influence of glacial epochs and habitat dependence on the diversity and phylogeography of a coastal dolphin species: Lagenorhynchus albirostris

In this paper we use mitochondrial and microsatellite DNA variation to investigate the mechanisms that underlie the evolution of population structure in a highly mobile marine mammal, the white-beaked dolphin. We found moderate genetic diversity (h) at mtDNA, but low nucleotide diversity (π) (0.7320...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Conservation genetics 2010-10, Vol.11 (5), p.1823-1836
Main Authors: Banguera-Hinestroza, E, Bjørge, A, Reid, R. J, Jepson, P, Hoelzel, A. R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal Genetics and Genomics
Aquatic mammals
Biodiversity
Biogeography
Conservation biology
Conservation Biology/Ecology
Deep water
Demographic expansion
Dolphins & porpoises
Ecology
Evolutionary Biology
Genetic diversity
Lagenorhynchus
Life Sciences
Local population
Marine mammals
Mitochondrial DNA
North Atlantic
phylogeography
Plant Genetics and Genomics
Population genetics
Population structure
Research Article
Spatial expansion
White-beaked dolphins
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Summary:In this paper we use mitochondrial and microsatellite DNA variation to investigate the mechanisms that underlie the evolution of population structure in a highly mobile marine mammal, the white-beaked dolphin. We found moderate genetic diversity (h) at mtDNA, but low nucleotide diversity (π) (0.7320 ± 0.0031 and 0.0056 ± 0.0004, respectively), consistent with expectations for a recent expansion. Analyses based on mismatch distributions further suggested a demographic expansion in the Norwegian-Barents Sea population and a spatial expansion in the British isles-North Sea population, implying distinct demographic histories. F ST values showed clear differentiation among these two populations, but no difference was found between putative populations separated by the English Channel. Our data suggest a stepwise pattern of expansion, dependent on available coastal habitat. The conservation implications are a need to protect local populations isolated by an expanse of deep water, and in particular, a population along the British coasts and in the North Sea as separate from the North Norway-Barents Sea population. It is also evident that overall diversity was reduced, probably during the last glacial epoch.
ISSN:1566-0621
1572-9737
DOI:10.1007/s10592-010-0075-y