Short Communication: Effectiveness of nuclear gene in species and subspecies determination of captive orangutans

MUHAMMAD NURISMADEE ABDUL-MANAN (Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia)
MOHD-RIDWAN ABD RAHMAN (Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia)
NOR AIFAT RAHMAN (Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia)
NUR AZIMAH OSMAN (Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia)
MUHAMMAD ABDUL-LATIFF ABU BAKAR (Centre of Research for Sustainable Uses of Natural Resources, Faculty of Applied Sciences and Technology, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (Pagoh Campus). 84000, Muar, Johor, Malaysia)
SABAPATHY DHARMALINGAM (Bukit Merah Orang Utan Island Foundation, 34400, Bukit Merah, Perak, Malaysia)
BADRUL MUNIR MD ZAIN (Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia)

Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity
Vol. 21 No. 8 (2020)

Abstract. Abdul-Manan MN, Mohd-Ridwan AR, Aifat NR, Osman NA, Abdul-Latiff MA, Dharmalingam S, Md-Zain BM. 2020. Short Communication: Effectiveness of nuclear gene in species and subspecies determination of captive orangutans. Biodiversitas 21: 3665-3669. Genetic identification of captive orangutans is of paramount importance in providing a correct identity that is essential for captive management. Thus, the utility of nuclear DNA sequences was tested in this study to identify the genetic identity of captive orangutans at Bukit Merah Orang Utan Island. Out of 24 DNA samples that were successfully extracted, only 10 orangutan samples were successfully sequenced for the von Willebrand factor (vWF) gene. From the results, this gene was able to separate the genus Pongo at the species level. Distance and character analyses indicated that a clear separation between P. pygmaeus and P. abelii at the species level. However, the degree of separation at species level was indicated in tree topology with moderate bootstrap values. At the subspecies level of P. pygmaeus, this gene was unable to show a clear separation between three Bornean subspecies. All the subspecies were formed clade together with each other. The vMF gene is a good nuclear gene for the study of phylogenetic relationships of orangutans in captivity at the species level, but the genetic identification at subspecies level in the genus level remains unclear. We suggest that future studies should involve multiple independent nuclear markers to increase the probability of getting reliable results.