in sum total we sequenced eleven orangutan genomes
the first genome using legacy d_n_a_ sequencing technology
and then ten additional genomes five from
the Bornean species and five from the Sumatran species
to get some population genetic information
look at the demographics... and evolution of the orangutan species themselves
there are two main foci of the paper if you will the first is that the orangtuan genome
compared to the genomes of chimpanzees
... and humans
has been evolving structurally very slowly it's been structurally stable compared to
chimps and humans and that's an interesting finding in and of itself secondly the population
genetic data we found.. is going to be i think a beneficial resource to the conservation
community and it tells us a lot about the evolution of these two species... when they
split from each other and how diverse the species are
so we developed a catalog of over thirteen million genetic variants across the orangutan genome
we have a good idea of what genetic variation is specific to Bornean orangutans
and what variation is specific to Sumatran orangutans
trying to maintain genetic diversity in a zoo
you can see
looking at the genetic profile of all the individuals in zoos that you're friendly with
and can trade individuals with as it were...
and maintain genetic diversity by an informed breeding program
from the wild perspective you can imagine a scenario where conservation dollars are
limited
and so you want to prioritize populations for saving based on how much genetic
diversity is within those populations maybe there's rare genetic diversity that you want
to prioritize over some more common diversity you have covered elsewhere for example
so having the genetic profile of all these populations would allow you to make that
kind of decision and prioritize populations for your conservation dollar
i think the good news... from our results is that there's a deep well of genetic diversity
left in the wild as it were from the individuals that we sampled
and so
conservation efforts i think would have a reasonable chance of success compared to some other species
that have been
... thinned down to the point where genetic variation is the gene pool if you will is very shallow
that makes a
... it very dangerous for a species in a sense
they face a greater chance of extinction when genetic diversity is brought to the razor's edge.
