Worldwide Population Structure in Cuvier's Beaked Whales: Identification of Units for Conservation

• Main Author: Dalebout, Merel
• Other Authors: NEW SOUTH WALES UNIV SYDNEY (AUSTRALIA)
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2008
• Subjects: Genetic Engineering and Molecular Biology; Biology; *POPULATION; *DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACIDS; *SOFT TISSUES; *WHALES; *BONES; *GENETICS; *GENES; SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE; NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN; COLLECTION; OCEAN BASINS; NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN; MITOCHONDRIA; SEX; EXTRACTION; PATTERNS; SAMPLING; STATISTICAL ANALYSIS; *CUVIER'S BEAKED WHALES; *GENETIC ANALYSIS; *MITOCHONDRIAL DNA; MTDNA(MITOCHONDRIAL DNA); *CYTOCHROME B; POPULATION GENETICS; MTDNA HAPLOTYPES; CONTROL REGION; GENETIC DIFFERENTIATION; GENETIC DIFFERENCES; MOLECULAR SEXING; GENE SEQUENCING; HETEROZYGOSITY; MTDNA DIVERSITY C = 0 A; Pacific; North Atlantic
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA490026; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA490026

This report summarizes the research conducted under two contracts from the Southwest Fisheries Science Center, La Jolla, CA, using funding from the Office of Naval Operations (N45), Washington, DC, and the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA. Small bone samples from over 500 Cuvier's beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris) representing populations worldwide were collected from museums and other institutions. Genetic analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region and cytochrome b diversity is underway. These data will be used for a robust statistical assessment of genetic differentiation between populations at regional and ocean basin levels and estimation of rates of dispersal, allowing units for conservation to be identified. Information on the mtDNA haplotype and sex of each specimen will also be provided. Preliminary median-spanning network reconstructions and analyses of molecular variance (AMOVA) for a subset of samples (control region -- 317 base pairs, n = 219; cytochrome b -- 326 base pairs, n = 190) revealed strong differentiation among the three ocean basins (North Atlantic, North Pacific, and Southern Hemisphere) at the haplotype and nucleotide level (p < 0.0001). There also is possible evidence of historical movements of these whales between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans prior to the closure of the Isthmus of Panama approximately 3 million years ago. DNA extraction and sequencing are ongoing. The final deliverables for these contracts are expected in approximately 6 months' time. Sponsored in part by the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, DC. Southwest Fisheries Science Center Order Numbers JG133F05SE6342 and JG133F07SE2186. The original document contains color images.