Year: 2023
Type: article
Abstract: Twentieth century industrial whaling pushed several species to the brink of extinction, with fin whales being the most impacted. However, a small, resident population in the Gulf of California was not targeted by whaling. Here, we analyzed 50 whole-genomes from the Eastern North Pacific (ENP) and Gulf of California (GOC) fin whale populations to investigate their demographic history and the genomic effects of natural and human-induced bottlenecks. We show that the two populations diverged ~16,000 years ago, after which the ENP population expanded and then suffered a 99% reduction in effective size during the whaling period. In contrast, the GOC population remained small and isolated, receiving less than one migrant per generation. However, this low level of migration has been crucial for maintaining its viability. Our study exposes the severity of whaling, emphasizes the importance of migration, and demonstrates the use of genome-based analyses and simulations to inform conservation strategies.
Source: Nature Communications
Authors: Sergio F. Nigenda-Morales, Meixi Lin, Paulina G. Nuñez-Valencia, Christopher C. Kyriazis, Annabel C. Beichman, Jacqueline A. Robinson, Aaron P. Ragsdale, Jorge Urbán R., Frederick I. Archer, Lorena Viloria-Gómora, María José Pérez-Álvarez, Elie Poulin, Kirk E. Lohmueller, Andrés Moreno-Estrada, Robert K. Wayne
Institutions: California State University, San Marcos, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, University of California, Los Angeles, Carnegie Institution for Science, Carnegie Department of Plant Biology, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, University of Washington, University of California, San Francisco, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur, NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Universidad Mayor, University of Chile
Language: English
Subfield: Genetics
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $6,290
Funders: National Science Foundation, Institut Català de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia, Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Fondo de Cooperación Internacional en Ciencia y Tecnología, Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo, National Institutes of Health, University of California, Los Angeles, National Institute on Aging, National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Marine Fisheries Service, Institute for Digital Research and Education, University of California, Los Angeles
Awards: G404041149, SG: Selection in Bottlenecked Populations, MILLENNIUM INSTITUTE BIODIVERSITY OF ANTARCTIC AND SUBANTARCTIC ECOSYSTEMS, G6761437668, G7549335471, BEHIND THE SCENE OF THE WORLD´S LARGEST WHALE MASS MORTALITY HISTORICAL AND CONTEMPORARY POPULATION STRUCTURE AND THE IMPACT OF WHALING ON BALAENOPTERA BOREALIS, G8083151929, Population genomics of the selective effects of new mutations, Biological Mechanisms of Healthy Aging Training Grant
OpenAlex ID: W4386636498