Climate change introduces threatened killer whale populations and conservation challenges to the Arctic
Abstract The Arctic is the fastest‐warming region on the planet, and the lengthening ice‐free season is opening Arctic waters to sub‐Arctic species such as the killer whale ( Orcinus orca ). As apex predators, killer whales can cause significant ecosystem‐scale changes. Setting conservation prioriti...
Published in: | Global Change Biology |
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcb.17352 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/gcb.17352 |
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crwiley:10.1111/gcb.17352 2024-09-15T17:52:53+00:00 Climate change introduces threatened killer whale populations and conservation challenges to the Arctic Garroway, Colin J. de Greef, Evelien Lefort, Kyle J. Thorstensen, Matt J. Foote, Andrew D. Matthews, Cory J. D. Higdon, Jeff W. Kucheravy, Caila E. Petersen, Stephen D. Rosing‐Asvid, Aqqalu Ugarte, Fernando Dietz, Rune Ferguson, Steven H. Nunavut Wildlife Management Board Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Fisheries and Oceans Canada Alliance de recherche numérique du Canada 2024 http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcb.17352 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/gcb.17352 en eng Wiley http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Global Change Biology volume 30, issue 6 ISSN 1354-1013 1365-2486 journal-article 2024 crwiley https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.17352 2024-07-11T04:38:20Z Abstract The Arctic is the fastest‐warming region on the planet, and the lengthening ice‐free season is opening Arctic waters to sub‐Arctic species such as the killer whale ( Orcinus orca ). As apex predators, killer whales can cause significant ecosystem‐scale changes. Setting conservation priorities for killer whales and their Arctic prey species requires knowledge of their evolutionary history and demographic trajectory. Using whole‐genome resequencing of 24 killer whales sampled in the northwest Atlantic, we first explored the population structure and demographic history of Arctic killer whales. To better understand the broader geographic relationship of these Arctic killer whales to other populations, we compared them to a globally sampled dataset. Finally, we assessed threats to Arctic killer whales due to anthropogenic harvest by reviewing the peer‐reviewed and gray literature. We found that there are two highly genetically distinct, non‐interbreeding populations of killer whales using the eastern Canadian Arctic. These populations appear to be as genetically different from each other as are ecotypes described elsewhere in the killer whale range; however, our data cannot speak to ecological differences between these populations. One population is newly identified as globally genetically distinct, and the second is genetically similar to individuals sampled from Greenland. The effective sizes of both populations recently declined, and both appear vulnerable to inbreeding and reduced adaptive potential. Our survey of human‐caused mortalities suggests that harvest poses an ongoing threat to both populations. The dynamic Arctic environment complicates conservation and management efforts, with killer whales adding top‐down pressure on Arctic food webs crucial to northern communities' social and economic well‐being. While killer whales represent a conservation priority, they also complicate decisions surrounding wildlife conservation and resource management in the Arctic amid the effects of climate change. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Climate change Greenland Killer Whale Northwest Atlantic Orca Orcinus orca Killer whale Wiley Online Library Global Change Biology 30 6 |
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Wiley Online Library |
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crwiley |
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English |
description |
Abstract The Arctic is the fastest‐warming region on the planet, and the lengthening ice‐free season is opening Arctic waters to sub‐Arctic species such as the killer whale ( Orcinus orca ). As apex predators, killer whales can cause significant ecosystem‐scale changes. Setting conservation priorities for killer whales and their Arctic prey species requires knowledge of their evolutionary history and demographic trajectory. Using whole‐genome resequencing of 24 killer whales sampled in the northwest Atlantic, we first explored the population structure and demographic history of Arctic killer whales. To better understand the broader geographic relationship of these Arctic killer whales to other populations, we compared them to a globally sampled dataset. Finally, we assessed threats to Arctic killer whales due to anthropogenic harvest by reviewing the peer‐reviewed and gray literature. We found that there are two highly genetically distinct, non‐interbreeding populations of killer whales using the eastern Canadian Arctic. These populations appear to be as genetically different from each other as are ecotypes described elsewhere in the killer whale range; however, our data cannot speak to ecological differences between these populations. One population is newly identified as globally genetically distinct, and the second is genetically similar to individuals sampled from Greenland. The effective sizes of both populations recently declined, and both appear vulnerable to inbreeding and reduced adaptive potential. Our survey of human‐caused mortalities suggests that harvest poses an ongoing threat to both populations. The dynamic Arctic environment complicates conservation and management efforts, with killer whales adding top‐down pressure on Arctic food webs crucial to northern communities' social and economic well‐being. While killer whales represent a conservation priority, they also complicate decisions surrounding wildlife conservation and resource management in the Arctic amid the effects of climate change. |
author2 |
Nunavut Wildlife Management Board Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Fisheries and Oceans Canada Alliance de recherche numérique du Canada |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Garroway, Colin J. de Greef, Evelien Lefort, Kyle J. Thorstensen, Matt J. Foote, Andrew D. Matthews, Cory J. D. Higdon, Jeff W. Kucheravy, Caila E. Petersen, Stephen D. Rosing‐Asvid, Aqqalu Ugarte, Fernando Dietz, Rune Ferguson, Steven H. |
spellingShingle |
Garroway, Colin J. de Greef, Evelien Lefort, Kyle J. Thorstensen, Matt J. Foote, Andrew D. Matthews, Cory J. D. Higdon, Jeff W. Kucheravy, Caila E. Petersen, Stephen D. Rosing‐Asvid, Aqqalu Ugarte, Fernando Dietz, Rune Ferguson, Steven H. Climate change introduces threatened killer whale populations and conservation challenges to the Arctic |
author_facet |
Garroway, Colin J. de Greef, Evelien Lefort, Kyle J. Thorstensen, Matt J. Foote, Andrew D. Matthews, Cory J. D. Higdon, Jeff W. Kucheravy, Caila E. Petersen, Stephen D. Rosing‐Asvid, Aqqalu Ugarte, Fernando Dietz, Rune Ferguson, Steven H. |
author_sort |
Garroway, Colin J. |
title |
Climate change introduces threatened killer whale populations and conservation challenges to the Arctic |
title_short |
Climate change introduces threatened killer whale populations and conservation challenges to the Arctic |
title_full |
Climate change introduces threatened killer whale populations and conservation challenges to the Arctic |
title_fullStr |
Climate change introduces threatened killer whale populations and conservation challenges to the Arctic |
title_full_unstemmed |
Climate change introduces threatened killer whale populations and conservation challenges to the Arctic |
title_sort |
climate change introduces threatened killer whale populations and conservation challenges to the arctic |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2024 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcb.17352 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/gcb.17352 |
genre |
Arctic Climate change Greenland Killer Whale Northwest Atlantic Orca Orcinus orca Killer whale |
genre_facet |
Arctic Climate change Greenland Killer Whale Northwest Atlantic Orca Orcinus orca Killer whale |
op_source |
Global Change Biology volume 30, issue 6 ISSN 1354-1013 1365-2486 |
op_rights |
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.17352 |
container_title |
Global Change Biology |
container_volume |
30 |
container_issue |
6 |
_version_ |
1810294900988575744 |