assemblage 4 -- Map Simulations for Testing a Palaeo-Migratory Hypothesis

C. Cam Muir, R.F. Watkins, and T.T. Ha, Map Simulations for Testing a Palaeo-Migratory Hypothesis

ENDNOTES

1. Deme -- a subdivision of a population within which most breeding occurs (back to text)

2. Allele -- a genetic type. For a given DNA locus, or gene, variations between individuals exist. The eye-colour locus in humans, for example, has alleles for blue and brown eyes. In diploid organisms (those that have two sets of chromosomes), each allele is paired. (back to text)

3. Haplotype -- For genes or loci that are not paired, the genetic type is referred to as a haplotype. These loci include those contained in the mitochondrial genome and y-chromosomes (in primates), since only a single copy exists. (back to text)

4. Pairwise differences -- When a character in a number of individuals is compared and quantified, a matrix can be drawn up to illustrate degrees of similarity. A matrix of this type enumerates the number of differences betwen each individual, or in the case of DNA, each haplotype or genotype. (back to text)

5. Mitochondrial genome -- a separate genetic entity that is wholly contained within a cellular structure called a mitochondria. The mitochondrial genome is interesting to evolutionary and population biologists because it accepts mutations much more quickly than the nuclear genome and is inherited maternally in many organisms. (back to text)

6. Nuclear genome --the set of chromosomes within the cellular nucleus, often referred to as 'genomic DNA'. The nuclear genome is biparentally inherited in most cases of diploid organisms. (back to text)

7. Byte -- an eight-digit binary number used for computer data and instructions. (back to text)

WORKS CITED

de Boer, L.E.M. 1982. Genetics and conservation of the orang-utan. The Orangutan: Its Biology and Conservation (ed. deBoer) The Hague: Dr W. Junk Publishers.

Muir, C. Cam 1998. The Descendants of our Ancestors: Investigating Population Structure of the Orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus) Using DNA Sequence and Paleomigration Modeling. Unpublished PhD thesis. Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University.

Muir, C., Galdikas, B.M.F., and Beckenbach, A.T. 1995. Genetic variability in orangutans. In The Neglected Ape (eds R. Nadler et al.) New York: Plenum Press.

Muir, C. Cam, Galdikas, B.M.F., and Beckenbach, A.T. 1998. Is there sufficient evidence to elevate the orangutan of Borneo and Sumatra to separate species? Journal Molecular Evolution 46: 378-81

Muir, C. Cam, Galdikas, B.M.F., Beckenbach, A.T. in review. Inferences into population structure and migratory history of the orangutan of Borneo and Sumatra from ND3 sequence data. Evolution.

Peltier, R.W. 1994. Ice- age paleotopography. Science 265: 195-201.

Smith, R.J., Pilbeam, D.R. 1980. Evolution of the orangutan. Nature 284: 447-8.

Van der Kaars, S. 1990. Late Quaternary Vegetation and Climate of Australia as Reflected by the Palynology of Eastern Indonesian Deep-Sea Piston Cores. Unpublished PhD thesis, University of Amsterdam.

Van der Kaars, S. and Dam, R. 1996. Vegetation and climate change in West Java, Indonesia, during the last 135,000 years. Quaternary International 37: 67-71

Xu, X. and Arnason U. 1996. The mitochondrial DNA molecule of Sumatran and a molecular proposal for two (Bornean and Sumatran) species of orangutan. Journal of Molecular Evolution 43: 431-37.

Zhi, L., et al. 1996. Genomic differentiation among natural populations of orang-utan (Pongo pygmaeus). Current Biology 6(10): 1326-36.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Cam Muir is a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute of Molecular Biology (IMBB) and Biochemistry at Simon Fraser University, British Columbia. Cam has been studying the population genetics of the orang-utan using a variety of nuclear and mitochondrial markers. These studies have led Cam to work with colleagues to develop new approaches to understanding population structure, as well as prehistoric dispersal and colonisation events. For more information, please see <darwin.mbb.sfu.ca/imbb/beckenbach/cam.html>.

Russ Watkin is a fourth-year PhD student in molecular evolution at the IMBB. The focus of his research is the early evolution of multicellular animals, specifically, the evolution of the animal mitochondrial genome. This Other research interests include the application of computer graphics to modelling the impact of geological and astronomical histories on the evolution of life. See also <http://darwin.mbb.sfu.ca/imbb/beckenbach/index.html>

The Ha is a Research Associate at the IMBB. His work involves the creation of transgenic libraries from C. elegans. He is the systems administrator of the Institute's UNIX network, and he owns and operates Artistry Entertainment, a video and sound engineering company.

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