Genetic diversity provides populations with the possibility to persist in ever‐changing environments, where selective regimes change over time. Therefore, the long‐term survival of a population may be affected by its level of genetic diversity. The Mexican howler monkey (Alouatta palliata mexicana ) is a critically endangered primate restricted to southeast Mexico. Here, we evaluate the genetic diversity and population structure of this subspecies based on 83 individuals from 31 groups sampled across the distribution range of the subspecies, using 29 microsatellite loci. Our results revealed extremely low genetic diversity (H _O = 0.21, H _E = 0.29) compared to studies of other A. palliata populations and to other Alouatta species. Principal component analysis, a Bayesian clustering method, and analyses of molecular variance did not detect strong signatures of genetic differentiation among geographic populations of this subspecies. Although we detect small but significant F _ST values between populations, they can be explained by a pattern of isolation by distance. These results and the presence of unique alleles in different populations highlight the importance of implementing conservation efforts in multiple populations across the distribution range of A. p. mexicana to preserve its already low genetic diversity. This is especially important given current levels of population isolation due to the extreme habitat fragmentation across the distribution range of this primate.

中文翻译：

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在极度濒危的墨西哥吼猴（Alouatta palliata mexicana）范围内，遗传多样性低，遗传结构有限。

遗传多样性为人口提供了在不断变化的环境中生存的可能性，在这种环境中选择性制度会随着时间而变化。因此，种群的长期生存可能会受到其遗传多样性水平的影响。墨西哥吼猴（Alouatta palliata mexicana）是一种濒临灭绝的灵长类动物，只限于墨西哥东南部。在这里，我们使用29个微卫星基因座，根据在亚种分布范围内抽样的31个群体的83个个体，评估了该亚种的遗传多样性和种群结构。我们的研究结果显示了非常低的遗传多样性（^ h _ø  = 0.21，H ^ _ê 相比其他的研究= 0.29）A. palliata种群和其他Alouatta物种。主成分分析，贝叶斯聚类方法和分子变异分析未检测到该亚种地理种群之间遗传分化的强烈信号。尽管我们检测到种群之间的F _ST值很小但很重要，但可以通过距离隔离模式来解释它们。这些结果以及不同人群中独特等位基因的存在，凸显了在A. p。分布范围内的多个人群中开展保护工作的重要性。墨西哥保持已经很低的遗传多样性。鉴于当前灵长类动物分布范围内的极端栖息地破碎，鉴于当前的人口隔离水平，这一点尤其重要。