The Novel Evolution of the Sperm Whale Genome

The sperm whale, made famous by Moby Dick, is one of the most fascinating of all ocean-dwelling species given their unique life history, novel physiological adaptations to hunting squid at extreme ocean depths, and their position as one of the earliest branching toothed whales (Odontoceti). We assem...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Genome Biology and Evolution
Main Authors: Warren, Wesley C, Kuderna, Lukas, Alexander, Alana, Catchen, Julian, Pérez-Silva, José G, López-Otín, Carlos, Quesada, Víctor, Minx, Patrick, Tomlinson, Chad, Montague, Michael J, Farias, Fabiana H G, Walter, Ronald B, Marques-Bonet, Tomas, Glenn, Travis, Kieran, Troy J, Wise, Sandra S, Wise, John Pierce, Waterhouse, Robert M
Format: Text
Language:English
Published: Oxford University Press 2017
Subjects:
Genome Report
Physeter macrocephalus
Sperm whale
toothed whales
Online Access:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5726484/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28985367
https://doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evx187
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Summary:The sperm whale, made famous by Moby Dick, is one of the most fascinating of all ocean-dwelling species given their unique life history, novel physiological adaptations to hunting squid at extreme ocean depths, and their position as one of the earliest branching toothed whales (Odontoceti). We assembled the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) genome and resequenced individuals from multiple ocean basins to identify new candidate genes for adaptation to an aquatic environment and infer demographic history. Genes crucial for skin integrity appeared to be particularly important in both the sperm whale and other cetaceans. We also find sperm whales experienced a steep population decline during the early Pleistocene epoch. These genomic data add new comparative insight into the evolution of whales.

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