Morphological variation of genetically confirmed Alouatta Pigra × A. palliata hybrids from a natural hybrid zone in Tabasco, Mexico

Bibliographic Data

ID8319913
AuthorsMary A Kelaita (0000-0003-4656-2335, University of Michigan, corresponding author), Liliana Cortés‐ortiz (0000-0002-1197-6362, University of Michigan)
Year2013
Volume150
Issue2
Pages223-234
Publication date2013-02-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Physical Anthropology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0002-9483 • E-ISSN: 1096-8644
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/ajpa.22196
PMID23225250
OpenAlexW2000861638
LanguageEN
Citations received21
References cited63

While hybridization has been reported for a large number of primate taxa, there is a general lack of data on hybrid morphology for wild individuals with known genetic ancestry. A confirmed hybrid zone for the closely related Neotropical primates Alouatta palliata and A. pigra has provided a unique opportunity to study primate hybrid morphological variation. Here we used molecular evidence based on mitochondrial, Y‐chromosome, and autosomal data to assess hybrid ancestry. We conducted univariate and multivariate statistical comparisons of morphometric data collected from individuals both outside and within the hybrid zone in Tabasco, Mexico. Our results show that of all the hybrids detected ( N = 128), only 12% of them were approximately genetically intermediate, and none of them were first generation hybrids. Univariate pairwise comparisons among parental individuals, multigenerational backcrossed hybrids, and intermediate hybrids showed that overall, multigenerational backcrossed hybrids resemble the parental species with which they share most of their alleles. Conversely, intermediates were highly variable. Similarly, principal component analysis depicts an overlap between the parental species and their backcrosses when considering overall morphological differences. Finally, discriminant function analysis of the morphological variables was overall unreliable for classifying individuals into their assigned genotypic classes. Taken together, our results suggest that primate natural hybridization studies should incorporate molecular methods for determining ancestry, because morphology may not always be a reliable indicator of hybrid status. Hybrid zones could comprise a large number of multigenerational backcrossed hybrids that are indistinguishable from the parental species. The implications for studying hybridization in the primate fossil record are discussed. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Backcrossing · Biology · Botany · Evolutionary biology · Gene · Gene flow · Genetic variation · Hybrid · Hybrid zone · Primate · Zoology · Ecology · Genetic diversity and population structure · Genetics · Primate Behavior and Ecology · Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

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