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Sutherland BJG, Rycroft C, Duguid A, Beacham TD, Tucker S. Population genomics of harbour seal Phoca vitulina from northern British Columbia through California and comparison to the Atlantic subspecies. Mol Ecol 2024; 33:e17293. [PMID: 38419064 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Revised: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
The harbour seal Phoca vitulina is a ubiquitous pinniped species found throughout coastal waters of the Northern Hemisphere. Harbour seal impacts on ecosystem dynamics may be significant due to their high abundance and food web position. Two subspecies exist in North America, P. v. richardii in the Pacific Ocean and P. v. vitulina in the Atlantic. Strong natal philopatry of harbour seals can result in fine-scale genetic structure and isolation by distance. Management of harbour seals is expected to benefit from improved resolution of seal population structure and dynamics. Here, we use genotyping-by-sequencing to genotype 146 harbour seals from the eastern Pacific Ocean (i.e. British Columbia (BC), Oregon and California) and the western Atlantic Ocean (i.e. Québec, Newfoundland and Labrador). Using 12,742 identified variants, we confirm the recently identified elevated genetic diversity in the eastern Pacific relative to the western Atlantic and greatest differentiation between the subspecies. Further, we demonstrate that this is independent of reference genome bias or other potential technical artefacts. Coast-specific analyses with 8933 and 3828 variants in Pacific and Atlantic subspecies, respectively, identify divergence between BC and Oregon-California, and between Québec and Newfoundland-Labrador. Unexpected PCA outlier clusters were observed in two populations due to cryptic relatedness of individuals; subsequently, closely related samples were removed. Admixture analysis indicates an isolation-by-distance signature where Oregon seals contained some of the BC signature, whereas California did not. Additional sampling is needed in the central and north coast of BC to determine whether a discrete separation of populations exists within the region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben J G Sutherland
- Sutherland Bioinformatics, Lantzville, British Columbia, Canada
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Biological Station, Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Claire Rycroft
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Biological Station, Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Ashtin Duguid
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Biological Station, Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Terry D Beacham
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Biological Station, Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Strahan Tucker
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Biological Station, Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada
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2
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Siebert U, Grilo ML, Kesselring T, Lehnert K, Ronnenberg K, Pawliczka I, Galatius A, Kyhn LA, Dähne M, Gilles A. Variation of blubber thickness for three marine mammal species in the southern Baltic Sea. Front Physiol 2022; 13:880465. [PMID: 36505079 PMCID: PMC9726720 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.880465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Evaluating populational trends of health condition has become an important topic for marine mammal populations under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). In the Baltic Sea, under the recommendation of Helsinki Commission (HELCOM), efforts have been undertaken to use blubber thickness as an indicator of energy reserves in marine mammals. Current values lack geographical representation from the entire Baltic Sea area and a large dataset is only available for grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) from Sweden and Finland. Knowledge on variation of blubber thickness related to geography throughout the Baltic Sea is important for its usage as an indicator. Such evaluation can provide important information about the energy reserves, and hence, food availability. It is expected that methodological standardization under HELCOM should include relevant datasets with good geographical coverage that can also account for natural variability in the resident marine mammal populations. In this study, seasonal and temporal trends of blubber thickness were evaluated for three marine mammal species-harbor seal (Phoca vitulina), grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) and harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena)-resident in the southern Baltic Sea collected and investigated under stranding networks. Additionally, the effects of age, season and sex were analyzed. Seasonal variation of blubber thickness was evident for all species, with harbor seals presenting more pronounced effects in adults and grey seals and harbor porpoises presenting more pronounced effects in juveniles. For harbor seals and porpoises, fluctuations were present over the years included in the analysis. In the seal species, blubber thickness values were generally higher in males. In harbor seals and porpoises, blubber thickness values differed between the age classes: while adult harbor seals displayed thicker blubber layers than juveniles, the opposite was observed for harbor porpoises. Furthermore, while an important initial screening tool, blubber thickness assessment cannot be considered a valid methodology for overall health assessment in marine mammals and should be complemented with data on specific health parameters developed for each species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ursula Siebert
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research (ITAW), University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover Foundation, Büsum, Germany,*Correspondence: Ursula Siebert,
| | - Miguel L. Grilo
- MARE—Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, ISPA—Instituto Universitário de Ciências Psicológicas, Sociais e da Vida, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Tina Kesselring
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research (ITAW), University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover Foundation, Büsum, Germany
| | - Kristina Lehnert
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research (ITAW), University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover Foundation, Büsum, Germany
| | - Katrin Ronnenberg
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research (ITAW), University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover Foundation, Büsum, Germany
| | - Iwona Pawliczka
- Department of Oceanography and Geography, Krzysztof Skóra Hel Marine Station, University of Gdansk, Hel, Poland
| | - Anders Galatius
- Marine Mammal Research, Institute of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Line A. Kyhn
- Marine Mammal Research, Institute of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | | | - Anita Gilles
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research (ITAW), University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover Foundation, Büsum, Germany
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3
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Liu X, Schjøtt SR, Granquist SM, Rosing-Asvid A, Dietz R, Teilmann J, Galatius A, Cammen K, O Corry-Crowe G, Harding K, Härkönen T, Hall A, Carroll EL, Kobayashi Y, Hammill M, Stenson G, Frie AK, Lydersen C, Kovacs KM, Andersen LW, Hoffman JI, Goodman SJ, Vieira FG, Heller R, Moltke I, Tange Olsen M. Origin and expansion of the world's most widespread pinniped: range-wide population genomics of the harbour seal (Phoca vitulina). Mol Ecol 2022; 31:1682-1699. [PMID: 35068013 PMCID: PMC9306526 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Revised: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) is the most widely distributed pinniped, occupying a wide variety of habitats and climatic zones across the Northern Hemisphere. Intriguingly, the harbour seal is also one of the most philopatric seals, raising questions as to how it colonised virtually the whole of the Northern Hemisphere. To shed light on the origin, remarkable range expansion, population structure and genetic diversity of this species, we used genotyping-by-sequencing to analyse ~13,500 biallelic SNPs from 286 individuals sampled from 22 localities across the species' range. Our results point to a Northeast Pacific origin, colonisation of the North Atlantic via the Canadian Arctic, and subsequent stepping-stone range expansions across the North Atlantic from North America to Europe, accompanied by a successive loss of genetic diversity. Our analyses further revealed a deep divergence between modern North Pacific and North Atlantic harbour seals, with finer-scale genetic structure at regional and local scales consistent with strong philopatry. The study provides new insights into the harbour seal's remarkable ability to colonise and adapt to a wide range of habitats. Furthermore, it has implications for current harbour seal subspecies delineations and highlights the need for international and national red lists and management plans to ensure the protection of genetically and demographically isolated populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaodong Liu
- Section for Computational and RNA Biology, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Sandra M Granquist
- Icelandic Seal Centre, Höfðabraut 6, 530, Hvammstangi, Iceland.,Marine and Freshwater Research Institute, Institute of Freshwater Fisheries Fornubúðir 5, 220, Hafnarfjörður, Iceland
| | | | - Rune Dietz
- Marine Mammal Research, Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Jonas Teilmann
- Marine Mammal Research, Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Anders Galatius
- Marine Mammal Research, Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000, Roskilde, Denmark
| | | | - Greg O Corry-Crowe
- Wildlife Evolution and Behavior Program, Florida Atlantic University, USA
| | - Karin Harding
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
| | | | - Ailsa Hall
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St. Andrews, UK, KY16 8LB
| | - Emma L Carroll
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, 1010, New Zealand
| | - Yumi Kobayashi
- Laboratory of Animal Ecology, Research Faculty of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Japan
| | - Mike Hammill
- Maurice Lamontagne Institute, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, P.O. Box 1000, Mont-Joli, QC, Canada
| | - Garry Stenson
- Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Centre, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, P.O. Box 5667, St. John's NL, Canada
| | | | | | - Kit M Kovacs
- Norwegian Polar Institute, Fram Centre, 9296, Tromsø, Norway
| | | | - Joseph I Hoffman
- Department of Animal Behaviour, University of Bielefeld, 33501, Bielefeld, Germany.,British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 OET, UK
| | - Simon J Goodman
- School of Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, UK
| | - Filipe G Vieira
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Copenhagen University Hospitalet, Denmark
| | - Rasmus Heller
- Section for Computational and RNA Biology, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ida Moltke
- Section for Computational and RNA Biology, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Morten Tange Olsen
- Section for Evolutionary Genomics, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
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4
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Rößler H, Tougaard J, Sabinsky PF, Rasmussen MH, Granquist SM, Wahlberg M. Are Icelandic harbor seals acoustically cryptic to avoid predation? JASA EXPRESS LETTERS 2021; 1:031201. [PMID: 36154560 DOI: 10.1121/10.0003782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Male harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) produce stereotypic underwater roars during the mating season. It remains unclear to what extent roar structures vary due to predation levels. Here, seal roars from waters with many (Iceland) and few (Denmark and Sweden) predators were compared. Most Icelandic roars included a long pulse train and a pause. Icelandic roars occurred less frequently, lasted longer (20.3 ± 6.5 s), and were recorded with lower received sound levels (98.3 ± 8.9 dB re 1 μPa root mean square) than roars from Denmark and Sweden. Local extrinsic factors may shape sound production in harbor seals more than previously reported.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen Rößler
- Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
| | - Jakob Tougaard
- Department for Bioscience, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Puk F Sabinsky
- Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
| | - Marianne H Rasmussen
- University of Iceland Research Center in Húsavík, Hafnarstétt 3, 640 Húsavík, Iceland
| | - Sandra M Granquist
- Marine and Freshwater Research Institute, Fornubúðum 5, 220 Hafnarfjörður, Iceland , , , , ,
| | - Magnus Wahlberg
- Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
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5
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Silva WTAF, Bottagisio E, Härkönen T, Galatius A, Olsen MT, Harding KC. Risk for overexploiting a seemingly stable seal population: influence of multiple stressors and hunting. Ecosphere 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Willian T. A. F. Silva
- Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences University of Gothenburg Gothenburg Sweden
| | - Elio Bottagisio
- Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences University of Gothenburg Gothenburg Sweden
| | | | - Anders Galatius
- Section for Marine Mammal Research Department of Bioscience Aarhus University Frederiksborgvej 399 Roskilde4000Denmark
| | - Morten Tange Olsen
- Section for Evolutionary Genomics Globe Institute University of Copenhagen Copenhagen Denmark
| | - Karin C. Harding
- Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences University of Gothenburg Gothenburg Sweden
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6
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Genetic and demographic history define a conservation strategy for earth's most endangered pinniped, the Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachus. Sci Rep 2021; 11:373. [PMID: 33431977 PMCID: PMC7801404 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-79712-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) is a flagship species for marine conservation, but important aspects of its life history remain unknown. Concerns over imminent extinction motivated a nuclear DNA study of the species in its largest continuous subpopulation in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Despite recent evidence of partial subpopulation recovery, we demonstrate that there is no reason for complacency, as the species still shares several traits that are characteristic of a critically endangered species: Mediterranean monk seals in the eastern Mediterranean survive in three isolated and genetically depauperate population clusters, with small effective population sizes and high levels of inbreeding. Our results indicated male philopatry over short distances, which is unexpected for a polygynous mammal. Such a pattern may be explained by the species' unique breeding behavior, in which males defend aquatic territories near breeding sites, while females are often forced to search for new pupping areas. Immediate action is necessary to reverse the downward spiral of population decline, inbreeding accumulation and loss of genetic diversity. We propose concrete conservation measures for the Mediterranean monk seal focusing on reducing anthropogenic threats, increasing the population size and genetic diversity, and thus improving the long-term prospects of survival.
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7
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Nikolic N, Thompson P, de Bruyn M, Macé M, Chevalet C. Evolutionary history of a Scottish harbour seal population. PeerJ 2020; 8:e9167. [PMID: 32728487 PMCID: PMC7357561 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.9167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2020] [Accepted: 04/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Efforts to conserve marine mammals are often constrained by uncertainty over their population history. Here, we examine the evolutionary history of a harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) population in the Moray Firth, northeast Scotland using genetic tools and microsatellite markers to explore population change. Previous fine-scale analysis of UK harbour seal populations revealed three clusters in the UK, with a northeastern cluster that included our Moray Firth study population. Our analysis revealed that the Moray Firth cluster is an independent genetic group, with similar levels of genetic diversity across each of the localities sampled. These samples were used to assess historic abundance and demographic events in the Moray Firth population. Estimates of current genetic diversity and effective population size were low, but the results indicated that this population has remained at broadly similar levels following the population bottleneck that occurred after post-glacial recolonization of the area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natacha Nikolic
- ARBRE (Reunion Island Biodiversity Research Agency), Saint-Leu, La Réunion
- Génétique Physiologie et Systèmes d’Elevage - UMR1388, INRAE, Castanet Tolosan, France
| | - Paul Thompson
- Lighthouse Field Station, Sciences School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Cromarty, United Kingdom
| | - Mark de Bruyn
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Matthias Macé
- Laboratoire d’Anthropologie Moléculaire et d’Imagerie de Synthèse - UMR 5288, CNRS, Toulouse, France
| | - Claude Chevalet
- Génétique Physiologie et Systèmes d’Elevage - UMR1388, INRAE, Castanet Tolosan, France
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8
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Magnadóttir B, Uysal-Onganer P, Kraev I, Svansson V, Skírnisson K, Lange S. Deiminated proteins and extracellular vesicles as novel biomarkers in pinnipeds: Grey seal (Halichoerus gryptus) and harbour seal (Phoca vitulina). Biochimie 2020; 171-172:79-90. [PMID: 32105816 DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2020.02.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2019] [Accepted: 02/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Peptidylarginine deiminases (PADs) are phylogenetically conserved calcium-dependent enzymes which post-translationally convert arginine into citrulline in target proteins in an irreversible manner, leading to functional and structural changes in target proteins. Protein deimination can cause the generation of neo-epitopes, affect gene regulation and also allow for protein moonlighting and therefore facilitate multifaceted functions of the same protein. PADs are furthermore a key regulator of cellular release of extracellular vesicle (EVs), which are found in most body fluids and participate in cellular communication via transfer of cargo proteins and genetic material. In this study, post-translationally deiminated proteins and EVs were assessed in sera of two seal species, grey seal and harbour seal. We report a poly-dispersed population of serum-EVs, which were positive for phylogenetically conserved EV-specific markers and characterised by transmission electron microscopy. A number of deiminated proteins critical for immune and metabolic functions were identified in the seal sera and varied somewhat between the two species under study, while some targets were in common. EV profiles of the seal sera further revealed that key microRNAs for inflammation, immunity and hypoxia also vary between the two species. Protein deimination and EVs profiles may be useful biomarkers for assessing health status of sea mammals, which face environmental challenges, including opportunistic infection, pollution and shifting habitat due to global warming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bergljót Magnadóttir
- Institute for Experimental Pathology, University of Iceland, Keldur V. Vesturlandsveg, 112 Reykjavik, Iceland.
| | - Pinar Uysal-Onganer
- Cancer Research Group, School of Life Sciences, University of Westminster, London, W1W 6UW, UK.
| | - Igor Kraev
- Electron Microscopy Suite, Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, Open University, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA, UK.
| | - Vilhjálmur Svansson
- Institute for Experimental Pathology, University of Iceland, Keldur V. Vesturlandsveg, 112 Reykjavik, Iceland.
| | - Karl Skírnisson
- Institute for Experimental Pathology, University of Iceland, Keldur V. Vesturlandsveg, 112 Reykjavik, Iceland.
| | - Sigrun Lange
- Tissue Architecture and Regeneration Research Group, School of Life Sciences, University of Westminster, London, W1W 6UW, UK.
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9
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Cammen KM, Schultz TF, Don Bowen W, Hammill MO, Puryear WB, Runstadler J, Wenzel FW, Wood SA, Kinnison M. Genomic signatures of population bottleneck and recovery in Northwest Atlantic pinnipeds. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:6599-6614. [PMID: 30038760 PMCID: PMC6053562 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2017] [Revised: 03/30/2018] [Accepted: 04/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Population increases over the past several decades provide natural settings in which to study the evolutionary processes that occur during bottleneck, growth, and spatial expansion. We used parallel natural experiments of historical decline and subsequent recovery in two sympatric pinniped species in the Northwest Atlantic, the gray seal (Halichoerus grypus atlantica) and harbor seal (Phoca vitulina vitulina), to study the impact of recent demographic change in genomic diversity. Using restriction site-associated DNA sequencing, we assessed genomic diversity at over 8,700 polymorphic gray seal loci and 3,700 polymorphic harbor seal loci in samples from multiple cohorts collected throughout recovery over the past half-century. Despite significant differences in the degree of genetic diversity assessed in the two species, we found signatures of historical bottlenecks in the contemporary genomes of both gray and harbor seals. We evaluated temporal trends in diversity across cohorts, as well as compared samples from sites at both the center and edge of a recent gray seal range expansion, but found no significant change in genomewide diversity following recovery. We did, however, find that the variance and degree of allele frequency change measured over the past several decades were significantly different from neutral expectations of drift under population growth. These two cases of well-described demographic history provide opportunities for critical evaluation of current approaches to simulating and understanding the genetic effects of historical demographic change in natural populations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Thomas F. Schultz
- Duke University Marine LabNicholas School of the EnvironmentBeaufortNCUSA
| | - W. Don Bowen
- Bedford Institute of OceanographyDartmouthNSCanada
| | - Michael O. Hammill
- Fisheries and Oceans CanadaMaurice Lamontagne InstituteMont‐JoliQCCanada
| | - Wendy B. Puryear
- Department of Infectious Disease and Global HealthCummings School of Veterinary MedicineTufts UniversityNorth GraftonMAUSA
| | - Jonathan Runstadler
- Department of Infectious Disease and Global HealthCummings School of Veterinary MedicineTufts UniversityNorth GraftonMAUSA
| | - Frederick W. Wenzel
- Protected Species Branch, NOAA, NMFSNortheast Fisheries Science CenterWoods HoleMAUSA
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10
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Brasseur SMJM, Reijnders PJH, Cremer J, Meesters E, Kirkwood R, Jensen LF, Jeβ A, Galatius A, Teilmann J, Aarts G. Echoes from the past: Regional variations in recovery within a harbour seal population. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0189674. [PMID: 29298310 PMCID: PMC5751996 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0189674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2017] [Accepted: 11/30/2017] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Terrestrial and marine wildlife populations have been severely reduced by hunting, fishing and habitat destruction, especially in the last centuries. Although management regulations have led to the recovery of some populations, the underlying processes are not always well understood. This study uses a 40-year time series of counts of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) in the Wadden Sea to study these processes, and demonstrates the influence of historical regional differences in management regimes on the recovery of this population. While the Wadden Sea is considered one ecologically coupled zone, with a distinct harbour seal population, the area is divided into four geo-political regions i.e. the Netherlands, Lower Saxony including Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein and Denmark. Gradually, seal hunting was banned between 1962 and 1977 in the different regions. Counts of moulting harbour seals and pup counts, obtained during aerial surveys between 1974 and 2014, show a population growth from approximately 4500 to 39,000 individuals. Population growth models were developed to assess if population growth differed between regions, taking into account two Phocine Distemper Virus (PDV) epizootics, in 1988 and 2002 which seriously affected the population. After a slow start prior to the first epizootic, the overall population grew exponentially at rates close to assumed maximum rates of increase in a harbour seal population. Recently, growth slowed down, potentially indicative of approaching carrying capacity. Regional differences in growth rates were demonstrated, with the highest recovery in Netherlands after the first PDV epizootic (i.e. 17.9%), suggesting that growth was fuelled by migration from the other regions, where growth remained at or below the intrinsic growth rate (13%). The seals' distribution changed, and although the proportion of seals counted in the German regions declined, they remained by far the most important pupping region, with approximately 70% of all pups being born there. It is hypothesised that differences in hunting regime, preceding the protection in the 1960's and 1970's, created unbalance in the distribution of breeding females throughout the Wadden Sea, which prevailed for decades. Breeding site fidelity promoted the growth in pup numbers at less affected breeding sites, while recolonisation of new breeding areas would be suppressed by the philopatry displayed by the animals born there. This study shows that for long-lived species, variable management regimes in this case hunting regulations, across a species' range can drive population dynamics for several generations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie M. J. M. Brasseur
- Wageningen Marine Research, Wageningen University & Research, Den Helder, the Netherlands
- Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality Management, Wageningen University, Wageningen, the Netherlands
- * E-mail:
| | - Peter J. H. Reijnders
- Wageningen Marine Research, Wageningen University & Research, Den Helder, the Netherlands
- Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality Management, Wageningen University, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Jenny Cremer
- Wageningen Marine Research, Wageningen University & Research, Den Helder, the Netherlands
| | - Erik Meesters
- Wageningen Marine Research, Wageningen University & Research, Den Helder, the Netherlands
| | - Roger Kirkwood
- Wageningen Marine Research, Wageningen University & Research, Den Helder, the Netherlands
| | | | - Armin Jeβ
- Landesbetrieb für Küstenschutz, Nationalpark und Meeresschutz Schleswig-Holstein Nationalparkverwaltung, Tönning, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
| | - Anders Galatius
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Jonas Teilmann
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Geert Aarts
- Wageningen Marine Research, Wageningen University & Research, Den Helder, the Netherlands
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11
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Genetic diversity from pre-bottleneck to recovery in two sympatric pinniped species in the Northwest Atlantic. CONSERV GENET 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s10592-017-1032-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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12
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Fietz K, Galatius A, Teilmann J, Dietz R, Frie AK, Klimova A, Palsbøll PJ, Jensen LF, Graves JA, Hoffman JI, Olsen MT. Shift of grey seal subspecies boundaries in response to climate, culling and conservation. Mol Ecol 2017; 25:4097-112. [PMID: 27616353 DOI: 10.1111/mec.13748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2016] [Revised: 06/06/2016] [Accepted: 06/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Identifying the processes that drive changes in the abundance and distribution of natural populations is a central theme in ecology and evolution. Many species of marine mammals have experienced dramatic changes in abundance and distribution due to climatic fluctuations and anthropogenic impacts. However, thanks to conservation efforts, some of these species have shown remarkable population recovery and are now recolonizing their former ranges. Here, we use zooarchaeological, demographic and genetic data to examine processes of colonization, local extinction and recolonization of the two northern European grey seal subspecies inhabiting the Baltic Sea and North Sea. The zooarchaeological and genetic data suggest that the two subspecies diverged shortly after the formation of the Baltic Sea approximately 4200 years bp, probably through a gradual shift to different breeding habitats and phenologies. By comparing genetic data from 19th century pre-extinction material with that from seals currently recolonizing their past range, we observed a marked spatiotemporal shift in subspecies boundaries, with increasing encroachment of North Sea seals on areas previously occupied by the Baltic Sea subspecies. Further, both demographic and genetic data indicate that the two subspecies have begun to overlap geographically and are hybridizing in a narrow contact zone. Our findings provide new insights into the processes of colonization, extinction and recolonization and have important implications for the management of grey seals across northern Europe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Fietz
- Evolutionary Genomics Section, Centre for Geogenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 5-7, DK-1350 Copenhagen K, Denmark.,Marine Evolution and Conservation, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Anders Galatius
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Jonas Teilmann
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Rune Dietz
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | | | - Anastasia Klimova
- Department of Animal Behaviour, University of Bielefeld, PO Box 10 01 31, 33501 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Per J Palsbøll
- Marine Evolution and Conservation, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Lasse F Jensen
- Fisheries and Maritime Museum, Tarphagevej 2, DK-6710 Esbjerg V, Denmark
| | - Jeff A Graves
- Scottish Oceans Institute, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, Fife KY16 9TH, UK
| | - Joseph I Hoffman
- Department of Animal Behaviour, University of Bielefeld, PO Box 10 01 31, 33501 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Morten Tange Olsen
- Evolutionary Genomics Section, Centre for Geogenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 5-7, DK-1350 Copenhagen K, Denmark
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13
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Assessing the genetic effects of rehabilitating harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) in the Wadden Sea using stochastic simulations. MAMMAL RES 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s13364-017-0323-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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14
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Turgeon J, Estoup A, Bernatchez L. SPECIES FLOCK IN THE NORTH AMERICAN GREAT LAKES: MOLECULAR ECOLOGY OF LAKE NIPIGON CISCOES (TELEOSTEI: COREGONIDAE: COREGONUS). Evolution 2017; 53:1857-1871. [PMID: 28565465 DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.1999.tb04568.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/1998] [Accepted: 05/12/1999] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Studies on north temperate fish species indicate that new habitat availability following the last ice sheet retreat has promoted ecological speciation in postglacial lakes. Extensive ecophenotypic polymorphisms observed among the North American Great Lakes ciscoes suggest that this fish group has radiated through trophic adaptation and reproductive isolation. This study aims at relating the ecomorphological and genetic polymorphisms expressed by the Lake Nipigon ciscoes to evaluate the likelihood of an intralacustrine divergence driven by the exploitation of alternative resources. Morphological variation and trophic and spatial niches are characterized and contrasted among 203 individuals. Genetic variation at six microsatellite loci is also analyzed to appraise the extent of genetic differentiation among these morphotypes. Ecomorphological data confirm the existence of four distinct morphotypes displaying various levels of trophic and depth niche overlap and specialization. However, ecological and morphological variations were not coupled as expected, suggesting that trophic morphology is not always predictive of ecology. Although extensive genetic variability was observed, little genetic differentiation was found among morphotypes, with only one morph being slightly but significantly differentiated. Contrasting patterns of morphological, ecological, and genetic polymorphisms did not support the hypothesis of ecological speciation: the most ecologically different forms were morphologically most similar, while the only genetically differentiated morph was the least ecologically specialized. The low levels of genetic differentiation and the congruence between θ and φ estimates altogether suggest a recent (most likely postglacial) process of divergence and/or high gene flow among morphs A, C, and D, whereas higher φ estimates for comparison involving morph B suggest that this morph may be derived from another colonizing lineage exchanging little genes with the other morphs. Patterns of ecophenotypic and genetic diversity are also compatible with a more complex evolutionary history involving hybridization and introgression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Turgeon
- GIROQ, Département de biologie, Université Laval, Ste-Foy, Québec, Canada, G1K 7P4
| | - Arnaud Estoup
- Laboratoire de Génétique des Poissons, INRA, 78352, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Louis Bernatchez
- GIROQ, Département de biologie, Université Laval, Ste-Foy, Québec, Canada, G1K 7P4
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15
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Sabinsky PF, Larsen ON, Wahlberg M, Tougaard J. Temporal and spatial variation in harbor seal (Phoca vitulina L.) roar calls from southern Scandinavia. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2017; 141:1824. [PMID: 28372059 DOI: 10.1121/1.4977999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Male harbor seals gather around breeding sites for competitive mating displays. Here, they produce underwater vocalizations possibly to attract females and/or scare off other males. These calls offer prospects for passive acoustic monitoring. Acoustic monitoring requires a good understanding of natural variation in calling behavior both temporally and among geographically separate sites. Such variation in call structure and calling patterns were studied in harbor seal vocalizations recorded at three locations in Danish and Swedish waters. There was a strong seasonality in the calls from end of June to early August. Vocalizations at two locations followed a diel pattern, with an activity peak at night. Recordings from one location also showed a peak in call rate at high tide. Large geographic variations were obvious in the total duration of the so-called roar call, the duration of the most prominent part of the call (the roar burst), and of percentage of energy in roar burst. A similarly large variation was also found when comparing the recordings from two consecutive years at the same site. Thus, great care must be taken to separate variation attributable to recording conditions from genuine biological differences when comparing harbor seal roars among recording sites and between years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Puk Faxe Sabinsky
- Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
| | - Ole Næsbye Larsen
- Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
| | - Magnus Wahlberg
- Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
| | - Jakob Tougaard
- Department for Bioscience, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
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17
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Duignan PJ, Van Bressem MF, Baker JD, Barbieri M, Colegrove KM, De Guise S, de Swart RL, Di Guardo G, Dobson A, Duprex WP, Early G, Fauquier D, Goldstein T, Goodman SJ, Grenfell B, Groch KR, Gulland F, Hall A, Jensen BA, Lamy K, Matassa K, Mazzariol S, Morris SE, Nielsen O, Rotstein D, Rowles TK, Saliki JT, Siebert U, Waltzek T, Wellehan JF. Phocine distemper virus: current knowledge and future directions. Viruses 2014; 6:5093-134. [PMID: 25533658 PMCID: PMC4276944 DOI: 10.3390/v6125093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2014] [Revised: 12/05/2014] [Accepted: 12/11/2014] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Phocine distemper virus (PDV) was first recognized in 1988 following a massive epidemic in harbor and grey seals in north-western Europe. Since then, the epidemiology of infection in North Atlantic and Arctic pinnipeds has been investigated. In the western North Atlantic endemic infection in harp and grey seals predates the European epidemic, with relatively small, localized mortality events occurring primarily in harbor seals. By contrast, PDV seems not to have become established in European harbor seals following the 1988 epidemic and a second event of similar magnitude and extent occurred in 2002. PDV is a distinct species within the Morbillivirus genus with minor sequence variation between outbreaks over time. There is now mounting evidence of PDV-like viruses in the North Pacific/Western Arctic with serological and molecular evidence of infection in pinnipeds and sea otters. However, despite the absence of associated mortality in the region, there is concern that the virus may infect the large Pacific harbor seal and northern elephant seal populations or the endangered Hawaiian monk seals. Here, we review the current state of knowledge on PDV with particular focus on developments in diagnostics, pathogenesis, immune response, vaccine development, phylogenetics and modeling over the past 20 years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pádraig J. Duignan
- Department of Ecosystem and Public Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4Z6, Canada; E-Mails: (P.D.); (K.L.)
| | - Marie-Françoise Van Bressem
- Cetacean Conservation Medicine Group (CMED), Peruvian Centre for Cetacean Research (CEPEC), Pucusana, Lima 20, Peru; E-Mail:
| | - Jason D. Baker
- Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, 1845 WASP Blvd., Building 176, Honolulu, Hawaii 96818, USA; E-Mails: (J.D.B.); (M.B.)
| | - Michelle Barbieri
- Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, 1845 WASP Blvd., Building 176, Honolulu, Hawaii 96818, USA; E-Mails: (J.D.B.); (M.B.)
- The Marine Mammal Centre, Sausalito, CA 94965, USA; E-Mail:
| | - Kathleen M. Colegrove
- Zoological Pathology Program, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Maywood, IL 60153, USA; E-Mail:
| | - Sylvain De Guise
- Department of Pathobiology and Veterinary Science, and Connecticut Sea Grant College Program, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA; E-Mail:
| | - Rik L. de Swart
- Department of Viroscience, Erasmus MC, 3015 CN Rotterdam, The Netherlands; E-Mail:
| | - Giovanni Di Guardo
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Teramo, 64100 Teramo, Italy; E-Mail:
| | - Andrew Dobson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544-2016, USA; E-Mails: (A.D.); (B.G.); (S.E.M.)
| | - W. Paul Duprex
- Department of Microbiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston University, 620 Albany Street, Boston, MA 02118, USA; E-Mail:
| | - Greg Early
- Greg Early, Integrated Statistics, 87 Water St, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA; E-Mail:
| | - Deborah Fauquier
- National Marine Fisheries Service/National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA; E-Mails: (D.F.); (T.K.R.)
| | - Tracey Goldstein
- One Health Institute, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA; E-Mail:
| | - Simon J. Goodman
- School of Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK; E-Mail:
| | - Bryan Grenfell
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544-2016, USA; E-Mails: (A.D.); (B.G.); (S.E.M.)
- Fogarty International Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-2220, USA
| | - Kátia R. Groch
- Department of Pathology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-270, Brazil; E-Mail:
| | - Frances Gulland
- The Marine Mammal Centre, Sausalito, CA 94965, USA; E-Mail:
- Marine Mammal Commission, 4340 East-West Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
| | - Ailsa Hall
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, Fife KY16 8LB, UK; E-Mail:
| | - Brenda A. Jensen
- Department of Natural Sciences, Hawai’i Pacific University, Kaneohe, HI 96744, USA; E-Mail:
| | - Karina Lamy
- Department of Ecosystem and Public Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4Z6, Canada; E-Mails: (P.D.); (K.L.)
| | - Keith Matassa
- Keith Matassa, Pacific Marine Mammal Center, 20612 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach, CA 92651, USA; E-Mail:
| | - Sandro Mazzariol
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padua, 35020 Legnaro Padua, Italy; E-Mail:
| | - Sinead E. Morris
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544-2016, USA; E-Mails: (A.D.); (B.G.); (S.E.M.)
| | - Ole Nielsen
- Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Central and Arctic Region, 501 University Crescent, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N6, Canada; E-Mail:
| | - David Rotstein
- David Rotstein, Marine Mammal Pathology Services, 19117 Bloomfield Road, Olney, MD 20832, USA; E-Mail:
| | - Teresa K. Rowles
- National Marine Fisheries Service/National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA; E-Mails: (D.F.); (T.K.R.)
| | - Jeremy T. Saliki
- Athens Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, GA 30602, USA; E-Mail:
| | - Ursula Siebert
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover 30173, Germany; E-Mail:
| | - Thomas Waltzek
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, FL 32611, USA; E-Mail:
| | - James F.X. Wellehan
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, FL 32610, USA; E-Mail:
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18
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Bodewes R, Hapsari R, Rubio García A, Sánchez Contreras GJ, van de Bildt MWG, de Graaf M, Kuiken T, Osterhaus ADME. Molecular epidemiology of seal parvovirus, 1988-2014. PLoS One 2014; 9:e112129. [PMID: 25390639 PMCID: PMC4229121 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0112129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2014] [Accepted: 10/13/2014] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
A novel parvovirus was discovered recently in the brain of a harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) with chronic meningo-encephalitis. Phylogenetic analysis of this virus indicated that it belongs to the genus Erythroparvovirus, to which also human parvovirus B19 belongs. In the present study, the prevalence, genetic diversity and clinical relevance of seal parvovirus (SePV) infections was evaluated in both harbor and grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) that lived in Northwestern European coastal waters from 1988 to 2014. To this end, serum and tissue samples collected from seals were tested for the presence of seal parvovirus DNA by real-time PCR and the sequences of the partial NS gene and the complete VP2 gene of positive samples were determined. Seal parvovirus DNA was detected in nine (8%) of the spleen tissues tested and in one (0.5%) of the serum samples tested, including samples collected from seals that died in 1988. Sequence analysis of the partial NS and complete VP2 genes of nine SePV revealed multiple sites with nucleotide substitutions but only one amino acid change in the VP2 gene. Estimated nucleotide substitution rates per year were 2.00 × 10(-4) for the partial NS gene and 1.15 × 10(-4) for the complete VP2 gene. Most samples containing SePV DNA were co-infected with phocine herpesvirus 1 or PDV, so no conclusions could be drawn about the clinical impact of SePV infection alone. The present study is one of the few in which the mutation rates of parvoviruses were evaluated over a period of more than 20 years, especially in a wildlife population, providing additional insights into the genetic diversity of parvoviruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rogier Bodewes
- Department of Viroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | | | - Ana Rubio García
- Seal Rehabilitation and Research Centre, Pieterburen, the Netherlands
| | | | | | - Miranda de Graaf
- Department of Viroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Thijs Kuiken
- Department of Viroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Albert D. M. E. Osterhaus
- Department of Viroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
- Viroclinics Biosciences BV, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
- Research Center for Emerging Infections and Zoonoses, University of Veterinary Medicine, Hannover, Germany
- Artemis One Health, Utrecht, the Netherlands
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19
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Klimova A, Phillips CD, Fietz K, Olsen MT, Harwood J, Amos W, Hoffman JI. Global population structure and demographic history of the grey seal. Mol Ecol 2014; 23:3999-4017. [PMID: 25041117 DOI: 10.1111/mec.12850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2014] [Revised: 06/04/2014] [Accepted: 06/25/2014] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Although the grey seal Halichoerus grypus is one of the most familiar and intensively studied of all pinniped species, its global population structure remains to be elucidated. Little is also known about how the species as a whole may have historically responded to climate-driven changes in habitat availability and anthropogenic exploitation. We therefore analysed samples from over 1500 individuals collected from 22 colonies spanning the Western and Eastern Atlantic and the Baltic Sea regions, represented by 350 bp of the mitochondrial hypervariable region and up to nine microsatellites. Strong population structure was observed at both types of marker, and highly asymmetrical patterns of gene flow were also inferred, with the Orkney Islands being identified as a source of emigrants to other areas in the Eastern Atlantic. The Baltic and Eastern Atlantic regions were estimated to have diverged a little over 10 000 years ago, consistent with the last proposed isolation of the Baltic Sea. Approximate Bayesian computation also identified genetic signals consistent with postglacial population expansion across much of the species range, suggesting that grey seals are highly responsive to changes in habitat availability.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Klimova
- Department of Animal Behaviour, University of Bielefeld, Postfach 100131, 33501, Bielefeld, Germany
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20
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Wang Z, Kang M, Liu H, Gao J, Zhang Z, Li Y, Wu R, Pang X. High-level genetic diversity and complex population structure of Siberian apricot (Prunus sibirica L.) in China as revealed by nuclear SSR markers. PLoS One 2014; 9:e87381. [PMID: 24516551 PMCID: PMC3917850 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0087381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2013] [Accepted: 12/20/2013] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Siberian apricot (Prunus sibirica L.), an ecologically and economically important tree species with a high degree of tolerance to a variety of extreme environmental conditions, is widely distributed across the mountains of northeastern and northern China, eastern and southeastern regions of Mongolia, Eastern Siberia, and the Maritime Territory of Russia. However, few studies have examined the genetic diversity and population structure of this species. Using 31 nuclear microsatellites, we investigated the level of genetic diversity and population structure of Siberian apricot sampled from 22 populations across China. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 5 to 33, with an average of 19.323 alleles. The observed heterozygosity and expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.037 to 0.874 and 0.040 to 0.924 with average values of 0.639 and 0.774, respectively. A STRUCTURE-based analysis clustered all of the populations into four genetic clusters. Significant genetic differentiation was observed between all population pairs. A hierarchical analysis of molecular variance attributed about 94% of the variation to within populations. No significant difference was detected between the wild and semi-wild groups, indicating that recent cultivation practices have had little impact on the genetic diversity of Siberian apricot. The Mantel test showed that the genetic distance among the populations was not significantly correlated with geographic distance (r = 0.4651, p = 0.9940). Our study represents the most comprehensive investigation of the genetic diversity and population structure of Siberian apricot in China to date, and it provides valuable information for the collection of genetic resources for the breeding of Siberian apricot and related species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhe Wang
- National Engineering Laboratory for Tree Breeding, Key Laboratory of Genetics and Breeding in Forest Trees and Ornamental Plants, Ministry of Education, Center for Computational Biology, College of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
| | - Ming Kang
- South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Huabo Liu
- National Engineering Laboratory for Tree Breeding, Key Laboratory of Genetics and Breeding in Forest Trees and Ornamental Plants, Ministry of Education, Center for Computational Biology, College of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
| | - Jiao Gao
- National Engineering Laboratory for Tree Breeding, Key Laboratory of Genetics and Breeding in Forest Trees and Ornamental Plants, Ministry of Education, Center for Computational Biology, College of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
| | - Zhengdong Zhang
- National Engineering Laboratory for Tree Breeding, Key Laboratory of Genetics and Breeding in Forest Trees and Ornamental Plants, Ministry of Education, Center for Computational Biology, College of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
| | - Yingyue Li
- National Engineering Laboratory for Tree Breeding, Key Laboratory of Genetics and Breeding in Forest Trees and Ornamental Plants, Ministry of Education, Center for Computational Biology, College of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
| | - Rongling Wu
- National Engineering Laboratory for Tree Breeding, Key Laboratory of Genetics and Breeding in Forest Trees and Ornamental Plants, Ministry of Education, Center for Computational Biology, College of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoming Pang
- National Engineering Laboratory for Tree Breeding, Key Laboratory of Genetics and Breeding in Forest Trees and Ornamental Plants, Ministry of Education, Center for Computational Biology, College of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
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21
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Olsen MT, Andersen LW, Dietz R, Teilmann J, Härkönen T, Siegismund HR. Integrating genetic data and population viability analyses for the identification of harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) populations and management units. Mol Ecol 2014; 23:815-31. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.12644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2012] [Revised: 12/11/2013] [Accepted: 12/13/2013] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Morten T. Olsen
- Department of Bioscience; Aarhus University; Frederiksborgvej 399 Roskilde DK-4000 Denmark
- Department of Biology; University of Copenhagen; Ole Maaløes Vej 5 Copenhagen N DK-2200 Denmark
- Centre for Geogenetics; Natural History Museum of Denmark; University of Copenhagen; Øster Voldgade 5-7 Copenhagen K 1350 Denmark
| | | | - Rune Dietz
- Department of Bioscience; Aarhus University; Frederiksborgvej 399 Roskilde DK-4000 Denmark
| | - Jonas Teilmann
- Department of Bioscience; Aarhus University; Frederiksborgvej 399 Roskilde DK-4000 Denmark
| | - Tero Härkönen
- Swedish Museum of Natural History; Box 50007 Stockholm S-10405 Sweden
| | - Hans R. Siegismund
- Department of Biology; University of Copenhagen; Ole Maaløes Vej 5 Copenhagen N DK-2200 Denmark
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22
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Phylogeography of the white-clawed crayfish (Austropotamobius italicus) in Spain: inferences from microsatellite markers. Mol Biol Rep 2013; 40:5327-38. [DOI: 10.1007/s11033-013-2633-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2012] [Accepted: 04/30/2013] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Womble JN, Gende SM. Post-breeding season migrations of a top predator, the harbor seal (Phoca vitulina richardii), from a marine protected area in Alaska. PLoS One 2013; 8:e55386. [PMID: 23457468 PMCID: PMC3573017 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0055386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2012] [Accepted: 12/23/2012] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Marine protected areas (MPAs) are increasingly being used as a conservation tool for highly mobile marine vertebrates and the focus is typically on protecting breeding areas where individuals are aggregated seasonally. Yet movements during the non-breeding season can overlap with threats that may be equally as important to population dynamics. Thus understanding habitat use and movements of species during the non-breeding periods is critical for conservation. Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska, is one of the largest marine mammal protected areas in the world and has the only enforceable protection measures for reducing disturbance to harbor seals in the United States. Yet harbor seals have declined by up to 11.5%/year from 1992 to 2009. We used satellite-linked transmitters that were attached to 37 female harbor seals to quantify the post-breeding season migrations of seals and the amount of time that seals spent inside vs. outside of the MPA of Glacier Bay. Harbor seals traveled extensively beyond the boundaries of the MPA of Glacier Bay during the post-breeding season, encompassing an area (25,325 km2) significantly larger than that used by seals during the breeding season (8,125 km2). These movements included the longest migration yet recorded for a harbor seal (3,411 km) and extended use (up to 23 days) of pelagic areas by some seals. Although the collective utilization distribution of harbor seals during the post-breeding season was quite expansive, there was a substantial degree of individual variability in the percentage of days that seals spent in the MPA. Nevertheless, harbor seals demonstrated a high degree of inter-annual site fidelity (93%) to Glacier Bay the following breeding season. Our results highlight the importance of understanding the threats that seals may interact with outside of the boundaries of the MPA of Glacier Bay for understanding population dynamics of seals in Glacier Bay.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie N Womble
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Marine Mammal Institute, Oregon State University, Hatfield Marine Science Center, Newport, Oregon, United States of America.
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Using a Multi-Locus Microsatellite Typing method improved phylogenetic distribution of Candida albicans isolates but failed to demonstrate association of some genotype with the commensal or clinical origin of the isolates. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2012; 12:1949-57. [DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2012.07.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2012] [Revised: 07/19/2012] [Accepted: 07/20/2012] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Hammond JA, Guethlein LA, Norman PJ, Parham P. Natural selection on marine carnivores elaborated a diverse family of classical MHC class I genes exhibiting haplotypic gene content variation and allelic polymorphism. Immunogenetics 2012; 64:915-33. [PMID: 23001684 DOI: 10.1007/s00251-012-0651-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2012] [Accepted: 09/07/2012] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Pinnipeds, marine carnivores, diverged from terrestrial carnivores ~45 million years ago, before their adaptation to marine environments. This lifestyle change exposed pinnipeds to different microbiota and pathogens, with probable impact on their MHC class I genes. Investigating this question, genomic sequences were determined for 71 MHC class I variants: 27 from harbor seal and 44 from gray seal. These variants form three MHC class I gene lineages, one comprising a pseudogene. The second, a candidate nonclassical MHC class I gene, comprises a nonpolymorphic transcribed gene related to dog DLA-79 and giant panda Aime-1906. The third is the diversity lineage, which includes 62 of the 71 seal MHC class I variants. All are transcribed, and they minimally represent six harbor and 12 gray seal MHC class I genes. Besides species-specific differences in gene number, seal MHC class I haplotypes exhibit gene content variation and allelic polymorphism. Patterns of sequence variation, and of positions for positively selected sites, indicate the diversity lineage genes are the seals' classical MHC class I genes. Evidence that expansion of diversity lineage genes began before gray and harbor seals diverged is the presence in both species of two distinctive sublineages of diversity lineage genes. Pointing to further expansion following the divergence are the presence of species-specific genes and greater MHC class I diversity in gray seals than harbor seals. The elaboration of a complex variable family of classical MHC class I genes in pinnipeds contrasts with the single, highly polymorphic classical MHC class I gene of dog and giant panda, terrestrial carnivores.
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Affiliation(s)
- John A Hammond
- Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Fairchild D-159 299 Campus Drive West, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
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Matallanas B, Callejas C, Ochando MD. A genetic approach to Spanish populations of the threatened Austropotamobius italicus located at three different scenarios. ScientificWorldJournal 2012; 2012:975930. [PMID: 22645491 PMCID: PMC3356766 DOI: 10.1100/2012/975930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2011] [Accepted: 01/26/2012] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Spanish freshwater ecosystems are suffering great modification and some macroinvertebrates like Austropotamobius italicus, the white-clawed crayfish, are threatened. This species was once widely distributed in Spain, but its populations have shown a very strong decline over the last thirty years, due to different factors. Three Spanish populations of this crayfish--from different scenarios--were analysed with nuclear (microsatellites) and mitochondrial markers (COI and 16S rDNA). Data analyses reveal the existence of four haplotypes at mitochondrial level and polymorphism for four microsatellite loci. Despite this genetic variability, bottlenecks were detected in the two natural Spanish populations tested. In addition, the distribution of the mitochondrial haplotypes and SSR alleles show a similar geographic pattern and the genetic differentiation between these samples is mainly due to genetic drift. Given the current risk status of the species across its range, this diversity offers some hope for the species from a management point of view.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz Matallanas
- Departamento de Genética, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, C/José Antonio Novais 2, 28040 Madrid, Spain
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DE LUNA CJ, GOODMAN SJ, THATCHER O, JEPSON PD, ANDERSEN L, TOLLEY K, HOELZEL AR. Phenotypic and genetic divergence among harbour porpoise populations associated with habitat regions in the North Sea and adjacent seas. J Evol Biol 2012; 25:674-81. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2012.02461.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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Castañeda-Rico S, León-Paniagua L, Ruedas LA, Vázquez-Domínguez E. High genetic diversity and extreme differentiation in the two remaining populations of Habromys simulatus. J Mammal 2011. [DOI: 10.1644/10-mamm-a-171.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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McCarthy AJ, Shaw MA, Jepson PD, Brasseur SMJM, Reijnders PJH, Goodman SJ. Variation in European harbour seal immune response genes and susceptibility to phocine distemper virus (PDV). INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2011; 11:1616-23. [PMID: 21712101 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2011.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2011] [Revised: 06/02/2011] [Accepted: 06/03/2011] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Phocine distemper virus (PDV) has caused two mass mortalities of European harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) in recent decades. Levels of mortality varied considerably among European populations in both the 1988 and 2002 epidemics, with higher mortality in continental European populations in comparison to UK populations. High levels of genetic differentiation at neutral makers among seal populations allow for the possibility that there could be potential genetic differences at functional loci that may account for some of the variation in mortality. Recent genome sequencing of carnivore species and development of genomic tools have now made it possible to explore the possible contribution of variation in candidate genes from harbour seals in relation to the differential mortality patterns. We assessed variation in eight genes (CD46, IFNG, IL4, IL8, IL10, RARa, SLAM and TLR2) encoding key proteins involved in host cellular interactions with Morbilliviruses and the relationship of variants to disease status. This work constitutes the first genetic association study for Morbillivirus disease susceptibility in a non-model organism, and for a natural mortality event. We found no variation in harbour seals from across Europe in the protein coding domains of the viral receptors SLAM and CD46, but SNPs were present in SLAM intron 2. SNPs were also present in IL8 p2 and RARa exon 1. There was no significant association of SLAM or RARa polymorphisms with disease status implying no role of these genes in determining resistance to PDV induced mortality, that could be detected with the available samples and the small number of polymorphisms indentified. However there was significant differentiation of allele frequencies among populations. PDV and other morbilliviruses are important models for wildlife epidemiology, host switches and viral evolution. Despite a negative result in this case, full sequencing of pinniped and other 'non-model' carnivore genomes will help in refining understanding the role of host genetics in disease susceptibility for these viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex J McCarthy
- Institute of Integrative and Comparative Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
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ANDERSEN LISELOTTEW, LYDERSEN CHRISTIAN, FRIE ANNEK, ROSING-ASVID AQQALU, HAUKSSON ERLINGUR, KOVACS KITM. A population on the edge: genetic diversity and population structure of the world's northernmost harbour seals (Phoca vitulina). Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2011. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2010.01577.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Kelly BP, Badajos OH, Kunnasranta M, Moran JR, Martinez-Bakker M, Wartzok D, Boveng P. Seasonal home ranges and fidelity to breeding sites among ringed seals. Polar Biol 2010. [DOI: 10.1007/s00300-010-0796-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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HOFFMAN JI, DASMAHAPATRA KK, AMOS W, PHILLIPS CD, GELATT TS, BICKHAM JW. Contrasting patterns of genetic diversity at three different genetic markers in a marine mammal metapopulation. Mol Ecol 2009; 18:2961-78. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294x.2009.04246.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Herreman JK, Blundell GM, McDonald DB, Ben-David M. Asymmetrical male-mediated gene flow between harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) populations in Alaska. CAN J ZOOL 2009. [DOI: 10.1139/z09-033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Harbor seals ( Phoca vitulina richardii (Gray, 1864)) in Alaska are currently treated as three distinct management stocks. Previous genetic analyses using mitochondrial DNA suggested that these stocks are differentiated genetically. We studied populations in Glacier Bay (GB; Southeast Alaska Stock), where harbor seals are declining, and Prince William Sound (PWS; Gulf of Alaska Stock), where the population has recently stabilized. Using six pairs of hypervariable microsatellite primers, we determined that these populations are a single panmictic unit with estimated migration rates of 22 animals/generation (PWS to GB) and 63 animals/generation (GB to PWS). The asymmetrical gene flow between GB and PWS is likely driven in part by a recent increase in competitors and predators of seals in GB. In contrast with males, emigration of females from PWS to GB (8.3 seals/generation) is higher than emigration of females from GB to PWS (3.3 seals/generation), likely because females use glacial ice as pupping habitat. Despite the high gene flow, the number of migrants per year (0.02% of the Gulf of Alaska population) is likely too low to influence the demographics of harbor seals in PWS, and the two populations may best be managed as separate stocks.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. K. Herreman
- Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, 1000 East University Avenue, Laramie, WY 82071, USA
- Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Wildlife Conservation, P.O. Box 110024, Juneau, AK 99811-0024, USA
| | - G. M. Blundell
- Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, 1000 East University Avenue, Laramie, WY 82071, USA
- Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Wildlife Conservation, P.O. Box 110024, Juneau, AK 99811-0024, USA
| | - D. B. McDonald
- Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, 1000 East University Avenue, Laramie, WY 82071, USA
- Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Wildlife Conservation, P.O. Box 110024, Juneau, AK 99811-0024, USA
| | - M. Ben-David
- Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, 1000 East University Avenue, Laramie, WY 82071, USA
- Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Wildlife Conservation, P.O. Box 110024, Juneau, AK 99811-0024, USA
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Harris CM, Travis JMJ, Harwood J. Evaluating the influence of epidemiological parameters and host ecology on the spread of phocine distemper virus through populations of harbour seals. PLoS One 2008; 3:e2710. [PMID: 18628992 PMCID: PMC2442657 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0002710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2008] [Accepted: 06/09/2008] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Outbreaks of phocine distemper virus (PDV) in Europe during 1988 and 2002 were responsible for the death of around 23,000 and 30,000 harbour seals, respectively. These epidemics, particularly the one in 2002, provided an unusual opportunity to estimate epidemic parameters for a wildlife disease. There were marked regional differences in the values of some parameters both within and between epidemics. METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We used an individual-based model of seal movement that allowed us to incorporate realistic representations of space, time and animal behaviour into a traditional epidemiological modelling framework. We explored the potential influence of a range of ecological (foraging trip duration, time of epidemic onset, population size) and epidemiological (length of infectious period, contact rate between infectious and susceptible individuals, case mortality) parameters on four readily-measurable epidemic characteristics (number of dead individuals, duration of epidemic, peak mortality date and prevalence) and on the probability that an epidemic would occur in a particular region. We analysed the outputs as if they were the results of a series of virtual experiments, using Generalised Linear Modelling. All six variables had a significant effect on the probability that an epidemic would be recognised as an unusual mortality event by human observers. CONCLUSIONS Regional and temporal variation in contact rate was the most likely cause of the observed differences between the two epidemics. This variation could be a consequence of differences in the way individuals divide their time between land and sea at different times of the year.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catriona M Harris
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, University of St. Andrews, St Andrews, Fife, United Kingdom.
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Rijks JM, Hoffman JI, Kuiken T, Osterhaus ADME, Amos W. Heterozygosity and lungworm burden in harbour seals (Phoca vitulina). Heredity (Edinb) 2008; 100:587-93. [PMID: 18398424 DOI: 10.1038/hdy.2008.18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
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JOYCE DOMINOA, PULLIN ANDREWS. Phylogeography of the Marsh Fritillary Euphydryas aurinia (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) in the UK. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2008. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2001.tb01305.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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de Oliveira LR, Hoffman JI, Hingst-Zaher E, Majluf P, Muelbert MMC, Morgante JS, Amos W. Morphological and genetic evidence for two evolutionarily significant units (ESUs) in the South American fur seal, Arctocephalus gazella. CONSERV GENET 2007. [DOI: 10.1007/s10592-007-9473-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Pastor T, Garza JC, Aguilar A, Tounta E, Androukaki E. Genetic diversity and differentiation between the two remaining populations of the critically endangered Mediterranean monk seal. Anim Conserv 2007. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-1795.2007.00137.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Dibattista JD, Feldheim KA, Gruber SH, Hendry AP. When bigger is not better: selection against large size, high condition and fast growth in juvenile lemon sharks. J Evol Biol 2007; 20:201-12. [PMID: 17210013 DOI: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2006.01210.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Selection acting on large marine vertebrates may be qualitatively different from that acting on terrestrial or freshwater organisms, but logistical constraints have thus far precluded selection estimates for the former. We overcame these constraints by exhaustively sampling and repeatedly recapturing individuals in six cohorts of juvenile lemon sharks (450 age-0 and 255 age-1 fish) at an enclosed nursery site (Bimini, Bahamas). Data on individual size, condition factor, growth rate and inter-annual survival were used to test the 'bigger is better', 'fatter is better' and 'faster is better' hypotheses of life-history theory. For age-0 sharks, selection on all measured traits was weak, and generally acted against large size and high condition. For age-1 sharks, selection was much stronger, and consistently acted against large size and fast growth. These results suggest that selective pressures at Bimini may be constraining the evolution of large size and fast growth, an observation that fits well with the observed small size and low growth rate of juveniles at this site. Our results support those of some other recent studies in suggesting that bigger/fatter/faster is not always better, and may often be worse.
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Affiliation(s)
- J D Dibattista
- Redpath Museum and Department of Biology, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada.
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Castric V, Bonney F, Bernatchez L. LANDSCAPE STRUCTURE AND HIERARCHICAL GENETIC DIVERSITY IN THE BROOK CHARR, SALVELINUS FONTINALIS. Evolution 2007. [DOI: 10.1111/j.0014-3820.2001.tb00618.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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SWANSON BJ, KELLY BP, MADDOX CK, MORAN JR. Shed skin as a source of DNA for genotyping seals. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2006. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-8286.2006.01473.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Hayes SA, Pearse DE, Costa DP, Harvey JT, Le Boeuf BJ, Garza JC. Mating system and reproductive success in eastern Pacific harbour seals. Mol Ecol 2006; 15:3023-34. [PMID: 16911218 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294x.2006.02984.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Harbour seals sometimes breed along inland travel corridors where females become clustered in space and time and males establish underwater acoustic display territories similar to terrestrial arenas known as resource-based leks. Under these conditions, we predicted that higher levels of polygyny would be observed than has been previously reported for this species mating in open coast environments without travel corridors. Reproductive success (RS) of 70 males was measured using 20 microsatellite DNA loci and likelihood-based paternity analysis of 136 offspring collected over 3 years. Most males were assigned either zero or one paternity with 80% confidence. The greatest number of pups assigned to one male in a season was two. Variance in RS was higher for males than females (which are biologically limited to one offspring per year) indicating low to mild polygyny. In addition, distributions of relatedness values among pups within year classes did not differ significantly from a simulated distribution with R = 0, indicating that half-siblings were uncommon. Overall, polygyny levels were low relative to terrestrial pinniped mating systems and similar to observations from a harbour seal population along an open coast. Due to large confidence intervals associated with our results, we cannot rule out the hypothesis that a travel corridor might increase the degree of polygyny skew relative to that observed in open coast environments. Habitat appeared to influence male strategies as the most successful males in open coast environments patrolled offshore, while the most successful male in this study defended a territory along the travel corridor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean A Hayes
- NMFS Southwest Fisheries Science Center, 110 Shaffer Road, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA.
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Hoffman JI, Matson CW, Amos W, Loughlin TR, Bickham JW. Deep genetic subdivision within a continuously distributed and highly vagile marine mammal, the Steller's sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus). Mol Ecol 2006; 15:2821-32. [PMID: 16911203 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294x.2006.02991.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
The Steller's sea lion Eumetopias jubatus is an endangered marine mammal that has experienced dramatic population declines over much of its range during the past five decades. Studies using mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) have shown that an apparently continuous population includes a strong division, yielding two discrete stocks, western and eastern. Based on a weaker split within the western stock, a third Asian stock has also been defined. While these findings indicate strong female philopatry, a recent study using nuclear microsatellite markers found little evidence of any genetic structure, implying extensive paternal gene flow. However, this result was at odds with mark-recapture data, and both sample sizes and genetic resolution were limited. To address these concerns, we increased analytical power by genotyping over 700 individuals from across the species' range at 13 highly polymorphic microsatellite loci. We found a clear phylogenetic break between populations of the eastern stock and those of the western and Asian stocks. However, our data provide little support for the classification of a separate Asian stock. Our findings show that mtDNA structuring is not due simply to female philopatry, but instead reflects a genuine discontinuity within the range, with implications for both the phylogeography and conservation of this important marine mammal.
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Affiliation(s)
- J I Hoffman
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK.
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Johannesson K, André C. INVITED REVIEW: Life on the margin: genetic isolation and diversity loss in a peripheral marine ecosystem, the Baltic Sea. Mol Ecol 2006; 15:2013-29. [PMID: 16780421 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294x.2006.02919.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 246] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Marginal populations are often isolated and under extreme selection pressures resulting in anomalous genetics. Consequently, ecosystems that are geographically and ecologically marginal might have a large share of genetically atypical populations, in need of particular concern in management of these ecosystems. To test this prediction, we analysed genetic data from 29 species inhabiting the low saline Baltic Sea, a geographically and ecologically marginal ecosystem. On average Baltic populations had lost genetic diversity compared to Atlantic populations: a pattern unrelated to dispersal capacity, generation time of species and taxonomic group of organism, but strongly related to type of genetic marker (mitochondrial DNA loci had lost c. 50% diversity, and nuclear loci 10%). Analyses of genetic isolation by geographic distance revealed clinal patterns of differentiation between Baltic and Atlantic regions. For a majority of species, clines were sigmoid with a sharp slope around the Baltic Sea entrance, indicating impeded gene flows between Baltic and Atlantic populations. Some species showed signs of allele frequencies being perturbed at the edge of their distribution inside the Baltic Sea. Despite the short geological history of the Baltic Sea (8000 years), populations inhabiting the Baltic have evolved substantially different from Atlantic populations, probably as a consequence of isolation and bottlenecks, as well as selection on adaptive traits. In addition, the Baltic Sea also acts a refuge for unique evolutionary lineages. This marginal ecosystem is thus vulnerable but also exceedingly valuable, housing unique genes, genotypes and populations that constitute an important genetic resource for management and conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerstin Johannesson
- Department of Marine Ecology, Tjärnö Marine Biological Laboratory, Göteborg University, SE 452 96 Strömstad, Sweden.
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Harding KC, Hansen BJL, Goodman SJ. Acquired Immunity and Stochasticity in Epidemic Intervals Impede the Evolution of Host Disease Resistance. Am Nat 2005; 166:722-30. [PMID: 16475088 DOI: 10.1086/497580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2005] [Accepted: 08/05/2005] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Disease can generate intense selection pressure on host populations, but here we show that acquired immunity in a population subject to repeated disease outbreaks can impede the evolution of genetic disease resistance by maintaining susceptible genotypes in the population. Interference between the life-history schedule of a species and periodicity of the disease has unintuitive effects on selection intensity, and stochasticity in outbreak period further reduces the rate of spread of disease-resistance alleles. A general age-structured population genetic model was developed and parameterized using empirical data for phocine distemper virus (PDV) epizootics in harbor seals. Scenarios with acquired immunity had lower levels of epizootic mortality compared with scenarios without acquired immunity for the first PDV outbreaks, but this pattern was reversed after about five disease cycles. Without acquired immunity, evolution of disease resistance was more rapid, and long-term population size variation is efficiently dampened. Acquired immunity has the potential to significantly influence rapid evolutionary dynamics of a host population in response to age-structured disease selection and to alter predicted selection intensities compared with epidemiological models that do not consider such feedback. This may have important implications for evolutionary population dynamics in a range of human, agricultural, and wildlife disease settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karin C Harding
- Department of Marine Ecology, Gothenburg University, Box 461, S-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden.
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Beacham TD, Hay DE, Le KD. Population structure and stock identification of Eulachon (Thaleichthys pacificus), an anadromous smelt, in the pacific northwest. MARINE BIOTECHNOLOGY (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2005; 7:363-72. [PMID: 15906115 DOI: 10.1007/s10126-004-4075-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2004] [Accepted: 10/07/2004] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
The genetic structure of eulachon (Thaleichthys pacificus) populations was examined in an analysis of variation of 14 microsatellite loci representing approximately 1900 fish from 9 sites between the Columbia River and Cook Inlet, Alaska. Significant genetic differentiation occurred among the putative populations. The mean F(ST) for all loci was 0.0046, and there was a significant correlation between population genetic differentiation (F(ST)) and geographic distance. Simulated mixed-stock samples comprising populations from different regions suggested that variation at microsatellite loci provided reasonably accurate estimates of stock composition for potential fishery samples. Marine sampling indicated that immature eulachons from different rivers, during the 2 to 3 years of prespawning life in offshore marine waters, do not mix thoroughly. For eulachons captured incidentally in offshore trawl fisheries, there was a clear geographic cline in relative abundance of eulachons from different geographic areas. The sample from northern British Columbia was dominated by northern and central coastal populations of British Columbia, the sample from central British Columbia was composed of eulachons from all regions, and the sample from southern British Columbia was dominated by Columbia River and Fraser River populations. These results have implications for the management of trawl fisheries and conservation of spawning populations in some rivers where abundance is at historically low levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Terry D Beacham
- Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Pacific Biological Station, Nanaimo, B. C., V9T 6N7, Canada.
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Lesage V, Hammill MO, Kovacs KM. Long-distance movements of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) from a seasonally ice-covered area, the St. Lawrence River estuary, Canada. CAN J ZOOL 2004. [DOI: 10.1139/z04-084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies of harbour seal (Phoca vitulina L., 1758) movements indicate that this species is relatively sedentary throughout the year. However, few investigations have examined their movements and seasonal distribution patterns in ice-covered areas. This study used spatial analysis of ice data and movement data from harbour seals collected via satellite (n = 7) and VHF radiotelemetry (n = 15) to explore this species' spatial use patterns in a seasonally ice-covered region, the St. Lawrence River estuary, Canada. When solid ice formed within the bays of the estuary, four of the seven satellite-tagged animals (all adult males) left their summer haul-out areas, migrating 266 ± 202 km (range 65–520 km) to over-wintering sites. The seals exhibited preference for areas of light to intermediate ice conditions during the winter months; at least six of the seven seals occupied areas with lighter ice conditions than those that prevailed generally in the study area. Evidence of high abundance of potential prey for harbour seals in the estuary during winter suggests that reduced availability of adequate food resources is not the primary factor which influences the movement and distribution patterns of harbour seals. Movement patterns observed during the ice-free period concur with previously reported harbour seal behaviour; the seals remained near the coast (<6.1–11.0 km from shore) in shallow water areas (<50 m deep in 100% VHF and 90% SLTDRs (satellite-linked time-depth recorders)) and travelled only short distances (15–45 km) from capture sites. None of the VHF- or satellite-tagged seals crossed the 350 m deep Laurentian channel, which suggests that this deep body of water might represent a physical barrier to this coastal population.
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LUGON‐MOULIN N, BRÜNNER H, WYTTENBACH A, HAUSSER J, GOUDET J. Hierarchical analyses of genetic differentiation in a hybrid zone ofSorex araneus(Insectivora: Soricidae). Mol Ecol 2003. [DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-294x.1999.00595.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- N. LUGON‐MOULIN
- Institut de Zoologie et d’Ecologie Animale, Bâtiment de Biologie, Université de Lausanne, CH‐1015 Lausanne‐Dorigny, Switzerland
| | - H. BRÜNNER
- Institut de Zoologie et d’Ecologie Animale, Bâtiment de Biologie, Université de Lausanne, CH‐1015 Lausanne‐Dorigny, Switzerland
| | - A. WYTTENBACH
- Institut de Zoologie et d’Ecologie Animale, Bâtiment de Biologie, Université de Lausanne, CH‐1015 Lausanne‐Dorigny, Switzerland
| | - J. HAUSSER
- Institut de Zoologie et d’Ecologie Animale, Bâtiment de Biologie, Université de Lausanne, CH‐1015 Lausanne‐Dorigny, Switzerland
| | - J. GOUDET
- Institut de Zoologie et d’Ecologie Animale, Bâtiment de Biologie, Université de Lausanne, CH‐1015 Lausanne‐Dorigny, Switzerland
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Van Parijs SM, Corkeron PJ, Harvey J, Hayes SA, Mellinger DK, Rouget PA, Thompson PM, Wahlberg M, Kovacs KM. Patterns in the vocalizations of male harbor seals. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2003; 113:3403-3410. [PMID: 12822810 DOI: 10.1121/1.1568943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Comparative analyses of the roar vocalization of male harbor seals from ten sites throughout their distribution showed that vocal variation occurs at the oceanic, regional, population, and subpopulation level. Genetic barriers based on the physical distance between harbor seal populations present a likely explanation for some of the observed vocal variation. However, site-specific vocal variations were present between genetically mixed subpopulations in California. A tree-based classification analysis grouped Scottish populations together with eastern Pacific sites, rather than amongst Atlantic sites as would be expected if variation was based purely on genetics. Lastly, within the classification tree no individual vocal parameter was consistently responsible for consecutive splits between geographic sites. Combined, these factors suggest that site-specific variation influences the development of vocal structure in harbor seals and these factors may provide evidence for the occurrence of vocal dialects.
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