Can Malayan tapir's extinction be prevented? A genetic approach to its conservation

2022 Fiscal Year Annual Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21J15064
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: LIM QILUAN 京都大学, 理学研究科, 特別研究員(DC2)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-28 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: genomics / Malay tapir / microsatellite / SNP markers / Japan / Peninsular Malaysia / conservation / demographic history

Outline of Annual Research Achievements

From May to August 2022, a research trip was made to Peninsular Malaysia to conduct microsatellite analysis of 41 wild tapir samples using 38 novel microsatellite markers developed in this study. Genomic analyses of six Malayan tapirs from Japan institutions, each two with putative origins from Peninsular Malaysia, Thailand, and Sumatra, was conducted to infer the changes in historical effective population size that was as low as 2000-4000 upon entering Holocene and a population split between the mainland Southeast Asia and Sumatran populations >10k years ago. Using the six genomes and two public genomes, a custom panel of 24k single nucleotide polymorphism was developed, which targets mutations that are of moderate to high impacts to the gene functions. It was found that Sumatran samples showed a significantly higher loss-of-function mutations than the Peninsular Malaysian- and Thailand-origin samples. Malaysian and Sumatran samples also show higher inbreeding coefficients from the analysis of runs of homozygosity. More samples are required to clarify this. These results were presented three international conferences and a best poster prize was won. A scientific article was published in Global Ecology and Conservation. A Wildlife Conservation and Bioinformatics Workshop was held in March 2023. A Malaysian government wildlife research officer was invited to Japan to participate in the workshop as a mean for capacity building and for fostering the research connection between Wildlife Research Center of Kyoto University and the department of wildlife in Peninsular Malaysia.

Research Progress Status

令和4年度が最終年度であるため、記入しない。

Strategy for Future Research Activity

令和4年度が最終年度であるため、記入しない。

Research Products

• [Int'l Joint Research] Universiti Putra Malaysia/PERHILITAN Peninsular Malayisa(マレーシア)
  • Country Name: MALAYSIA
  • Counterpart Institution: Universiti Putra Malaysia/PERHILITAN Peninsular Malayisa
• [Journal Article] Population genetic structure of wild Malayan tapirs (Tapirus indicus) in Peninsular Malaysia revealed by nine cross-species microsatellite markers (2022)
  • Author(s): Lim Qi Luan、Yong Christina Seok Yien、Ng Wei Lun、Ismail Ahmad、Rovie-Ryan Jeffrine J.、Rosli Norsyamimi、Inoue-Murayama Miho、Annavi Geetha
  • Journal Title: Global Ecology and Conservation Volume: 40 Pages: e02321～e02321
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02321
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Population genetic structure of the Malayan tapir in Southeast Asia (2023)
  • Author(s): Lim, Q. L., Yong, C. S. Y., Ng, W. L., Ismail, A., Rovie-Ryan, J. J., Rosli, N., Annavi, G., & Murayama, M.
  • Organizer: 15th Malaysia International Genetics Congress
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Genome-wide runs of homozygosity analysis in six captive Malayan tapirs in Japan (2022)
  • Author(s): Lim, Q. L., Rosli, N., & Murayama, M.
  • Organizer: 15th International Conference of Asian Society of Conservation Medicine
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Historical effective population size of the endangered Malayan tapir: Implications for conservation. (2022)
  • Author(s): Lim, Q. L., Rosli, N., & Murayama, M.
  • Organizer: 58th Annual Meeting of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Remarks] Wildlife Research Center, Kyoto University
  • URL: https://www.wrc.kyoto-u.ac.jp/en/members/LimQL.html
• [Funded Workshop] Wildlife Conservation and Bioinformatics Workshop (2023)