Quaternary climatic oscillation promoted speciation of two closely
related endangered langurs (François’ langur and White-headed langur)
Abstract
Climate oscillations may drive the divergence of ancestral species
through habitat isolation, species distribution patterns, and the
cessation of gene flow. However, traditional ecological niche models
lack the consideration for the genetic adaptation of species, thus it’s
difficult to understand how climate oscillations affect species
divergence by changing their climatic suitability and historical
demography. We analyzed the impact of climate change on the divergence
of two langur species, François’ langur and White-headed langur, using
Maxent, Genotype–Environment Association (GEA) models and genomic data.
Our results indicate that 1) Climatic suitability for François’ langur
and White-headed langur has separated from the Last Interglacial (LIG,
120,000-140,000 years ago) to the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM); 2)
Although the effective population size for both species decreased
between the LIG and the LGM, the effective population size of François’
langur increased more quickly than that of White-headed langur from the
LGM to the present; 3) Historical patterns of climate change have
resulted in periods of expanded and contracted climatic suitability,
with each species experiencing periods of interspecific genetic
isolation and periods of interspecific genetic exchange; and 4) Human
activities and future climate change have contracted the range of
François’ langur (in China) and White-headed langur. Climate
oscillation, population isolation, and in situ evolution in refugia from
the LIG to the LGM appear to have played a critical role in langur
speciation and adaptive evolution. Overall, our results demonstrate how
climatic oscillations and historical demography drive speciation,
providing a new perspective on species divergence and conservation.