Wild chimpanzees live in a variety of environments in Africa, from dense tropical rainforests to more open forest and savanna areas. And these close cousins of our species have, according to new research, developed interesting genetic adaptations to their habitats — including malaria-like ones. Pathogens.
Researchers examined genetic data from 388 wild chimpanzees in 18 countries, documenting habitat-driven adaptations and revealing previously unknown genetic diversity within the species to local conditions.
Forest environments, more than open habitats, are full of pathogens such as the mosquito-borne parasitic disease malaria. The study found that chimpanzees living in the wild showed changes in genes associated with disease resistance, some of which are linked to adaptation to malaria in humans.
“In wild chimpanzees, we identify signatures of adaptation to pathogens, with the strongest signal being that of malaria. We identify signatures of adaptation in two genes involved in resistance and adaptation to malaria in humans. are known to mediate parallel adaptations of malaria parasites in the two species,” said University College London evolutionary geneticist Ida Andres, who led the study, published this week in the journal Science.
“This is an evolutionary study, so whether genetic variations in these two genes actually lead to malaria resistance in the wild has yet to be established, and will have to be investigated in future studies. On the other hand, “We found no evidence of genetic adaptation to malaria in woodland-savanna chimpanzees, perhaps because forest environments are associated with strong malaria pressure,” Andres said.
Malaria is a deadly threat to humans. According to the United Nations World Health Organization, 597,000 deaths from malaria will occur worldwide in 2023.
Chimpanzees, and the closely related bonobos, are the closest species genetically to humans, sharing about 98.8% of our DNA. According to research published in 2023, the evolutionary lineages of humans and chimpanzees split about 6.9 million to 9 million years ago.
“If, as we suggest, adaptive mechanisms to a single infectious agent are likely to be the same across species, then identifying signatures of genetic adaptation in apes should provide us with insight into possible as yet unknown genetic adaptations in human populations. Identification can help,” Andres said.
The researchers based their findings on genetic material extracted from chimpanzee feces collected in equatorial Africa. 52 Collection locations Central African Republic, Cameroon, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Uganda.
Chimpanzees are considered endangered due to habitat destruction, poaching and infectious diseases. According to the World Wildlife Fund, the total population in the wild is estimated to be between 170,000 and 300,000.
The study’s findings have implications for the conservation of the species, suggesting that changes in climate and land use across their range will have different impacts on different populations of chimpanzees.
“While rainforest degradation is probably a threat to most woodland chimpanzees, habitat changes that could increase malaria pressure are probably a threat to most woodland-savanna populations,” Andres said. ”
“This study suggests that we should aim to conserve the remarkable genetic diversity of chimpanzees, including their adaptive genetic diversity. This is both to preserve existing populations and to preserve the adaptive capacity of the species – so They are more likely to be able, Andres added, to adapt to habitat changes caused by climate change.