Paternity exclusion in a community of wild chimpanzees using hypervariable simple sequence repeats

Area of Science:

• Primate Genetics
• Molecular Ecology
• Behavioral Ecology

Background:

• Paternity determination in wild animal populations is challenging.
• Non-invasive genetic sampling methods are crucial for studying elusive species.
• Simple Sequence Repeats (SSR) offer a powerful tool for genetic analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine paternity in a wild chimpanzee community using SSR nuclear loci.
• To establish the first non-invasive paternity identifications for free-ranging chimpanzees.
• To evaluate the utility of SSRs for population genetics studies.

Main Methods:

• DNA was extracted from hair samples of 43 wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) in Gombe National Park, Tanzania.
• Genotyping was performed at 8 SSR loci for 35 individuals.
• Paternity exclusions were conducted for 25 offspring against 12-20 potential fathers.

Main Results:

• The probable father was identified in four cases using SSR data.
• This represents the first non-invasive paternity determination in free-ranging chimpanzees.
• In other cases, potential fathers were excluded, narrowing down paternity possibilities.

Conclusions:

• SSR analysis is a reliable and effective method for non-invasive paternity determination in wild chimpanzees.
• SSR genotype databases provide advantages for molecular ecologists over traditional methods.
• This study advances our understanding of chimpanzee social structure and reproductive strategies.