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April 21, 2020

The comparative genomics and complex population history of Papio baboons.

Authors: Rogers, Jeffrey and Raveendran, Muthuswamy and Harris, R Alan and Mailund, Thomas and Leppälä, Kalle and Athanasiadis, Georgios and Schierup, Mikkel Heide and Cheng, Jade and Munch, Kasper and Walker, Jerilyn A and Konkel, Miriam K and Jordan, Vallmer and Steely, Cody J and Beckstrom, Thomas O and Bergey, Christina and Burrell, Andrew and Schrempf, Dominik and Noll, Angela and Kothe, Maximillian and Kopp, Gisela H and Liu, Yue and Murali, Shwetha and Billis, Konstantinos and Martin, Fergal J and Muffato, Matthieu and Cox, Laura and Else, James and Disotell, Todd and Muzny, Donna M and Phillips-Conroy, Jane and Aken, Bronwen and Eichler, Evan E and Marques-Bonet, Tomas and Kosiol, Carolin and Batzer, Mark A and Hahn, Matthew W and Tung, Jenny and Zinner, Dietmar and Roos, Christian and Jolly, Clifford J and Gibbs, Richard A and Worley, Kim C

Recent studies suggest that closely related species can accumulate substantial genetic and phenotypic differences despite ongoing gene flow, thus challenging traditional ideas regarding the genetics of speciation. Baboons (genus Papio) are Old World monkeys consisting of six readily distinguishable species. Baboon species hybridize in the wild, and prior data imply a complex history of differentiation and introgression. We produced a reference genome assembly for the olive baboon (Papio anubis) and whole-genome sequence data for all six extant species. We document multiple episodes of admixture and introgression during the radiation of Papio baboons, thus demonstrating their value as a model of complex evolutionary divergence, hybridization, and reticulation. These results help inform our understanding of similar cases, including modern humans, Neanderthals, Denisovans, and other ancient hominins.

Journal: Science advances
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aau6947
Year: 2019

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