Genetic Perspectives on Ape and Human Evolution

Gibbons and hominoid ancestry

“…Whichever of these scenarios proves to be correct, or any other not so far proposed, it is evident from molecular studies that the gibbon radiation was recent and rapid, either as a vicariant event or extremely rapid radiation (Thinh et al, 2010;Israfil et al, 2011;Disotell, 2013). The trigger for this was probably the rise and fall of sea levels, combined with expansion and contraction of the Southeast Asian rainforests during the glaciations (Geissmann, 1995;BrandonJones, 1998).…”

“…For a start, the calibration point from which molecular phylogenies are generated from DNA trees is that of the separation between monkeys and apes, and this is commonly taken to be about 30 Ma (Raaum et al, 2005;Locke et al, 2011;Disotell, 2013). However, as Disotell points out, the earliest fossil apes or monkeys date to about 20 Ma, and there is no real basis for assuming a date much earlier than this.…”

Catarrhine Evolution in China

“…Another fossil species (Bunopithecus sericus) found in Chongqing in Western China in the Pleistocene deposit is considered close to the extinct crown hylobatid and the one possibly representing a sister taxon to Hoolock [34]. Based on the studies of molecular data, it appears that gibbon radiation is relatively recent and rapid, either as a vicariant event or extremely fast radiation [35][36][37]. Some southeast and western China regions, such as Yunnan, Jiangsu, Sichuan, Inner Magnolia, and Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hainan, appear to have played an essential role in gibbons' origins and dispersal [30,[38][39][40][41][42].…”