Phylogeography and alpha taxonomy of the common dolphin (Delphinus sp.)

The resolution of taxonomic classifications for delphinid cetaceans has been problematic, especially for species in the genera Delphinus, Tursiops and Stenella. The frequent lack of correspondence between morphological and genetic differentiation in these species raises questions about the mechanism...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of evolutionary biology 2006-05, Vol.19 (3), p.943-954
Main Authors: NATOLI, A., CAÑADAS, A., PEDDEMORS, V. M., AGUILAR, A., VAQUERO, C., FERNÁNDEZ‐PIQUERAS, P., HOELZEL, A. R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal Migration
Animal populations
Animals
common dolphin
Common Dolphins - classification
Common Dolphins - genetics
convergence
Delphinus
DNA, Mitochondrial - genetics
Dolphins & porpoises
Environment
evolution
Female
Genetic diversity
Geography
Male
Microsatellite Repeats
microsatellites
Mitochondrial DNA
mtDNA
Phylogeny
phylogeography
population genetic
Sex Characteristics
Sex Determination Processes
Stenella
Taxonomy
Tursiops
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The resolution of taxonomic classifications for delphinid cetaceans has been problematic, especially for species in the genera Delphinus, Tursiops and Stenella. The frequent lack of correspondence between morphological and genetic differentiation in these species raises questions about the mechanisms responsible for their evolution. In this study we focus on the genus Delphinus, and use molecular markers to address questions about speciation and the evolution of population structure. Delphinus species have a worldwide distribution and show a high degree of morphological variation. Two distinct morphotypes, long‐beaked and short‐beaked, have been considered different species named D. capensis and D. delphis, respectively. However, genetic differentiation between these two forms has only been demonstrated in the Pacific. We analysed samples from eight different geographical regions, including two morphologically defined long‐beaked form populations, and compared these with the eastern North Pacific populations. We found high differentiation among the populations described as long‐beaked instead of the expected monophyly, suggesting that these populations may have evolved from independent events converging on the same morphotype. We observed low genetic differentiation among the short‐beaked populations across a large geographical scale. We interpret these phylogeographical patterns in the context of life history and population structure in related species.
ISSN:1010-061X
1420-9101
DOI:10.1111/j.1420-9101.2005.01033.x