- Science Area:
- Terrestrial
- Overall Classification:
- Terrestrial
- ENRIs:
- Biodiversity
- Natural Resource Management
- Science Topics:
- Demography (General)
- Conservation Ecology
- Population Genetics/Evolution
- Environmental Genomics
- Abstract:
- Primates are among the world's most charismatic yet threatened taxa and are often used in conservation as flagship or umbrella species to represent protected areas and the other species within them. In eastern Africa, primates represent valuable resources for local communities through ecotourism and affiliated economic activities. As primates face increasing threats due to habitat degradation, forest loss and hunting, it has become critical to establish accurate population estimates to monitor their numbers and avoid irreversible declines. This is particularly important for species with small, fragmented distributions. Intrinsic and extrinsic data are also required to enable population viability assessment and coherent management plans to be enacted. To understand population viability, thorough surveys are required. However, for many elusive or endangered species, such as Tanzania's Sanje mangabey, this kind of research is impossible. In these cases, non-invasively collected samples can elucidate aspects of demographic and genetic viability, such as social structure (measured via relatedness and molecular sex determination), genome-wide diversity for neutral markers, differentiation among fragments (population structure) and diversity at genes related to health status (eg immunity). With the advent of genome-scale DNA capture having been demonstrated for primate feces (e.g. Perry et al [2010] Mol Ecol 10: 5332) it is now feasible to obtain data for both neutral DNA and genic sequences at a very large scale, an approach that will be employed in this study. In carrying out this analysis the student will obtain skills in population genomics and bioinformatics (routinely carried out in the Cardiff laboratory, eg Zhan et al [2013) Nat Genet 45: 563) as well as primate field biology and conservation. The Sanje mangabey (Cercocebus sanjei) is endemic to the Udzungwa Mountains of Tanzania, part of the Eastern Afromontane Biodiversity Hotspot and a newly established field site location for the Bristol Zoological Society. The Udzungwas contain the largest number of endemic and near endemic vertebrate species per forest area in Africa, and thus, they represent one of the continent's most important regions for biodiversity conservation. Currently, approximately 1300 Sanje mangabeys remain in two isolated forest fragments, the Udzungwa Mountains National Park (UMNP), actively protected by park rangers, and the Udzungwa Scarp Forest Reserve (USFR), which lacks any active oversight. The UMNP and USFR are separated by ca. 120 km of land used primarily for agriculture. While the remaining forests, with large stands of primary growth, are considered high quality habitat, rampant hunting, timber extraction, and forest clearing for agriculture are threats. In addition, since the last mangabey survey in 1999, the human population neighbouring the mountains has grown rapidly. Currently, plans are in motion to gazette the USFR as a full Nature Reserve; however, such areas are not significantly better protected than Forest Reserves. Thus, the Udzungwa research community and the Bristol Zoological Society are petitioning the government to include the Scarp within the UMNP to ensure active protection of this critically important region for biodiversity. The PhD will therefore have three objectives: 1) using cutting edge genomic tools, to characterise and compare neutral and functional viability in the two populations; 2) use population modelling, incorporating genomic data for the first time, to project the likely viability of the population in the near future; and 3) to assist in the development of a management plan for the species and related mangabey taxa in the region. By determining whether the population of Sanje mangabeys is viable and the benefits that creating dispersal corridors between the subpopulations will provide, this study could serve as key evidence to encourage the government to improve the Scarp's protection level.
- NERC Reference:
- NE/N007980/1
- Grant Stage:
- Completed
- Scheme:
- DTG - directed
- Grant Status:
- Closed
- Programme:
- Industrial CASE
This training grant award has a total value of £132,622
FDAB - Financial Details (Award breakdown by headings)
| Total - Other Costs | Total - Fees | Total - RTSG | Total - Student Stipend |
|---|---|---|---|
| £36,000 | £19,160 | £11,000 | £66,464 |
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