Electrophoretic differentiation among local populations of the long-finned pilot whale, Globicephala melaena, at the Faroe Islands

Enzyme variation within and between nine schools of long-finned pilot whales, Globicephala melaena, caught at the Faroe Islands, was examined by starch gel electrophoresis. Twenty-seven enzymes were investigated, representing 41 loci, of which three were polymorphic. The polymorphic enzymes were ana...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian Journal of Zoology
Main Author: Andersen, Liselotte Wesley
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1988
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z88-272
http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/z88-272
Description
Summary:Enzyme variation within and between nine schools of long-finned pilot whales, Globicephala melaena, caught at the Faroe Islands, was examined by starch gel electrophoresis. Twenty-seven enzymes were investigated, representing 41 loci, of which three were polymorphic. The polymorphic enzymes were analyzed in either liver or muscle tissue from 628 specimens. No heterogeneity within the schools was observed, while significant differences in allele frequencies between schools were detected by a multilocus G-test. This result indicated some degree of reproductive isolation.