THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ECOLOGICAL, MORPHOLOGICAL AND GENETIC FACTORS AMONG LORIS SPECIES IN SRI LANKA

• Published in: Revista do Instituto Florestal Vol. 34; no. 2
• Main Authors: Chamara Hettiarachchi, Saman Gamage, Faiz Marikar, Shamali Kumari
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Instituto Florestal 20.12.2022
• Subjects: Environment; Genetics; Loris distribution; Morphology; Species occurrence
• DOI: 10.24278/2178-5031.202234206
• ISSN: 0103-2674

The study on Loris species diversity in Sri Lanka was considered is based on environmental, morphological, and genetic factors. The distribution of the Loris species, according to genetics and morphology, was the focal point of this work. We have observed seven groups from 25 districts in Sri Lanka in the environmental analysis. When we compare the ecological factors of the Loris species in the study of distribution patterns, the genetic and morphological characteristics are considered for the occurrence of each species, and it also align with the environmental clustering style as seven clusters. Our results suggest that segregation plays a key role in the evolution of genetic structure within the Loris species populations under conditions of free movement. Given the monophyletic arrival of the Loris species, our study challenges the view that geographical barriers are strictly needed for genetic divergence. The study further raises the interesting prospect that social forces - such as social structure, feeding habits, and the breeding of Loris - might influence the genetic partitioning of the population.