Articles | Volume 1, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/pb-1-29-2014
https://doi.org/10.5194/pb-1-29-2014
Research article
 | 
15 Dec 2014
Research article |  | 15 Dec 2014

Genetic inference of group dynamics and female kin structure in a western lowland gorilla population (Gorilla gorilla gorilla)

M. Arandjelovic, J. Head, C. Boesch, M. M. Robbins, and L. Vigilant

Related subject area

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Cited articles

Arandjelovic, M., Guschanski, K., Schubert, G., Harris, T. R., Thalmann, O., Siedel, H., and Vigilant, L.: Two-step multiplex polymerase chain reaction improves the speed and accuracy of genotyping using DNA from noninvasive and museum samples, Mol. Ecol. Resour., 9, 28–36, 2009.
Arandjelovic, M., Head, J., Kuehl, H., Boesch, C., Robbins, M. M., Maisels, F., and Vigilant, L.: Effective non-invasive genetic monitoring of multiple wild western gorilla groups, Biol. Conserv., 143, 1780–1791, 2010.
Bermejo, M.: Home-range use and intergroup encounters in western gorillas (Gorilla g. gorilla) at Lossi Forest, North Congo, Am. J. Primatol., 64, 223–232, 2004.
Blouin, M. S.: DNA-based methods for pedigree reconstruction and kinship analysis in natural populations, Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 18, 503–511, 2003.
Blouin, M. S., Parsons, M., Lacaille, V., and Lotz, S.: Use of microsatellite loci to classify individuals by relatedness, Mol. Ecol., 5, 393–401, 1996.
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Short summary
By genotyping faecal samples from unhabituated gorillas collected over 5 years in Loango National Park, Gabon, we investigated gorilla group composition, social structure and dispersal. We identified 85 individuals, two group dissolutions, one group formation and the movement of 13 gorillas between groups. We also found that females are found in groups containing their female kin more often than expected by chance, suggesting that dispersal may not impede female kin associations in gorillas.