Historical sampling reveals dramatic demographic changes in western gorilla populations

Supplementary Information Historical sampling reveals dramatic demographic changes in western gorilla populations

In order to assess whether or not the DNA extracted from 35 historical gorilla samples would allow amplification of autosomal microsatellite loci, we ran an initial PCR test on all extracted samples. Test amplifications of three autosomal microsatellites and one segment of the sex-specific amelogenin gene were set up in a laboratory dedicated for work on ancient materials and performed in a sta...

How Ebola Impacts Genetics of Western Lowland Gorilla Populations

BACKGROUND Emerging infectious diseases in wildlife are major threats for both human health and biodiversity conservation. Infectious diseases can have serious consequences for the genetic diversity of populations, which could enhance the species' extinction probability. The Ebola epizootic in western and central Africa induced more than 90% mortality in Western lowland gorilla population. Alth...

Western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) change their activity patterns in response to frugivory.

The most important environmental factor explaining interspecies variation in ecology and sociality of the great apes is likely to be variation in resource availability. Relatively little is known about the activity patterns of western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla), which inhabit a dramatically different environment from the well-studied mountain gorillas (G. beringei beringei). Thi...

Interunit, environmental and interspecific influences on silverback-group dynamics in western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla)

Social structure and life-history patterns in western gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla).

Life-history traits and ecological conditions have an important influence on primate social systems. Most of what we know about the life-history patterns and social structure of gorillas comes from studies of eastern gorillas (Gorilla beringei sp.), which live under dramatically different ecological conditions compared to western gorillas (Gorilla gorilla sp.). In this paper we present new data...