Genetic Diversity and Connectivity of Southern Right Whales (Eubalaena australis) Found in the Brazil and Chile–Peru Wintering Grounds and the South Georgia (Islas Georgias del Sur) Feeding Ground
Year: 2020
Type: article
Abstract: As species recover from exploitation, continued assessments of connectivity and population structure are warranted to provide information for conservation and management. This is particularly true in species with high dispersal capacity, such as migratory whales, where patterns of connectivity could change rapidly. Here we build on a previous long-term, large-scale collaboration on southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) to combine new (nnew) and published (npub) mitochondrial (mtDNA) and microsatellite genetic data from all major wintering grounds and, uniquely, the South Georgia (Islas Georgias del Sur: SG) feeding grounds. Specifically, we include data from Argentina (npub mtDNA/microsatellite = 208/46), Brazil (nnew mtDNA/microsatellite = 50/50), South Africa (nnew mtDNA/microsatellite = 66/77, npub mtDNA/microsatellite = 350/47), Chile-Peru (nnew mtDNA/microsatellite = 1/1), the Indo-Pacific (npub mtDNA/microsatellite = 769/126), and SG (npub mtDNA/microsatellite = 8/0, nnew mtDNA/microsatellite = 3/11) to investigate the position of previously unstudied habitats in the migratory network: Brazil, SG, and Chile-Peru. These new genetic data show connectivity between Brazil and Argentina, exemplified by weak genetic differentiation and the movement of 1 genetically identified individual between the South American grounds. The single sample from Chile-Peru had an mtDNA haplotype previously only observed in the Indo-Pacific and had a nuclear genotype that appeared admixed between the Indo-Pacific and South Atlantic, based on genetic clustering and assignment algorithms. The SG samples were clearly South Atlantic and were more similar to the South American than the South African wintering grounds. This study highlights how international collaborations are critical to provide context for emerging or recovering regions, like the SG feeding ground, as well as those that remain critically endangered, such as Chile-Peru.
Source: Journal of Heredity
Authors: Emma L Carroll, Paulo H Ott, Louise F McMillan, Bárbara Galletti Vernazzani, Petra Neveceralova, Els Vermeulen, Oscar E Gaggiotti, Artur Andriolo, C Scott Baker, Connor Bamford, Peter Best, Elsa Cabrera, Susannah Calderan, Andrea Chirife, Rachel M Fewster, Paulo A C Flores, Timothy Frasier, Thales R O Freitas, Karina Groch, Pavel Hulva, Amy Kennedy, Russell Leaper, Matthew S Leslie, Michael Moore, Larissa Oliveira, Jon Seger, Emilie N Stepien, Luciano O Valenzuela, Alexandre Zerbini, Jennifer A Jackson
Institutions: University of Auckland, University of St Andrews, Universidade Estadual do Rio Grande do Sul, Victoria University of Wellington, Charles University, Dyer Island Conservation Trust, Phenikaa (Vietnam), Gryaab (Sweden), GS1 South Africa, University of Pretoria, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Oregon State University, British Antarctic Survey, University of Southampton, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, University of Washington, Aarhus University, University of Utah, Marine Ecology and Telemetry Research, Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, & Ecosystem Studies, Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos, Scottish Association For Marine Science, Universidad Andrés Bello, Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade, Saint Mary's University, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Instituto Australis, University of Ostrava, NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service Alaska Fisheries Science Center, International Fund for Animal Welfare, Swarthmore College, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Language: English
Subfield: Genetics
Domain: Life Sciences
SDG: Life below water
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,560
Funders: Pacific Whale Foundation, World Wildlife Fund, National Geographic Society, Univerzita Karlova v Praze, Grantová Agentura, Univerzita Karlova, Trent University, Royal Society, European Commission, University of Pretoria, Royal Society Te Apārangi, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Natural Environment Research Council, British Antarctic Survey
OpenAlex ID: W3019934588