Control Control Control: A Reassessment and Comparison of GenBank and Chromatogram mtDNA Sequence Variation in Baltic Grey Seals (Halichoerus grypus)

Fietz, Katharina; Graves, Jeff A.; Olsen, Morten Tange

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0072853

Cited by 20 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…In addition to the mtDNA data generated here, we included mtDNA sequences from 105 animals that had been sequenced and quality‐checked as detailed by Fietz et al . () bringing the total sample size for mtDNA analyses to 329 animals.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Shift of grey seal subspecies boundaries in response to climate, culling and conservation

et al. 2016

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Identifying the processes that drive changes in the abundance and distribution of natural populations is a central theme in ecology and evolution. Many species of marine mammals have experienced dramatic changes in abundance and distribution due to climatic fluctuations and anthropogenic impacts. However, thanks to conservation efforts, some of these species have shown remarkable population recovery and are now recolonizing their former ranges. Here, we use zooarchaeological, demographic and genetic data to examine processes of colonization, local extinction and recolonization of the two northern European grey seal subspecies inhabiting the Baltic Sea and North Sea. The zooarchaeological and genetic data suggest that the two subspecies diverged shortly after the formation of the Baltic Sea approximately 4200 years bp, probably through a gradual shift to different breeding habitats and phenologies. By comparing genetic data from 19th century pre-extinction material with that from seals currently recolonizing their past range, we observed a marked spatiotemporal shift in subspecies boundaries, with increasing encroachment of North Sea seals on areas previously occupied by the Baltic Sea subspecies. Further, both demographic and genetic data indicate that the two subspecies have begun to overlap geographically and are hybridizing in a narrow contact zone. Our findings provide new insights into the processes of colonization, extinction and recolonization and have important implications for the management of grey seals across northern Europe.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…; Fietz et al . ; Klimova et al . ) and are regarded as two separate subspecies: H. grypus grypus in the Baltic Sea and H. g. atlantica in the North Sea (Abadi et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shift of grey seal subspecies boundaries in response to climate, culling and conservation

et al. 2016

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“…Haplotype numbers (e.g. _H6) are according to Fietz et al (2013). Note that the sequences obtained from 2 different bite marks on porpoise Pp2 are similar but differ from the sequences obtained from porpoises Pp1 …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For grey seal, we selected the data of Graves et al (2009) re-edited by Fietz et al (2013). In addition, new data were generated using the primer pair ThrL16272 and DLH16750 (Stanley et al 1996) on DNA extracts of 8 grey seals (GenBank accession numbers KM053398−KM053405) and 97 faecal samples of grey seals from various locations in the Dutch North Sea and Wadden Sea (GenBank accession numbers KM066992-KM067088).…”

Section: Primer Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Detection of grey seal Halichoerus grypus DNA in attack wounds on stranded harbour porpoises Phocoena phocoena

Bleijswijk¹,

Begeman²,

Witte³

et al. 2014

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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DNA was analysed from external wounds on 3 dead harbour porpoises Phocoena phocoena that were stranded in the Netherlands. Puncture wounds as well as the edges of large open wounds were sampled with sterile cotton swabs. With specific primers that target the mtDNA control region of grey seal Halichoerus grypus, a 196 bp DNA fragment was amplified from 4 puncture wounds. Sequencing of the fragments confirmed the presence of grey seal DNA in the puncture wounds. DNA sequences differed between the cases, implying that 3 individual grey seals were involved. As 8 control swabs from intact skin and the transport bag as well as 6 swabs from open wounds on the same harbour porpoises were all negative, contamination with environmental DNA is considered unlikely. The results provide a link between strandings of mutilated harbour porpoises and recent observations of grey seals attacking harbour porpoises. Ours is the first study to use forensic techniques to identify DNA in bite marks from carcasses recovered from the marine environment. This approach can be extended to identify other marine aggressors, including cases involving persons mutilated at sea.

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“… The Baltic grey seal is a single management unit, although genetic data show spatial structuring (Graves et al 2013). Total numbers of counted seals in the entire Baltic during moulting surveys in 2014 was about 32,000.…”

Section: Management Units and Assessment Unitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Food Resources, Reproductive Rate and Hunting Pressure on the Baltic Grey Seal Population in the Finnish Sea Area

Kauhala

Ahola

Isomursu

et al. 2016

Annales Zoologici Fennici

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Grey sealRinged seal Harbour sealThe indicator includes all species of seals that occur in the Baltic Sea and is applicable in the whole HELCOM area. The status evaluation is presented separately for the three seal species. The grey seal in the Baltic proper is evaluated as a single unit, whereas the Kattegat grey seals are evaluated separately. The status of ringed seals is evaluated for two management units and harbour seals for four units. The evaluation of abundance of seals is based on data from 2014.Grey seal occurs in the entire Baltic Sea except for the Kattegat where the species has not been breeding since the 1930s except for a few observations from recent years. Grey seals achieve GES with regard to population growth rate in the entire Baltic when evaluated as one single population. The abundance of grey seals achieves GES. The confidence of evaluation is high.Ringed seals occur in the Bothnian Bay, which is one management unit, and the Gulf of Finland, the Archipelago Sea, the Gulf of Riga and the Estonian coastal waters, which is a second management unit. The ringed seal population growth rate is considerably below GES levels in both units. Subpopulations in the Gulf of Finland and the Gulf of Riga are stable or declining. The size of the population is in GES only in the Bothnian Bay. Confidence of evaluation is high for both the Northern and Southern management units.Harbour seals are confined to the Kalmarsund, Southern Baltic, the Kattegat and the Limfjord, which all are separate management units. The Kattegat and Limfjord sub-populations may be approaching carrying capacity, since the annual growth rates are levelling off. As no decline exceeding 10% has been detected over the last 10-year period, these sub-populations have achieved GES with regard to population growth rate. However, more information is needed for the Limfjord on the connectivity of this stock with the Wadden Sea population. The harbour seal population in the southern Baltic is growing at 9.1% per year,

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Control Control Control: A Reassessment and Comparison of GenBank and Chromatogram mtDNA Sequence Variation in Baltic Grey Seals (Halichoerus grypus)

Cited by 20 publications

References 9 publications

Shift of grey seal subspecies boundaries in response to climate, culling and conservation

Shift of grey seal subspecies boundaries in response to climate, culling and conservation

Detection of grey seal Halichoerus grypus DNA in attack wounds on stranded harbour porpoises Phocoena phocoena

The Impact of Food Resources, Reproductive Rate and Hunting Pressure on the Baltic Grey Seal Population in the Finnish Sea Area

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