Low genetic diversity in pygmy blue whales is due to climate-induced diversification rather than anthropogenic impacts

Attard, Catherine; Beheregaray, Luciano B.; Jenner, K. Curt S.; Gill, Peter C.; Jenner, Micheline; Morrice, Margaret G.; Teske, Peter R.; Möller, Luciana M.

doi:10.1098/rsbl.2014.1037

Cited by 27 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…We described 2 new mtDNA haplotypes in the New Zealand population, and the genetic samples are characterized by very low haplotype diversity. This is significantly lower than that of the pygmy blue whale population found in southern Australia that was described as having the lowest genetic diversity of any blue whale population (Attard et al 2015). As hypothesized by Attard et al (2015) for the southern Australian pygmy blue whale population, the low genetic diversity of the New Zealand population may reflect a relatively recent founding event.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 39%

“…Arlequin v3.5.1.2 (Excoffier & Lischer 2010) was used to calculate haplotype diversity and to test for mtDNA haplotype differentiation between (1) STB and NZCeTA samples, and (2) pairwise between the combined New Zealand samples and 3 other populations: Antarctic blue whales in the Southern Ocean (n = 183, Sremba et al 2012), Chilean blue whales in the Southeast Pacific including the Chilean coast (n = 113, Torres-Florez et al 2014), and pygmy blue whales from the south and west coasts of Australia (n = 89, Attard et al 2015) that included sequences previously published by LeDuc et al (2007). The significance of differences in haplotype diversity between the New Zealand dataset and the other blue whale populations was tested using a permutation procedure implemented in Program R, Genetic_ diversity_diffs v1.0.4 (Alexander et al 2016).…”

Section: Geneticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Control region sequences were visualized and manually reviewed using the program Sequencher v4.6 (Gene Codes Corporation). Individual haplotypes were aligned with previously published blue whale haplotypes , Sremba et al 2012, TorresFlorez et al 2014, Attard et al 2015 downloaded from GenBank. Microsatellite alleles were analyzed using Genemapper v4.0 (Applied Biosystems), and peaks were visually inspected.…”

Section: Geneticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Currently, no reliable abundance estimates exist for pygmy blue whales in any region (Clapham et al 1999, Attard et al 2015. Baseline data on population abundance, distribution patterns, and connectivity are fundamental to assess and mitigate impacts from industrial activity and longer-term environmental shifts.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The pygmy blue whales found in the Indian Ocean and off Australia appear to have diverged from Antarctic blue whales around the last glacial maximum and are genetically, acoustically, and morphologically distinct from Antarctic and Chilean blue whales (Branch et al 2007, Miller et al 2014, Attard et al 2015. Under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, Antarctic blue whales are classified as 'Critically Endangered' (Reilly et al 2008), and pygmy blue whales are listed as 'Data Deficient' (Cetacean Specialist Group 1996).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Documentation of a New Zealand blue whale population based on multiple lines of evidence

Barlow¹,

Torres²,

Hodge³

et al. 2018

Endang. Species. Res.

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Species conservation depends on robust population assessment. Data on population abundance, distribution, and connectivity are critical for effective management, especially as baseline information for newly documented populations. We describe a pygmy blue whale Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda population in New Zealand waters with year-round presence that overlaps with industrial activities. This population was investigated using a multidisciplinary approach, including analysis of survey data, sighting records, acoustic data, identification photographs, and genetic samples. Blue whales were reported during every month of the year in the New Zealand Exclusive Economic Zone, with reports concentrated in the South Taranaki Bight (STB) region, where foraging behavior was frequently observed. Five hydrophones in the STB recorded the New Zealand blue whale call type on 99.7% of recording days (January to December 2016). A total of 151 individuals were photo-identified between 2004 and 2017. Nine individuals were resighted across multiple years. No matches were made to individuals identified in Australian or Antarctic waters. Mitochondrial DNA haplotype frequencies differed significantly between New Zealand (n = 53 individuals) and all other Southern Hemisphere blue whale populations, and haplotype diversity was significantly lower than all other populations. These results suggest a high degree of isolation of this New Zealand population. Using a closed capturerecapture population model, our conservative abundance estimate of blue whales in New Zealand is 718 (SD = 433, 95% CI = 279−1926). Our results fill critical knowledge gaps to improve management of blue whale populations in New Zealand and surrounding regions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 39%

Section: Geneticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Geneticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Documentation of a New Zealand blue whale population based on multiple lines of evidence

Barlow¹,

Torres²,

Hodge³

et al. 2018

Endang. Species. Res.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Evolutionary impacts differ between two exploited populations of northern bottlenose whale (Hyperoodon ampullatus)

Feyrer

Bentzen

Whitehead

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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Interpretation of conservation status should be informed by an appreciation of genetic diversity, past demography, and overall trends in population size, which contribute to a species' evolutionary potential and resilience to genetic risks. Low genetic diversity can be symptomatic of rapid demographic declines and impose genetic risks to populations, but can also be maintained by natural processes. The northern bottlenose whale Hyperoodon ampullatus has the lowest known mitochondrial diversity of any cetacean and was intensely whaled in the Northwest Atlantic over the last century, but whether exploitation imposed genetic risks that could limit recovery is unknown. We sequenced full mitogenomes and genotyped 37 novel microsatellites for 128 individuals from known areas of abundance in the Scotian Shelf, Northern and Southern Labrador, Davis Strait, and Iceland, and a newly discovered group off Newfoundland. Despite low diversity and shared haplotypes across all regions, both markers supported the Endangered Scotian Shelf population as distinct from the combined northern regions. The genetic affinity of Newfoundland was uncertain, suggesting an area of mixing with no clear population distinction for the region. Demographic reconstruction using mitogenomes suggests that the northern region underwent population expansion following the last glacial maximum, but for the peripheral Scotian Shelf population, a stable demographic trend was followed by a drastic decline over a temporal scale consistent with increasing human activity in the Northwest Atlantic. Low connectivity between the Scotian Shelf and the rest of the Atlantic likely compounded the impact of intensive whaling for this species, potentially imposing genetic risks affecting recovery of this population. We highlight how the combination of historical environmental conditions and modern exploitation of this species has had very different evolutionary impacts on structured populations of northern bottlenose whales across the western North Atlantic.

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Life history traits and dispersal shape neutral genetic diversity in metapopulations

Garnier

Lafontaine

2022

J. Math. Biol.

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Genetic diversity at population scale, depends on species life-history traits, population dynamics and local and global environmental factors. We first investigate the effect of lifehistory traits on the neutral genetic diversity of a single population using a deterministic mathematical model. When the population is stable, we show that semelparous species with precocious maturation and iteroparous species with delayed maturation exhibit higher diversity because their life history traits tend to balance the lifetimes of non reproductive individuals (juveniles) and adults which reproduce. Then, we extend our model to a metapopulation to investigate the additional effect of dispersal on diversity. We show that dispersal may truly modify the local effect of life history on diversity. As a result, the diversity at the global scale of the metapopulation differ from the local diversity which is only described through local life history traits of the populations. In particular, dispersal usually promotes diversity at the global metapopulation scale.

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Low genetic diversity in pygmy blue whales is due to climate-induced diversification rather than anthropogenic impacts

Cited by 27 publications

References 19 publications

Documentation of a New Zealand blue whale population based on multiple lines of evidence

Documentation of a New Zealand blue whale population based on multiple lines of evidence

Evolutionary impacts differ between two exploited populations of northern bottlenose whale (Hyperoodon ampullatus)

Life history traits and dispersal shape neutral genetic diversity in metapopulations

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